Orchid Project and 28 Too Many join forces to end FGM/C 

Friday 25 March 2022

Orchid Project and 28 Too Many join forces to end FGM/C 

Orchid Project is delighted to announce that 28 Too Many, a leading organisation that has driven policy reform and evidence-based research and knowledge to end female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), will be joining the Orchid Project team and will strengthen our ability to achieve our vision of a world free from female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C).  

28 Too Many was established in 2010 by Dr. Ann-Marie Wilson to undertake research and provide knowledge and tools to those working to end FGM/C. in the countries in Africa where it is practised and across the diaspora worldwide. 28 Too Many effects change by collating and interpreting data, influencing influencers (e.g. UN bodies) and equipping local organisations with advocacy and training tools to strengthen their on-the-ground work. 

28 Too Many joining Orchid Project will provide an opportunity to draw on the unique strengths and experiences of both organisations, ultimately enhancing the movement to end FGM/C. Orchid Project is one of the leading organisations influencing global policy on FGM/C, advocating for increased investment to end the practice and for recognition of the global scale of the issue. In 2020 Orchid Project established, in partnership with ARROW, the Asia Network to End FGM/C a collaboration network with 85 organisations across Asia. Orchid Project was also critical in the launch of the Global Platform for Action to end FGM/C, a platform with over 900 signatories, following Women Deliver in 2019. Orchid Project’s advocacy work is grounded in the lived experiences and real change that is being supported by its grassroots community work in partnership with local organisations across Kenya and Ethiopia. 

28 Too Many will bring to Orchid Project a wealth of experience in evidence-based research, which has received wide recognition over the years, including its 2018 Law and FGM report receiving the Thomson Reuters Foundation TrustLaw Collaboration Award and its #NoFGM Ribbon campaign which received over 11 awards at the Dubai Lynx Awards in 2019. 28 Too Many’s work in generating high-quality research and advocacy tools has influenced policy reforms, including the criminalisation of FGM/C in Nigeria and Sudan, and the organisation has been invited, as the FGM expert, to advise multinational agencies including the United Nations, Population Council, governments, and the World Bank. 

As part of this exciting step, Orchid Project will work closely with the network of researchers and consultants that have supported 28 Too Many’s work to date. The combined experience of the 28 Too Many team, particular that of Dr. Ann-Marie Wilson who has been at the forefront of ending FGM/C for over a decade, will help drive forward Orchid Project’s research and evidence function and shape the production of new country profiles and themed reports on FGM/C. 

We are delighted to welcome 28 Too Many and look forward to the next chapter for Orchid Project,” said Delphine Rive, interim-CEO of Orchid Project. “Our decision to join forces is driven by a shared vision of ending female genital mutilations/cutting (FGM/C) through community-led change and we are confident that with our combined expertise and networks, we will be better positioned to positively impact the lives of girls and women by enabling evidence creation and its effective use to accelerate an end to FGM/C.”  

Commenting on 28 Too Many joining Orchid Project’s team, Dr Ann-Marie Wilson said,Over the last 12 years, 28 Too Many has worked in parallel with Orchid Project to embrace and drive forward ending FGM/C. We have been  happy to work alongside Orchid Project in their endeavours over the last decade. We look forward to working together by joining forces to increase our collective impact in the space.”

28 Too Many brings an established research and evidence function to Orchid Project, helping it to play a key role in providing high quality evidence and best practice needed to guide policy and decision making as well as donor investments in the Anti-FGM/C sector. This evidence and research coupled with Orchid Project’s existing programming, advocacy and movement building efforts will strengthen the capacity of organisations and activists globally and support them to bring an end to FGM/C by 2030. 

Orchid Project and 28 Too Many would like to take this opportunity to thank Ashurst, PWC and Latham & Watkins for their tireless support in developing the transition agreement.