Ten years ago today Efua Dorkenoo, the figurehead of the movement to end female genital mutilation (FGM), passed away.
The Ghanaian-born activist was affectionately known as Mama Efua because she became a surrogate to me and so many others.
I first met this incredible woman in 2011 when I started campaigning against FGM. It was only her love and support that made the backlash that came after I gave my first interview about my experience of FGM bearable.
In the years that followed, Efua and I would often sit for hours and talk about the need to give power and dignity back to the African women on the front lines of this fight.
Efua would tell me how she and other African women had worked for decades to put the issue on the agenda and how it was time to let them lead again.
From her early years campaigning with the Minority Rights Group, for whom she travelled across Africa gathering data for a pioneering report, to her work as acting director for women’s health for the World Health Organization and her far-reaching books on the subject, Efua – perhaps more than any other person – is responsible for turning the tide against FGM, which is now in decline around the world.
Ultimately, it is her passion for empowering other women that is why I stand where I am today. Her dedication to ensuring we did things better here in the UK is also why my niece – who was born just after we met – is now a young woman not just free from FGM, but even from the idea of it.
So when she passed away in 2014, it was hard to see how I would be able to carry on the work that she and I had started to help end FGM in the UK and support the African-led movement on the continent. The hole she left in that movement was vast.
It took some time to find a way forward, but by 2019 I was leading a campaign in response to Efua’s vision.
Together with Brendan Wynne, I set up The Five Foundation, a global partnership to end FGM by trusting and investing in organisations led by African women.
We host annual philanthropy summits, which convene donors and grassroots organisations alongside former prime ministers and celebrities.
Efua’s legacy extends far beyond her time on Earth, manifesting in a generation of diaspora girls leading lives vastly different from those of their predecessors.
The protective measures in place today in the UK stand as a testament to Efua’s foundational work, paving the way for enhanced safeguards for young girls, including the pivotal inclusion of FGM in the Children’s Act.
In the last few days, The Five Foundation also launched a funder alliance, which brings together a variety of donors to provide unrestricted resources to women dedicated to eradicating FGM and other forms of violence against girls.
This new approach to trusting and supporting women based in their communities underscores the enduring impact of Mama Efua’s dedication. Every day, I am reminded of her absence but also filled with gratitude for the profound influence she continues to exert.
As we navigate the final five years of our mission to eradicate FGM by 2030, I implore you to stand alongside me and the remarkable African women at the forefront of the battle. Let us heed Efua’s rallying cry and consign this abhorrent practice to the annals of history where it rightfully belongs.
The dream of ending FGM is within reach, but bringing about lasting change requires our collective efforts and unwavering resolve.
Nimco Ali is CEO and Co-Founder of The Five Foundation, The Global Partnership To End FGM.
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The dream of ending FGM is within reach – thanks to Mama Efua
Ten years after the death of Efua Dorkenoo, we must remember her rallying cry and consign this abhorrent practice to history