28-year-old Sara* lives in a small apartment in one of Cairo’s informal settlements. A mum of two young daughters, she was first contacted by our partner, BLESS, through their regular door-to-door community visits.

This contact with BLESS encouraged Sara to attend one of their seminars on the risks of early marriage. She found the seminar so useful that she decided to also go to one of BLESS’s regular awareness classes on female genital mutilation (FGM). In her own words:

“I had intended to do circumcision surgery to my daughters, but when I knew its negative impact, I decided not to put my daughters’ lives in danger. But [trying] to persuade my husband was a big challenge … I arranged a meeting between the BLESS field workers and my husband. After the discussion, my husband was convinced and promised not to return to this thought again. Also, I spoke with my sister about what I had learned – it’s our duty to tell others.”

*Name changed

More information:

BLESS is the social development arm of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt. These activities took place as part of the combating violence component of BLESS’s ‘Integrated Community Development Project’, supported by Embrace. Key achievements last year (2022) included:

• 200 women received psychological support

• 1,123 adolescents were educated through sport and art about the risks of gender-based violence and FGM

• 73 volunteers were trained to play a role in combating gender-based violence, FGM and early marriage

• Increasing the impact of awareness campaigns by including men in the target groups

• Equipping 462 religious leaders with the necessary skills and information they need to help combat all forms of gender-based violence