Jaha Dukureh:

One of The World’s Most Vocal Voices Against FGM and Child Marriage ?? Inspired by her experience as a survivor of female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced child marriage, Jaha Dukureh decided to save others from the lifelong trauma by founding the NGO #safehandsforgirls in 2013. Today the 31 year old stands proudly as a notable Gambian women’s right activist, anti child marriage advocate and anti-female genital mutilation (FGM) campaigner who led to its banning in her home country through the use of youth mobilization and campaigns.

Born in Banjul in 1990, Jaha Dukureh traveled to the United States at 15 earning a Bachelor’s degree in business administration management at Georgia Southwestern State University in 2013. That year, she founded Safe Hands for Girls, an anti-FGM non-profit organization to help end FGM as well as other forms of violence against women and girls. In 2015 Dukureh became an American citizen. She went on to obtaine a Master’s degree in Non-Profit Management from The University of Central Florida in 2018.

Jaha Dukureh’s outstanding work has landed her a number of prestigious awards and honors: Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, Eleanor Roosevelt Medal of Honour, Times 100 Most Influential People, honoured with the “Human rights activist, Humanitarian of the Year” at the African Diaspora Awards in 2017. In 2018, was named as one of the top 100 gender global policy influencers. She is also a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for Africa. ?

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