Zero Tolerance Day: African First Ladies, Merck Foundation Rally For Girl Education To End FGM
Behind every statistic on female genital mutilation (FGM) is a girl whose future is being narrowed by a practice that offers no benefit and only harm.
On the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM 2026, Merck Foundation and African First Ladies renewed a continent-wide push to end the abuse by keeping girls in school and communities informed.
Marking the day in Banjul, The Gambia, Merck Foundation CEO, Senator Dr Rasha Kelej, said girl education remains the strongest tool to dismantle FGM, child marriage and the stigma around infertility.
Through the Foundation’s More Than a Mother and Educating Linda programmes, thousands of girls have received school items and learning support, while over 1,200 annual scholarships have been awarded to underprivileged high-performing girls across 19 African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and The Gambia.
The campaign also took to screens with a special episode of the pan-African TV programme, Our Africa by Merck Foundation, spotlighting the health risks and human rights violations linked to FGM, and calling on families and community leaders to abandon the practice
Dr Kelej stressed that FGM “has no health benefits, only harms”, urging collective action to protect girls’ dignity and wellbeing.
With the World Health Organisation estimating that over 230 million girls and women worldwide have undergone FGM, more than 60 per cent in Africa, the Foundation is amplifying its message through storybooks, animations and songs to shift attitudes and keep girls learning.
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