Final Evaluation: Female Genital Mutilation Elimination Project in the Serengeti District (Tanzania)

Location: Tanzania

Grantee: AMREF Health Africa

Grant period: January 2016 – December 2018

Grant amount: $1,000,000

Summary: AMREF Health Africa initiated the “Female Genital Mutilation Elimination Project in the Serengeti District” in Tanzania, where more than 7.9 million women and girls are estimated to have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM). The project aimed to raise awareness of the dire consequences of FGM and ensure that the health sector’s interventions are culturally appropriate, sustainable and responsive to the community’s needs. It also sought to empower girls, women and communities to combat and handle cases of gender-based violence (GBV), and to strengthen the capacity of community-based organizations to carry out policy and legal advocacy to eliminate FGM and GBV.

Main findings of the evaluation:

• The project reached 15,747 women and girls in Serengeti District through film shows, public meetings and training.
• The girls became more able to avoid FGM by seeking help at the police gender desk or a safe house.
• More than 90 per cent of participants of focus group discussions indicated that the project had helped to change men’s attitude towards FGM.
• The project increased awareness and knowledge of the health impacts of FGM and of FGM as a human rights issue.

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