In a bid to consolidate the activities of the Inter-Generational Dialogue （IGD） done as a result of the implementation of the ‘Prevention of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting （FGM/C） in Sierra Leone’ project, WAVES-SL staff conducted three days intensive community consultation meetings at Njala Kendima, Balie, and Benduma in the Bagbwe chiefdom.
Inter-Generational Dialogue （IGD） is a participatory method which ensures social change that would eventually contribute to ending FGM/C, and it goes beyond conventional Information, Education and Communication (IEC) measures, and aims at concrete changes in behaviour. IGD method is built around facilitation, respect-based dialogue across sexes and generations
An Inter-Generational Dialogue is widely seen as a meeting and/or a platform that brings together individuals of different age groups to discuss pertinent issues that border on and around their wellbeing as community. Extensively, it is a co-designed, co-planned, co-moderated, and co-created platform where both older and younger individuals participate equally.
During the community consultations, people expressly declared that the IGD training they acquired has enabled them to contribute to a lot of development activities in their communities. They testified that teenage pregnancy continues to decline. ‘FGM/C activities too are reduced’, they said. Noting that for the past years no female initiation has taken place in the three communities; adding that men are now working harmoniously with their wives, whilst adolescent girls now bold enough to speak out in public.
