CYCLING TO END FGM

Mabel Evans, co-founder of The Vavengers, will be cycling from London to Glasgow to raise funds to support the charity’s work and raise awareness about Female Genital Mutilation across the UK.

COVID-19 has increased gender-based violence around the world and the fight against FGM has been no exception. The UN estimates an additional two million girls will need to be protected from FGM as a result of this pandemic and prevention programs being halted.

The Vavengers have been thinking long and hard about how to help in this time of crisis. With no fundraising events scheduled for the first time in our history - we thought we’d switch our gears and change direction

The bicycle has been paving the way for women for centuries. The suffragettes used it as a symbol of freedom, helping them to win the vote for women. Although the movement systematically excluded non-white women and girls, the bicycle helped spark the long journey towards female empowerment.

Although we still have a way to go, today cycling helps countless women across the globe to get to school safely, access jobs, and reach rural healthcare clinics. The Vavengers have been inspired by the bicycle and want to use it to support the 200 million women and girls dealing with FGM. So, Mabel will be saddling up to raise £10,000 with a cross-country solo cycle trip, pit-stopping to interview some of the UK’s incredible FGM activists.

The money raised will allow The Vavengers team, who have been working unpaid on community outreach projects, to continue their work in supporting FGM survivors and asylum seekers. The money raised will be matched by a sponsor, and pedaled directly to our sister-organisation The Dahlia Project founded by Leyla Hussein OBE. They provide counselling and therapy services to women living with female genital mutilation.

We hope to keep the wheels turning for the fight against FGM, shortening the road by helping to break the cycle of violence affecting millions of women and girls.