LESSONS FROM THE GRASSROOTS
One of the central contentions of this book is that change comes primarily from the grassroots, from communities themselves, through the actions of community-based organisations (CBOs), civil society, and individual champions for change. External agencies and governments have an important role to play at the macro level, establishing a policy framework and providing ongoing support for abandonment.
The first two chapters in this section describe pioneering research-based initiatives in very different parts of Africa, undertaken in collaboration with communities, and resulting in real changes in attitudes and practices. Change is happening in practising communities, and it is crucial that the international movement and debate is informed by rigorous, reflective, community-based work.
Chapter 5 (Amal Ahmed and Katy Newell-Jones) describes the journey taken by a civil society organisation in Somaliland in carrying out participatory community-based research on FGM/C. This approach involves ongoing dialogue with local stakeholders, who are active research partners, and identifying the decision-making dilemmas people face in relation to FGM/C. The results have fed into programming, increasing its effectiveness. This has led to measurable shifts towards FGM/C abandonment, a reduction in the harm experienced by women and girls, strengthened capacity of civil society, and greater collaboration with religious leaders and government institutions.
Chapter 6 (Els Leye et al.) describes ongoing campaigns in Guinea-Conakry that have also seen marked successes. Awareness-raising campaigns at village level, in collaboration with a local radio station, are combined with other practical initiatives that meet villagers’ basic needs. These have increased villagers’ trust in anti-FGM/C campaigns, and integrated different types of messaging around development issues. Other positive outcomes include the breaking of taboos around FGM/C; more open dialogue between old and young, men and women; and greater villager ‘buy-in’ to campaigns.
Chapter 7 (Nada Alassad) seeks to understand the drivers that influence behaviour change around FGM/C in Sudan. The author describes her research using behaviour change theories to explain the drivers of change. The objective is not only to expand our theoretical understanding of behaviour change but also to offer actionable, evidence-based strategies for organisations working in Sudan.
Readers will see considerable agreement in the conclusions from these three pieces of research, despite the different contexts and research methodologies.