Geographic Area: Upper Egypt

Area of Development: Social and human development

Sector: Health and poverty alleviation

Executive body: DGCS

Institutional counterpart: National Council for Childhood and Motherhood - UNDP

Other funding parties: The program is co-financed by the main donors present in Egypt

Beneficiaries: Children, adolescents and women of 60 villages

Period of implementation: 2003 - 2005

Amount and nature of the funds: 319,000 € grant through the debt swap

Type of intervention: Training, capacity building and public awareness

Objective:

Modification of the attitude of the community towards the question of FGM to favor the elimination of these practices 

Description of the project:

The project aims at contributing to the elimination of the practices of FGM in the rural community of Upper Egypt creating public awareness regarding the uselessness and risks of these practices and the violation of the human rights that they entail. The project proposes a participatory approach to the problem through involving all components of the communities (religious and political representatives, teachers, health care personnel, administrators and population without discrimination based on sex or age). The facilitators of the process will be the local NGOs that already operate in the areas of intervention of the project. It is a pioneer project that will be presented as a model for the progressive elimination of the phenomenon of FGM all over Egypt.