Protect Girls from FGM in Tanzania

Dear generous supporters of NO FGM! Safe House and Training Centre, Tanzania

JUST A FEW DAYS UNTIL  “GIRLS SAY NO!”

There are just a few days left to get your tickets for our major London event, “GIRLS SAY NO- celebrating Tanzanian successes in beating FGM ” at Westminster Central Hall on Thursday October 2^nd. This will be a wonderful evening with inspirational speakers including Dr Ann Marie Wilson who knows more about FGM in Arica than anyone else, student activist Muna Hasan and our own Mama Rhobi Samwelly. There’ll be music from Freddy Macha and his band. Food and soft drinks are included in the ticket price of £20.00. So please come and support the Safe House project and have an excellent evening. You can buy tickets on-line at https://mydonate.bt.com/events/whall/174692or you can get them on the door. However in that case phone Ann Marcus on 020 8668 5230 by Sept 28^th as we need to know the numbers for the caterers.

BY THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH: A REFUSAL OVERTURNED

Mama Rhobi, the leader of our Safe House and Training Centre Project, arrives on September 27^th for an information-giving and fund-raising tour. The visit has been paid for by two of our members and there is no cost to the project. But it nearly didn’t happen! On the 18^th August Mama Rhobi heard that her visa to come to the UK had been refused. The grounds given were that “she did not have a strong connection to Tanzania and that her income was low”.  No strong connection? Born there, educated there, married there, a mother there, in full-time employment there, backed by her Diocese and Bishop……… The fact (and much more besides) that she is due to speak to a committee of the House of Commons was ignored. Many of us wrote at once to our MPs (thank you if you were one who did) and after a highly anxious wait, the decision was overturned. If you would like to know why Mama Rhobi is such a passionate campaigner against FGM, you can read all about her at http://hiaragirlpower.blogspot.co.uk/

WHERE YOU CAN MEET MAMA RHOBI – IF YOU WANT MORE DETAILS PHONE 020 8668 5230

Sun Sept 28^th     Blackheath, South London

Wed Oct 1^st        Winchmore Hill, North London

Thur Oct 2^nd       GIRLS SAY NO- Westminster Central Hall, London

Sun Oct 5^th         St Peter’s Church, South Croydon, London

Mon Oct 6^th       Woking, Surrey

Thur Oct 9^th       St Thomas’ Church Huddersfield, Yorkshire

Sat Oct 11^th        Askham Bryan, Near York, Yorkshire

Sun Oct 12^th       Halifax Minster

Sun Oct 12^th       Bamford Chapel, Rochdale

Mon Oct 13^th     Worcester University

Wed Oct 15^th     London, House of Commons – if you wish to attend, phone Julian Marcus on the number above

Sun Oct 19^th       Sanderstead, South London

HOW’S THE FUND-RAISING GOING?

Overall, we need a bit over £70,000 (costs have risen) to build and equip the Safe House and Training Centre. So far, thanks to you and many others, we have raised £48,150. So we are almost on 69% of what’s needed. As you can see from the latest photo, most of the shell of the buildings is already in place and roofs will soon be going on.  The next lot of money will go on plumbing, solar power, water harvesting and furniture and equipment. Our dream is to get the buildings mostly finished in the next 3 months. 

Thanks for your help so far!

• Come to Westminster Central Hall (PDF)