Ms. McLucas, who is Director of  (Sini Sanuman), will describe her work in Mali over the last 15 years to end the practice of female genital mutilation through public informational meetings, music and other outreach, including working on village decisions and in political campaigns. The organization she helped to found, Sini Sanuman, is one of the main groups in the struggle against FGM in Mali. Healthy Tomorrow, a local group here, supports this work in Mali.

From the Healthy Tomorrow web site:

We speak to individuals and groups in meetings that include discussion of the problems with FGM and different people’s experiences and feelings. Often these meetings end with singing or playing anti-excision songs and dancing.

The songs and music videos we have produced to spread our message have been played widely in Mali and nine other countries in West Africa.

Our Pledge Against Excision, a promise never to have a girl excised, now has well over 30,000 signatures. 95% of those signing say that Mali should outlaw the practice. With our partner groups, we are working toward such a law.

Nine villages have collectively abandoned the practice of excision, with our encouragement, celebrating their decisions with public ceremonies that we helped them organize.

Almost 200 former excisers have agreed to give up the practice. Many of them are helping spread the word.