More than 200 million women and girls around the world live with the consequences of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). In Somalia, 99 per cent of girls and women between the ages of 15 and 49 have undergone the procedure – the majority of who were cut between the ages of five and nine.

UNFPA and the Ifrah Foundation developed the Dear Daughter letter-writing campaign with the aim that no one ever experiences FGM. By promising not to cut their daughters, individuals are not only protecting them, but restoring their bodily autonomy and supporting their right to govern their own bodies. They are also inspiring countless others to make the pledge.

For its 26th Annual Webby Awards, the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences has nominated the Dear Daughter Campaign in the category ‘best activism website’. This means that the Dear Daughter Campaign has been singled out as one of the five best in the world in its category - among the top 12 per cent of the over 14,000 record-breaking projects entered from around the world - and is competing for the Internet's two most coveted awards: The Webby Award and The Webby People's Voice Award. While The Webby Award is chosen by the Academy, The Webby People’s Voice Award is voted on by the public. Both awards are a mark of international distinction for Internet excellence.

You can vote for the Dear Daughter Campaign until April 21st, at 11:59 pm PDT by following this link. Last year, people cast over 3 million votes from 230+ countries and territories worldwide, and the site was visited by over 5 million people.

All Webby and Webby People’s Voice Award Winners will be announced on Tuesday, April 26th, 2022 and honored at the in-person 26th Annual Webby Awards on Monday, May 16, 2022 in New York City.

Together we will build a brighter future for all daughters of Somalia and around the world!