Inspiring Women SUMMER 2020

voices have not been heard in thousands of years; girls who are at risk of female genital
mutilation (FGM) and have decided to risk everything, including their lives and family, to run
away from home and save themselves. It’s also a film about Rhobi Samwelly, the incredible
woman who helps save them from harm.
These are crazy times. Life in
the time of Corona is very
different in so many ways;
having said that, my goal since
In the Name of Your Daughter
premiered in Copenhagen, has
been to make impact and
inspire change in the fight to
end female genital mutilation.
And that still goes on. In fact,
it’s been somewhat allconsuming;
I made the film
right from the start with the
idea that it could be a tool for
change and a call to take
action. And that has
happened. In the Name of
Your Daughter has been seen
all around the world in film festivals, on television, even in some of the world’s parliaments--
Britain, The Netherlands and Australia. And together with three other women, I have co-founded
the End FGM Canada Network. We believe there are over 100,000 survivors in Canada and,
according to government documents, thousands of girls at risk. Yet almost nothing is being done
in Canada which is why we founded the network. We are working hard to attract media
attention and government action on FGM in the Canadian context.
Tell us about the main work of the HGWT organization. Rhobi Samwelly’s organization, Hope for
Girls and Women Tanzania, works to save girls from female genital mutilation. This is both
important and inspiring; she is not just saving girls from FGM, she is also creating an army of
young warriors who will carry on making change in their community. Rhobi’s goal is to make
FGM history in her community, and she has all the passion, determination, and chutzpah to
make her dream come true. FAWCO’s support for her mission will be invaluable.
I am so thrilled that FAWCO has chosen Rhobi
Samwelly’s S.A.F.E as the FAWCO 2019-2022
Target Project. Rhobi and her girls are among
the most amazing people I have ever met.
Together, they are working and succeeding
in making positive change in their community.
Most people know little about female genital
mutilation, but it is in fact the worst systematic
human rights abuse in the world today. And
it’s happening on a grand scale. Every ten
seconds another girl is cut somewhere. FGM/
C is happening in 92 countries and on every
continent except Antartctica. We need many
many more Rhobi Samwellys to end this cycle
of violence, but Rhobi is doing an amazing
job and her influence is now reaching
beyond Tanzania.
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