I AM SKiM Podcast

In this episode, Leethen Bartholomew Head of National FGM Centre, National FGM Centre, talks about the day that changed his life and his continued commitment to working to help girls and their families affected or at risk of FGM. Why stopping this practice is about changing hearts and minds and why strong personal and organisational values keep him grounded and accountable, to his work, colleagues and the girls and families he works to protect.

In this episode Dr Leyla Hussein, OBE shares her journey of 17 years of being a campaigner to end FGM/C, the importance of support, inequalities of being a speaker and campaigner and why we are focusing on the the wrong thing by calling it FGM/C and why it's time to to call it what it is - a serious sexual assault against children.

In this eye opening episode, Saza Faradill, Senior Executive of service learning at Republic Polytechnic in Singapore shares what lead her to write her thesis on female genital cutting in Singapore and the complexities in ending it, by 2030.

Breaking the cycle of FGM/C in Sierra Leone with passionate and tenacious social entrepreneur Diaka Koroma founder of Girlz Empowerment.

Aissata Camara Co-Founder of There Is No Limit Foundation, shares the power of sustainable solutions through conversation, starting her foundation with just 18 dollars and the importance of dignity and security to empower communities to stop FGM.

Mariya Taher, co-founder of Sahiyo speaks about the work that is being done through story telling to remove stigma and break the stereotypes of who FGC happens to and where.

Joy Clark, is the Lead FGM/C specialist and midwife at a UK Hospital. During this episode she provides a deep dive into her career as a midwife and why she has dedicated 25 years of a 40 year career to helping women who have experienced FGM/C, the barriers she has faced in advocating for women within the NHS and the the need for uniformed global awareness training and tackling stigma in reporting FGM/C amongst diaspora communities.

Joined by activist and creative Mabel Evans, this episode talks about the importance of FGM/C activism, dismantling the stigma of FGM/C and her role as a white, middle class, British woman in this space, intersectional feminism, self-love and the need to love and speak about our vaginas freely.

Julia Lalla-Maharajh OBE, founder and Executive Director of the Orchid Project speaks about why the term FGM is problematic, how she learned about the practice and effects of FGC whilst visiting Ethiopia, she also speaks about the need to work with communities to evoke real change to end FGC.