• facilitating access to the full range of health services in NSW for women, girls and their families affected by or at risk of the practice
• preventing the occurance of FGM through an emphasis on community education, information and support
• assisting women, girls and their families living in NSW who have been affected by FGM to minimise the harmful effects
• strengthening community ownership of the issues and appropriate approaches to prevention of FGM.

The target communities are:

Egyptian, Ethiopian, Eritrean, Indonesian, Liberian, Nigerian, Sierra Leonean, Somali and Sudanese communities in New South Wales.

There are three major strands of the NSW Education Program on FGM:

• Community Education
  
  The main community education activity is the bilingual community education program with trained women from the target communities, utilising the "Women's Health and Traditions in a New Society" manual to deliver a health education program to women from their country.
  
  Community development, capacity building and community participation principles are also employed to engage with and deliver information to target groups. Activities are geared at strengthening community ownership of the issues and taking action towards prevention of the practice in their own communities. To this end, the program works in partnership with community and religious leaders.
  
  For further information on FGM's Training & Education Program contact:
  
  Linda George
  Professional Education Officer
  Tel: (02) 9840 4101
  Email
  
  
• Professional Education & Training
  
  The professional education program targets health care professionals, counsellors, youth workers, education and welfare workers and police. Training offered covers clinical case management and psychosocial counselling responses to FGM in order to equip workers to provide care in a sensitive, non-judgemental manner to women and girls affected by FGM.
  
  For further information on FGM's Training & Education Program contact:
  
  Shairon Fray
  Community Education Officer
  Tel: (02) 8838 2007
  Email
  
  
• Resource development and work with the relevant Area Health Services and child protection agencies
  
  The NSW Education Program on FGM has published a number of resources. See a list of our resources by clicking here.
  
  The program has books, brochures, booklets, banners, posters and postcards available as tools for information dissemination and education. The program staff act as resource persons on FGM to groups, organisations and universities.