The NSW Education Program on Female Genital Mutilation (NSW FGM) is a Statewide Program that became operational in September 1997. It is funded through the NSW Department of Health.
The program is based at the Area Multicultural Health Unit of Sydney West Area Health Service which is located in the grounds of Cumberland Hospital.
The Program is in its third phase of funding and a Funding and Performance Agreement between SWAHS and NSW Health has been developed in principal to 2009.
The ongoing funding has been provided in order that existing work would be consolidated, and other work with existing and additional target groups would be planned and implemented.
Target Communities
The Program is currently working with the Egyptian, Ethiopian, Indonesian, Nigerian, Sierra Leonean, Somali, Sudanese, Liberian and Eritrean communities. It is planned to commence work with communities from Burundi, Congo Iran, and the Phillipines, and other new and emerging communities yet to be identified.
The target communities are diverse. They differ in culture, language, religion, social structures, background and history of settlement in Australia. The languages spoken include Arabic, Amharic, Tigrinya, Bhasa Indonesian, Igbo/Yoruba, Somali and Krio.
The size of the communities also varies.
