Awareness Creation

The preparation of the celebration of the Dropping of the Knife took a long time combined with consistent efforts and sustained support from our donors/partners. For the past years GAMCOTRAP adopted different strategies in order to effectively reach out to the people with information on sexual and reproductive health and rights including traditional practices that are inimical to the health and wellbeing of women and girl children.

A three day training module has been introduced and maintained for a long time. This was adopted to ensure that those that matter are effectively and efficiently trained and informed so as to be equipped with relevant information to be able to take leadership responsibilities to protect their children and to eventually denounce the practice of all forms of harmful traditional practices. As a result, all the 18 circumcisers and their communities have undergone training using these modules which eventually led to a public declaration to stop FGM in their communities. As part of the process, social mobilization activities and sensitization programmes have also been conducted in various communities to be able to reach out to a larger audience. Our targets include women, men, youths, religious leaders, community leaders, health care providers and women’s rights organisations are sensitized and engaged in the advocacy. After training in each community, the circumciser and her assistants are given the role to advise women on the effects of FGM on women and children’s health.

The Alternative Employment Opportunities (AEO) Project
A study conducted by the Inter African Committee in some of the 28 National Committees has revealed that poverty is an underlying factor why circumcisers cling to the practice. Therefore addressing poverty of circumcisers was given priority. Apart from the awareness creation and social mobilisation, the organisation in its drive to help the circumcisers, continued to create Alternative Employment Opportunities for the Ex – Circumcisers. The AEO project was to help them begin petty trading and to uplift their economic status as a means of empowerment and also to sustain the gains made, it was prudent for them to be provided with alternative employment opportunities.

Consultation
GAMCOTRAP also engaged into series of consultations and research to find out whether the ex – circumcisers have been engaged in their communities. The follow up observations and consultations have been going on in tracking the incidence of FGM on our project sites. The result was that the ex – circumcisers and their communities have not been engaged in the practice since their trainings with their communities. The village and district heads of such communities were given their right place in the advocacy work and were equally part of the process from the beginning. As the heads of households and community decision makers their leadership positions was recognised, and their support of the process also contributed to the outcome of the landmark achievement in the communities.

Consensus Building on FGM
Stopping a strongly held cultural practice such as FGM requires a lot of commitment and assurance from the people who hitherto have very strong belief in the practice. Having had series of meetings, consultations and values clarification regarding our traditional practices in the communities, the desire to stop the practice was from them. There was consensus among the people. As a result, the call was made in 2006 by the 18 communities and the process of planning commenced. The communities decided on most of the activities and how the celebrations were to be organised. It was with the active involvement of the chiefs and village heads and women leaders, circumcisers and their communities.

Preparations
The initial brainstorming for the celebration started in May 2006. It was followed by proposal writing and selling the proposal to various partners for a year. A coordination team was constituted and facilitated by the Executive Director, as part of the preparations for the activities various committees have been established by the organisation to ensure that every aspect is taken into consideration to ensure land mark success of the programme.

The Following committees were established
·  The Media Committee
·  The Logistics Committee

Food and Accommodation committee

These three committees formed the core of the planning process which began three months before the proper activity. It involved revisiting plans over and over again to engage the Government official at the highest level, writing and sending invitations and engaging the media.