Training and Technical Assistance For Addressing Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting Program

Female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C) is a public health, social welfare, and human rights concern in the United States. To prevent the practice of FGM/C and improve services for those affected, practitioners, survivors, and researchers have called for culturally informed multisectoral community responses, inclusive of social service and health care providers, religious and community leaders, men, educators, and the justice system. The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) is committed to preventing FGM/C and serving survivors through the Addressing FGM/C program, which currently funds six community-based grantees and will fund an additional six projects in FY2021 to build or enhance community response to FGM/C. Grantees will work with community partners to increase services for survivors and at-risk individuals, conduct outreach and education to prevent and address FGM/C in their communities, and submit a final report summarizing their efforts. Additionally, OVC will support a training and technical assistance (TTA) provider to build capacity and aid the FY2021 Addressing FGM/C grantees. RTI International is partnering with Sahiyo U.S., the U.S. End FGM/C Network, and nationally recognized FGM/C experts to develop and execute additional TTA for the FY2021 grantees, through an expansion of the Addressing FGM/C Training and Technical Assistance Project (AFTTAP). AFTTAP will use proven strategies for developing and delivering grantee-centric TTA; support grantees’ community partners with tailored learning opportunities and resources; and document and disseminate best practices and innovations to end FGM/C and serve survivors in the United States. The AFTTAP project will be guided will by a group of eminent researchers, healthcare providers, survivors, and community activists in the field; evidence-informed and culturally responsive FGM/C prevention and service strategies; and RTI’s experience supporting the current FY 2020 Addressing FGM/C grantees and their partners. As part of our multimodal TTA approach, we will deliver tailored individualized TA (e.g., site visits, monthly calls, strategic planning, expert-grantee calls), group TTA (e.g., webinars, roundtables, peer-to-peer calls), and annual meetings for the FY2021 grantees in Years 1 and 3. We will continue to compile and disseminate a repository of TTA project- and grantee-generated materials (e.g., tip sheets, protocols, training materials) through the U.S. End FGM/C Network, a national network of FGM/C providers and partners across the United States. Sahiyo U.S., an FGM/C survivor-founded and run organization, will enhance the project by providing grantees with TTA and resources, specifically focused on survivor engagement.