On
Friday 30th evening local London musicians are expected to entertain
a fundraising dinner event to help find
money to build a safe house for female genital mutilation runaways in Tanzania. The event will have a raffle by active Tanzanian charity worker, Malkia Kassu who won the Miss Commonwealth Africa 2013.
Speaking
exclusively to this blog, Communications Manager for the Tanzania
Development Trust Fund, Janet Chapman said the event is part of a plan to help
raise 65, 000 pounds for teenage girls
who refuse FGM in Mugumu, Mara region, Tanzania by the Anglican Diocese. The
house will be open to people of all faiths.
“Tanzania
Development Trust Fund works closely with other NGOs in both Tanzania and
beyond. There will be another
concert on October 2nd, 2014 at Westminster Central Hall, to which
everyone is most welcome,” Ms Chapman said.
The
former English teacher first set foot in Tanzania in 2007. This year she will
spend five weeks touring development projects in the country. She says was
first outraged by FGM after starting to teach in Sudan over thirty years ago. “I
believe FGM is about male control and patriarchy. It is still abuse whether
done under medical conditions or not.”
While at the safe house the girls will undertake various training e.g.
computer, cloth making and carpentry. This will enable them to have independent
lives as skilled workers in the future. Currently local Tanzanian doctors
estimate 50 percent of girls are at risk of FGM. The risks include menstrual
and difficult births, urinary infections even death.
Some of the artists performing at the The Russet Hall, north London shall include, Hackney Harmony Community Choir, Tanzanian writer and musician, Freddy Macha, North African percussionist Nadia Al Faghig Hassan( pictured below), Sokoshumba, a Zimbabwe female duet playing traditional mbira and percussion music, singer-songwriter Nakisha with her Opera Reggae and Lora Linhares Max, singer songwriter.
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