In Senegal and throughout West Africa, deeply-rooted social norms are meant to protect and support a woman and her child throughout her pregnancy and after the birth. Unfortunately, these beliefs can also put the mother and child's health at risk.

Often, communities will dedicate some or all of the funds to establishing community-led revolving micro-credit funds which provide seed capital for small businesses. Small loans of $20, $40, or $50 give community members, usually women, the opportunity to set up their own businesses.

Senegal is also a country on the verge of immense social change. I am talking about change so profound that it will have a lasting impact on the lives of generations of girls and women to come.

Communities are changing, shifting, abandoning. The very people who have perpetuated the practice of female genital cutting for centuries are choosing to change.

This movement is an example of how lasting social change can occur through the leadership of informed grassroots activists: mothers and fathers, youth, and traditional and religious leaders.