Active Voices is part of a global Africa-led movement to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Our current focus states are Imo State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) though our impact reaches beyond. We utilize several approaches in our efforts to end FGM, embedding social change communication at the core of our campaign. We engage health workers and strategically work with young people to drive the #EndFGM movement.

As part of our targeting the current and next generation of parents to End FGM in the Federal Capital Territory, we developed a stage drama titled: “Together- one community’s story of ending FGM” which was performed in three Area council in the Federal Capital Territory (Gwagwalada, Kuje and AMAC respectively). 

Set in the village of Igakun, the story follows the life of Nuha……

The International Day of the African Child (DAC) is celebrated annually on the 16th of June in memory of hundreds of unarmed students who were killed by South African police during a protest for their right to education on the streets of Soweto in June 16, 1976. To commemorate the Day, Active Voices partnered with several organisations and embarked on a road walk in the Federal Capital Territory aimed at raising awareness on the need to end Female Genital Mutilation – one of the challenges facing the girl child in Africa.  

The road walk had youths, members of non-governmental organisations and civil society organisations speaking out against the practice of FGM. Stops were made at several strategic points in order to communicate with more people on the need to end FGM and each stop, bystanders gathered to listen to a talk on FGM and the need to end the practice. A total of 105 persons attended and 350 persons were reached through the walk which successfully educated the general public (road commuters) on FGM and its effect on the girl child, individuals and the society at large.

The Turn Up the Volume (TU-TV) project was designed to further ongoing advocacy and strengthen the youth movement to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Nigeria. In this regard Active Voices partnered with The Girl Generation, an international NGO to serve as a fiscal sponsor and provide technical support to the Youth Anti-FGM Network for the implementation of the TU-TV project in three states in the southern region of Nigeria. The project was implemented in Cross River, Imo and Enugu states through the Anti-FGM Youth Network. 

To drive the campaign against FGM in the selected states, 85 religious leaders and youth activists were trained which led to the creation of state chapters of the Youth Anti-FGM Networks. Through the efforts of the States Youth Anti-FGM Networks, approximately 3 million people were reached within Cross River, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Akwa Ibom, Abia and the FCT on the Zero Tolerance Day via media engagements.

On the other hand, to intensify the campaign against FGM among healthcare providers, 47 Medical students from two universities were trained in Ebonyi and Cross River states who proceeded to organise step-down training to student Nurses at School of Health Technology, Calabar. 

In 2018, the youth network developed a 5-year Strategic Plan to guide the network for the next 5 years which was officially launched at the 1st Pan-African End FGM Youth Summit in Nairobi, Kenya.