Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a harmful practice involving the cutting or removal of the external female genitalia. It has existed for more than 2,000 years and is performed on girls from birth, up to just before marriage, and sometimes beyond.

The global Coronavirus pandemic will lead to a global increase of FGM. In the UK alone, 60,000 girls have been at risk during the COVID-19 lockdown.

In fact, an additional 70 million girls around the world will be at risk by 2030. FGM clinics are closed and safe places like schools have not been accessible to provide help for young girls whose families want to have them cut as part of their tradition. These girls do not have a choice. The harmful practice usually takes place in the summer holidays, so we are now reaching a key point in the year when protecting these girls is more important than ever.

28 Too Many aims to bring an end to FGM, focusing predominantly on the 28 African countries where it is most prevalent and the global diaspora. Like so many charities, 28 Too Many have suffered from cancelled events and fundraising opportunities leading to a 75% decrease in donations due to COVID-19. It is essential that our vital work, to educate communities and protect girls, continues. To survive the COVID-19 pandemic and continue our work, we need to raise £28,000!

Show your support and take on #Challenge28 to help us reach our fundraising target by choosing an activity based around the numbers 28, 2.8 or even 280! It doesnt have to be sporty, you could bake 28 cupcakes or knit a 280cm long scarf! Basically, its up to you to be a bit creative its your choice. Your donations whether small or large will contribute to us being able to continue our work towards ending FGM around the world.

Click here to download our Fundraising Pack for ideas and more ways to donate.

Learn more about our charity and the #NoFGM blue ribbon campaign by visiting us online at www.28toomany.org and www.nofgmribbon.info

Thank you to Dominique Carrie who has started her challenge. She writes, "On the 28th of August, I am starting my challenge to support the fight against FGM. I will be doing push-ups every day for the next 28 days, starting with 28 push-ups a day and increasing it by 28 every week. This means 1,960 push-ups in 28 days!

Wish me good luck, and please contribute to our fight against FGM! " https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/dom-challenge

28 Too Many founder Ann-Marie Wilson has cycled the equivalent of the width of The Gambia on her static bike, for her #Challenge28 to raise money for 28 Too Many. This is a real struggle for her as she is suffering bone loss due to 3 years of chemotherapy. At only 31 miles across, The Gambia is the smallest, and narrowest, country in mainland Africa, but has one of the highest prevalence rates of FGM. Please sponsor Ann-Marie Wilson and help us #EndFGM #28toomany

Geoff Bailey has been reading Matthews Gospel out loud in local park for 28 Too Many because Matthew has 28 chapters for #Challenge28. So far he has read 10 chapters out loud walking around Highlands Gardens, a local park. He has 18 more chapters to go which he will read on subsequent visits to the park depending on the weather. Thanks Geoff. Please sponsor Geoff. #nofgm #endfgm

Fight for FGM Sterling Silver Vagina Rings Issi bulloch is a silversmith based in the uk but her home is Kenya, she has created a vagina ring and pendant which from the sales she wants to donate to 10% of the sales to 28 Too Many and raise awareness of FGM, still happening in Kenya specifically but across Africa and the globe. Buy them from http://issibulloch.com

Thank you so much to Anna France-Williams daughter! She tweets, "My 10 year old daughter is baking 28 cakes to raise £280 for @28TooMany to help end violence against girls. Will you donate to support her? Its her first fundraiser.Here is the link: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ElianaFranceWilliams

Two and half years ago Mark Galpin ran the 26 miles of the London Marathon to raise money for 28 Too Many - thank you to all who supported him in that. On the 25th October he will attempt to run 30 miles along the Rover Stort in my first ever Ultra (anything beyond marathon distance), taking part in the Stort30 Ultra! https://www.challenge-running.co.uk/races/stort30/ Follow Mark on his Just Giving Page and please sponsor him.

Dominique has smashed her target and raised £630 for 28 Too Many. Thanks so much!

We are wishing Mark all the best in the Stort 30 Ultra. He's been practicing loads. Only one week to go! We are cheering you on Mark.

Ann-Marie has virtually cycled across Lake Victoria! Over 200 miles across, Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake, and is bound by Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. Whilst they all share the same waters, FGM is practised very differently in each of these countries, but the thing they have in common is that most people believe FGM should be stopped. Help us to help them achieve that by supporting our work! Please sponsor Ann-Marie.

In order to support the charity Mel Rattue will be running 28 minutes everyday for 28 days during December for her #challenge28 . Please show your support by donating, no matter how big or small every donation will be greatly appreciated! #endfgm #28toomany #nofgm @28toomany. Thanks @mel_rattue we really appreciate your support.

Thank you @the45girl for taking up #Challenge28 and helping support #endfgm. She writes", This is why I want to participate in #Challenge28: to help prevent African girls from undergoing this harmful practice. For 28 days, I will be discussing women from African history on my blog to help to raise money to combat F.G.M. You can read this series here: https://the45girl.com/category/knowledge/ " #endfgm #blackhistory #challenge28 #blackhistorymonth #blacklivesmatter #stopfgm #28toomany #saints #charity #education #fgm. Please donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/the45girl

Well done Ann-Marie! As part of #Challenge28, Ann-Marie our founder has been cycling on her static bike for 28 minutes every day and will keep going for 28 weeks. At the moment, Ann-Marie has virtually cycled the entire border of Djibouti - over 357 miles! Despite having a law prohibiting FGM, Djibouti has one of the highest prevalence rates at 93.1%. In order to end FGM, 28 Too Many believes that change needs to be effected at community level as well as the law, with commitment from governments and key influencers to fully implement policy and promote education.

We want to thank Anna-France and her daughter for the beautiful cakes baked over 28 days to raise money for our work raising awareness against #FGM #VAW THANK YOU! To learn more on how you can get involved in our work in one way or another visit our website at www.28toomany.org or better still join the #Challenge28. What creative activity can you undertake

We have some exciting news.... a very generous donor has agreed to match every £1 given from now onwards as their 2021 donation! Each £1 will be doubled to £2, to help us reach our target of £28k by March. So, please donate to one of the people already doing a challenge, start your own or donate here.... Happy 2021 & Thanks from all the team at 28 Too Many. #endfgm #challenge28

Mark Galpin has finished the Stort 30 Ultra. He writes, " Glorious day and beautiful but muddy run!" He smashed his target of £500 and raised £1,215! Thank you so much for supporting Mark and 28 Too Many to #endfgm.

Thanks @mel_rattue we really appreciate your support. Mel ran 28 minutes everyday for 28 days during December for our #challenge28. She smashed her target and raised £645! Your donation is so important to us to #endfgm

From December 28th to January 28th Ann-Marie virtually cycled from Sayac in Somaliland to Adad in Ethiopia, 183km, cycling 28 minutes each day on her static bike. FGM prevalence in Somaliland is 99.1% and across the border in Ethiopia it is 65.2%. What #Challenge28 could you do to #stopfgm, every gift is really valuable to us - we really need funds in this time of Covid...so please keep them coming and let us know if you can do a fundraiser for us!

Thank you so much to Hanna for sharing her personal story to raise awareness and also for doing a #Challenge28 to raise funds for 28 Too Many to help stop FGM. "#Saynotofgm: a fundraiser started by a 19 year old girl, who wants to create change. My name is Hanna and on this month of February, I want to raise awareness about FGM. FGM has personally affected me and the many generations of women before me. Just a brief background story on me, I came to the UK as a child refugee and left my country at aged 5. Around 18 years ago, when I was an infant, FGM was legal in my country, and so I went through type 1 of the 4 types, and whilst it was not as severe and I don't remember it happening, today I want to stand in solidarity with girls that go through so much trauma and live with the life long mental, physical and emotional consequences. " For her #Challenge28 Hanna is putting her physical ability to the test and will be doing a 28 minute+ bike ride, walk or run everyday, for 28 days and on the 6th March, will be doing a solo 5.6 mile bike ride. Please show your support for Hanna, her just giving page is: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hanna-amanuell

PCC (Phoenix Community Care) provides housing and support to children and young asylum seekers and refugees arriving here alone in London. They have a team of people who are doing the #Challenge28 to help us #endfgm. 6 members of their team are running 28 miles and 6 members are walking 28km into London. Thank you so much, this is amazing effort! Please support them if you can. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/28m28k

They did it! Thanks to the PCC crew that ran 28 miles and walked 28km. Raising an amazing £1,403! thank you so much to all of you. You stars!

Ann-Marie has now finished her virtual cycle round parts of Africa as part of #Challenge28. She had been cycling on her static bike for 28 minutes every day for 28 weeks.During February & March she virtually cycled through South Sudan and Sudan, which are poles apart in terms of FGM prevalence. In South Sudan UNICEF previously reported it to be 1% among women aged 1549. A very different story in Sudan where the prevalence of FGM in women aged 15-49 is 86.6%, the states with highest prevalence are in the north-west; North Kordofan is the highest at 97.7%.

Ann-Marie finished in Egypt where 94.4% of women (aged 15-49) in the lowest wealth quintile have undergone #FGM, compared to 69.8% of women in the highest wealth quintile. For more information, see our website here http://bit.ly/2ghDNMm.

Ann-Marie raised £1,228, a huge congratulations to a brilliant achievement.