The Girl Generation

The Girl Generation was a social change communications initiative, supported by UK Aid, which provided a global platform for galvanising, catalysing and amplifying the Africa-led movement to end female genital mutilation (FGM). The goal of The Girl Generation was to transform the social norms underpinning FGM so that it is brought to an end in one generation.

FGM is a harmful practice that has severe physical and psychological effects. For too long, it has been a neglected issue on the global agenda, and treated as a taboo subject. No country can achieve its full potential politically, socially or economically when half of its population is held back by extreme forms of discrimination. Ending FGM can be a catalyst for wider social change. Over the next ten years, more than 30 million girls are at risk of undergoing FGM. After decades of work to end this practice, the momentum for change is growing. Across the African continent and around the world, people are coming together to abandon this form of violence against women and girls.

The unifying power of The Girl Generation brand was that it communicated the exceptional value of girls to their communities and countries, and invited many different people to be part of this generation where FGM ends. The Girl Generation supported campaigns to break the cycle and end FGM globally but with a particular focus on ten of the most affected countries on the African continent. The work was led from Kenya, supported by a small core team in the UK, and included activities in Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan and The Gambia.

As part of The Girl Generation, Options managed an End FGM Grants programme which awarded small grants to grassroots organisations working to end FGM, reaching over 60,000 people. Over 1.7 million radio listeners have heard end FGM messages, dramas and discussions as a result of the grants.

The Girl Generation sought strategic leadership and guidance from African experts, including those who made up its Strategic Advisory Group.

The four core strategic areas of The Girl Generation were:

• Developing partnerships in order to build an Africa-led, global collective of organisations, working together to end FGM in a generation.
• Enabling social change communications so that partners communicate effectively to end FGM.
• Amplifying positive stories of change at local, national, regional and global levels.
• Catalysing global advocacy so that FGM is integrated in development policies and programmes and additional resources are leveraged to end it.

Project achievements

The Girl Generation was launched in October 2014.

• It engaged over 900 member organisations who are working to accelerate social change to end FGM.
• 91% of members are from the African continent and over half are grassroots local organisations.
• Members of The Girl Generation reach over 1.5 million people directly.
• We drove forward advocacy efforts to lobby for the inclusion of FGM as a global indicator in the Sustainable Development Goals.
• The Girl Generation youth networks and End FGM ambassadors reached 1.5 million people through face-to-face and media engagements.
• Over 500 individuals from member organisations in all ten focal countries received training in social change communications, including activists, youth, ambassadors and grantees from the end FGM small grants.