End FGM once and for all
Fight female circumcision
Over 200 million women and girls worldwide are genital mutilated. Every year another 3.5 million girls are added against their will. Female genital mutilation (FGM) has nothing to do with religion, culture or tradition. It's a crime. It's horrific. It's unacceptable. Human rights activist and supermodel Waris Dirie has been fighting this crime for years. At the age of 5 she herself became a victim of FGM. Together with British label Coco de Mer and photographer Rankin, Waris and her Desert Flower Foundation have declared war on FGM. "Our mission is to eradicate FGM and empower women that they can lead a more self-determined life", Waris says.
The eradication of female genital mutilation strengthens women's rights and helps them to lead a self-determined life, which is a human right. It is an excellent and necessary project!
WINNER STATEMENTFor us, the iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE 2019 is both an incentive and confirmation that we are heading in the right direction. All of the prize money will be put towards construction of the first 'Desert Flower School' in Sierra Leone (West Africa), which is due to open shortly. Education is the strongest weapon in our fight against female genital mutilation (FGM). We are very grateful that iF is helping us to empower girls and women. An independent and self-determined woman is less likely to be subject to group pressure. We will never give up our fight against FGM!
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