The fight against female genital mutilation (FGM) has gained a significant ally with the launch of the Her Horizon Fund. This unprecedented $15.5m initiative aims to create an unstoppable momentum towards eliminating the practice, which has affected over 230 million women and girls worldwide.
The fund’s inception comes at a critical time, as women’s rights face increasing threats and donor funding for FGM-related work declines sharply. The United Nations has set a goal to eliminate FGM by 2030 but progress is lagging due to funding cuts and challenges to legal protections.
The Her Horizon Fund: A Beacon of Hope
The Her Horizon Fund, initiated by the Wallace Global Fund has been seeded with $14m from the fund itself and an additional $1.5m from an anonymous donor. The fund’s ambitious goal is to pool $100m from donors to reach a tipping point towards ending FGM within a generation.
Ifrah Ahmed a Somali-Irish activist and survivor of FGM, welcomed the fund, stating, “By giving $14m the global fund will ensure activists can continue their work in this area.” Ahmed, who founded the Ifrah Foundation to end the practice in Somalia, has been a vocal advocate for anti-FGM legislation. Despite a $300,000 funding cut by UNFPA last year, her foundation has made strides in pushing for anti-FGM laws in Somalia.
Progress and Challenges in the Fight Against FGM
While international recognition of FGM as a human rights violation has grown, progress remains fragile. Countries like Burkina FasoThe Gambia and Kenya have criminalized the practice, but challenges persist. In The Gambia the supreme court is considering a constitutional challenge to the country’s 2015 ban on FGM. Meanwhile, in Sierra Leone the new Child Rights Act does not prohibit FGM, despite sustained campaigning from rights groups.
Susan Gibbs the Wallace Global Fund’s senior adviser on women’s rights and FGM, emphasized the critical need for sustained funding. “Female genital mutilation is a global crisis, an extreme manifestation of gender-based violence and violence against children, and a public health emergency,” she said. Gibbs highlighted the importance of frontline organizations in leading the charge against FGM, stating, “Lasting change must be led by the frontline – it cannot be imposed from the outside.”
The Impact of FGM and the Urgency of Action
FGM, the partial or total removal of female genitalia for non-medical reasons, has devastating health consequences. It can cause immediate complications such as severe pain, excessive bleeding, and infection, as well as long-term issues including complications during childbirth, chronic pain, and lasting psychological trauma. A 2025 study estimated that FGM causes approximately 44,000 deaths each year in the 15 countries examined, making it one of the leading causes of death for women and girls in those regions.
The Her Horizon Fund represents a crucial step in the global effort to end FGM. By empowering frontline activists and providing them with the resources they need, the fund aims to turn the tide against this harmful practice and create a safer, healthier future for women and girls worldwide.
