New Project Launched with Drexel University’s Women’s Care Center

"With a rapidly growing immigrant population, Philadelphia ranks seventh among major U.S. cities with the highest prevalence — up to 16,500 — of women and girls impacted by female genital cutting (FGC).

The practice includes the partial or total removal of external genitals, for cultural or other nonmedical reasons, and can lead to long-term social and health effects, especially related to childbirth. FGC affects over 200 million women and girls worldwide, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the World Health Organization.

Now, as part of a coalition of organizations, Drexel University’s Women’s Care Center will play a key role in addressing the specific health needs of this population in Philadelphia over the next three years.

The Philadelphia International Women’s Project is a partnership between Drexel, Nationalities Service Center (NSC) and the African Family Health Organization (AFAHO). The project is part of a $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that was awarded to eight sites across the country."

Read the full story at Newswise.