1999 GRANTS MAIN INDEX • GRANTS & FINANCES

Female Genital Mutilation

The practice of FGM has profound implications for women’s reproductive health and equity in Africa, as noted by the International Conference on Population and Development’s Cairo Plan of Action. This is the only program area of the Fund not focused on sustainable development. The Fund has, for historical reasons, made limited funds available for the support of highly leveraged initiatives to eradicate the practice of female genital mutilation.

Research, Action, and Information Network for the Bodily Integrity of Women (RAINBO) - $150,000 over two years

Core support for RAINBO’s work on eliminating female genital mutilation (FGM). Specifically, RAINBO seeks to promote and protect women’s reproductive and sexual health and rights as part of their human rights. Starting with the issue of female circumcision/female genital mutilation, RAINBO has evolved into a specialized and highly flexible organization dedicated to fostering existing technical capacity of individuals and groups within Africa.

TOSTAN - $253,638

Support for TOSTAN to extend its village empowerment program to communities in Sudan and Mali to test in non-Senegalese settings the efficacy of its successful model to end female genital cutting.