DEAR SUPPORTERS OF MY DESERT FLOWER FOUNDATION!
I would like to thank you for your great support this year!
On this occasion I would like to give you a brief review of our achievements in 2016!
Sponsorship programme- Save a Little Desert Flower
Thanks to your donations, we were able to save more than 1000 Little Desert Flowers from FGM. With your support 1117 girls attend school daily and can look into a bright future.
Our health checks have shown that all our desert flowers are still saved from FGM. In addition, regular awareness-raising work, in the form of talks with the parents, is carried out to change the attitude towards FGM on a sustained basis.
Education project- Desert Flower Gives You Power
In 2016, we launched our new educational project "Desert Flower Gives You Power" for Africa.
With approximately 42%, the sub-Saharan region has the highest rate of illiteracy worldwide. Mostly this is due to the poor supply of school materials. In many African countries, there is only 1 school book for 20 to 30 pupils.
Although the use of textbooks is essential in the fight against illiteracy, only 1% of the budget is used for school books.
We firmly believe that education is the solution for combating genital mutilation. Therefore we want to set an end to the high illteracy rate by providing a first reading book for every child in Africa .
With "My Africa- The Journey" from Waris Dirie my Desert Flower Foundation produces the first reading book with exercises for children in Africa.
The book, colour pencils and a schoolbag will be distributed to African schools in 2017.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the following partners, who have actively supported our educational project:
Christoph Harreither – Run for a good cause
In November 2016 EY partner Christoph Harreither ran 211km through the largest ice desert in the world, the Antarctic. He devoted his participation in the most difficult run of the world to the Desert Flower Foundation's educational project. For each run kilometer he collected a first reading book for children in Africa. With your support, Harreither could donate 650 reading books.
Thank you, Christoph!
Sabanci Foundation
Güler Sabanci and her foundation actively supported our educational project and had me present "My Africa" during their Philanthropy seminar in Istanbul.
St Gilgen International School
On 19.10.2016 I presented the new educational project of my Desert Flower Foundation "Desert Flower gives you power" at St. Gilgen International School. Through donations and gains of their Afro Coffee school cafeteria, the pupils of the St. Gilgen International School were able to collect 5000 €, becoming the first school to donate 500 reading books for children in Africa.
Thank you for your great support, you showed that everyone can make a contribution to a better world!
In addition, I would like to thank the numerous donors and supporters of our new educational project!
Our new Desert Flower Foundation in France
In January 2016, we founded the French foundation "Fondation Fleur du Désert" and are now represented in 11 countries around the world.
Opening of our Desert Flower Center in Paris
In September 2016, we opened our fourth Desert Flower Center in Europe. In addition to Berlin, Amsterdam and Stockholm, the fourth Desert Flower Center "La maison des femmes - Center Fleur du Désert" now offers a shelter for victims of FGM and domestic violence in Paris. Up to 60,000 women in France are affected by FGM, with the help of the Desert Flower Center they receive holistic medical treatment and support in the fight against FGM!
Desert Flower Center Berlin receives high award
Furthermore, our first Desert Flower Center in Berlin was awarded the highest award of the City of Berlin, the Louise Schröder Medal. I am proud of the work of my team at Waldfriede Hospital and to this award! Congratulations!
In addition, the Desert Flower Center Berlin welcomed its first "Desert Flower Baby". Muntaz was born healthy in January in our Desert Flower Center Berlin and brought luck and joy to the hospital.
Desert Flower Scandinavia trains 700 doctors
Together with the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm in February 2016, the Desert Flower Foundation Scandinavia organized seminars for 700 doctors, school physicians, nurses and midwives on the subject of female genital mutilation in order to provide a holistic care for affected women.
UN: FGM and politics
For several years, we report on the large number of FGM victims in Indonesia and their impact on the global FGM rate.
Just recently, the UN, which we have been regularly urging on this catastrophic state since 2004, took Indonesia into the worldwide FGM rate, which has led to an increase in the number of victims worldwide to 200 million.
200 million women are affected by genital mutilation all over the world, who need our help!!
1, 333 577 sign AVAAZ Petition for FGM law in Somalia
In 2016, we supported the AVAAZ petition for a FGM law in Somalia. Subsequently, there was a meeting between the Somali Prime Minister, Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, and the DFF supporter Ifrah Ahmed. Ifrah Ahmed convinced the Prime Minister to give his vote for a FGM law! Thank you for your commitment, Ifrah!
As a small child, my greatest wish was to own a book , today I wish that every child in this world owns a reading book!
I wish you health, happiness and MUCH LOVE in the New Year and that your dreams and wishes come true!
LOVE
WARIS DIRIE & Desert Flower Foundation
Since september 2016 you can also follow me on instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/waris.dirie/
