Beyond FGM – Reclaiming Your Voice, Your Body, and Your Future
Written by Howaida Abdalla, Life Coach
Howaida Abdalla is a survivor of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and a life coach who has experience when it comes to trauma that a survivor goes through and the journey it takes to heal. She helps women to reconnect and love themselves again. She is a founder of "The Growth Hub Coaching and "Women Empowerment edition: Impact for change" Podcast.
For many survivors, female genital mutilation (FGM) is not a single event confined to childhood. It can shape how we see ourselves, our bodies, our relationships, and our place in the world. Its effects often extend far beyond the physical, influencing emotional wellbeing, confidence, identity, and the ability to feel safe.
Yet there is another story that deserves to be told. That story is beyond FGM. Beyond FGM is not about forgetting what happened or pretending the pain never existed. It is about discovering that what happened to you does not have to define who you become. Healing is not about erasing the past. It is about reclaiming the future.
For many survivors, healing begins with a simple but profound realization, I deserve to be heard. I deserve to be safe. I deserve to heal.
The journey is rarely straightforward. There may be grief for what was lost, anger over choices that were taken away, and sadness for years spent in silence. There may also be fear of speaking openly because of cultural expectations, family pressures, or shame. But healing grows in places where silence ends.
Every conversation with a trusted friend, every counseling session, every medical appointment, every journal entry, and every act of self-compassion become another step towards reclaiming your life.
Beyond FGM also means learning to reconnect with your body, not as something broken, but as something worthy of kindness, care, and respect. It means understanding that your body has carried you through unimaginable experiences and still deserves love.
It means learning that healing is possible, even if it happens slowly. For some survivors, healing includes advocacy. For others, it means quietly rebuilding confidence, setting healthy boundaries, pursuing education, raising children differently, or simply living a life filled with joy. Every survivor's path is unique, and every path is valid.
As a survivor, life coach, and advocate, I have learned that resilience is not about never struggling. It is about continuing to choose hope, even after experiencing profound hurt. I have witnessed incredible courage in survivors who, despite years of silence, have found the strength to speak, seek support, and reclaim their identities.
Beyond FGM is also about changing systems. It requires healthcare professionals who listen without judgment, educators who raise awareness, policymakers who strengthen protection, and communities willing to challenge harmful traditions while honouring culture in ways that never compromise the dignity and rights of girls and women.
Ending FGM is not only about prevention. It is equally about supporting those who are already living with its consequences.
Survivors deserve trauma-informed healthcare. They deserve compassionate mental health support. They deserve safe spaces where they are believed, respected, and empowered.
Most importantly, they deserve hope. To every survivor reading this, your story did not end with FGM. You are more than what happened to you. Your voice, healing, and dreams matter. There is life beyond survival. There is strength beyond silence. There is hope beyond FGM.
Read more from Howaida Abdalla
Howaida Abdalla, Life Coach
Howaida Abdalla is a life coach who helps women (survivors) of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) to reconnect & love themselves again. She was seven years old when the FGM procedure was done on her, which left her lost and disconnected not only from people, but also from herself. She has since dedicated her life to helping other survivors reconnect and love themselves. She is a founder of "The Growth Hub Coaching," where she helps & coaches survivors. Her mission is to help, to inspire, and to empower.
