Final Evaluation: Information and Sensitization against the Practices of FGM/C and Child Marriage in 30 Villages in Kayes Region (Mali)

Location: Mali 

Grantee: Association Malienne pour le Suivi et l'Orientation des Pratiques Traditionnelles Néfastes (AMSOPT)

Grant period: March 2017 - February 2019

Grant amount: $246,188

Publication year: 2019

The project “Information and Sensitization against the Practices of FGM/C and Child Marriage in 30 Villages in Kayes Region”, run by the Malian Association for Monitoring and Orientation of Traditional Practices (AMSOPT), aimed to:

• use outreach and community-based communication support to change social norms linked to FGM/C and early marriage;
• enhance access to adequate medical and psychosocial services for survivors of violence;
• adopt activities such as radio broadcasts, intergenerational discussions and sports events to foster dialogue and increase knowledge of women’s rights in the target communities;
• strengthen the capacity of key stakeholders, including policy makers, religious leaders and teachers, to end FGM/C and early marriage; and
• share relevant information on FGM/C and early marriage with children in school.

Main findings of the evaluation:

• 85 per cent of adolescents who participated in project activities indicated they had acquired a lot of knowledge on FGM/C and early marriage, and said they would not engage in these practices themselves.
• 55 per cent of survey respondents from the 30 target villages said they do not intend to subject their children to FGM/C, compared to 20 per cent before the project.
• 100 teachers trained on the context and consequences of FGM/C and early marriages shared this knowledge with their students.
• 618 survivors of FGM/C and early marriage received medical and psychological support through the project.