On March 18th, Sahiyo in partnership with RTI International hosted a virtual community forum to discuss the role of community engagement in prevention efforts to raise awareness on FGM/C and support communities impacted by it. Speakers included Mariya Taher, Samman Masud, Wonder Guannu, and Breanne Lash. Throughout the webinar, speakers uplifted their organization’s examples of effective outreach and education through various engagement strategies with individuals and communities impacted by FGM/C.
Overall, the session provided a platform for sharing diverse case studies and illustrating real-world examples of community engagement in this field. These discussions delved into the intricacies of building partnerships, mobilizing resources, influencing systems, and sustaining community and individual-level involvement to improve the well-being of those affected by FGM/C.
During the webinar Sahiyo and RTI announced their to-be-released Survivor and Community Engagement Toolkit that aims to provide guidance on best practices for outreach to FGM/C-impacted communities. The information inside the toolkit is largely informed and guided by the insights of this webinar’s panelist, in addition, to other real-life examples shared by U.S.-based community organizations actively involved in combating FGM/C.