I’m scared of numbers.
That’s the truth.
Math is hard for me.
And I know I’m not the only one.

No one wants to mess up the numbers.
No one wants to be “that person.”

But today… I’m going to try.

I’ve read a lot of websites about FGM.
Something is wrong.
And it’s not just in one place.
It’s everywhere… local and big news.

We don’t say the real FGM numbers enough!

And if we don’t say them,
we miss the big picture.
We don’t see how many girls are really getting hurt.
That’s a big problem.

Listen to me for a minute…
I used to think percent was the best way to talk about FGM.
When I joined the End FGM world, I learned all the stats.

Everyone knew the numbers like a song:

• Somali – 94%

• Samburu – 86%

• Kisii – 84%

• Maasai – 78%

But I never stopped to ask,
“How many girls is that?”
No one else did either.

One day, my friend said,
“Did you know Nigeria has more FGM survivors
than the people who voted in Kenya’s last election?”

That shocked me.

I checked. And yes, it’s true!
Nigeria has 20 million survivors.
That’s more than all the people who voted in Kenya (14.4 million).

But here’s the twist…

On the percentage list, Nigeria doesn’t look so bad.
It says 19.5%.
Kenya is close with 14.8%.
But when you count real people…
Nigeria has 20 million.
Kenya has 4 million.

That’s when I got it.

Percentages can trick us.
Real numbers beside the percentage tell a better story.

Try this with me…

Go to your search bar.
Now type: "Number of FGM survivors in [country]"
What do you see?
Most times…
it’s a percent!

Not the real number.
Not how many girls.
Just a percent.

That’s not enough.

I wanted to know more, so I kept looking online.
And then… I fell into a deep hole!
I clicked one thing… then another…
I spent hours searching.

I wanted to find the real numbers.
Not just the percent.

I even did some math.

And guess what?

• Nigeria has more FGM survivors than all the people in Somalia.

• Nigeria has over 30 times more survivors than Djibouti.

• Nigeria has 5 times more survivors than Kenya.

Those are big numbers. Now those are real people.

If you don’t know the word prevalence, it just means how common something is.
When we talk about FGM, prevalence means how many girls or women have gone through it.

It’s usually shown as a percent…
like out of every 100 girls, how many were cut.
People look at this by country, by group, or by region.

Beyond Percentages:
How can we tell better stories about FGM?

We’ve been talking a lot about percentages—but there’s more to the story.
What if we shared real numbers instead?
What if we told stories that really showed how many girls are hurt?

Percentages are helpful, but they don’t always show the full story.

Always try to use real numbers too (if you can find them).
This helps show how big the problem really is.

For example:
Instead of saying, “Nigeria has a 19.5% prevalence rate,”
say, “Nigeria has 19.5% prevalence rate, which means 20 million survivors,
more than all the people in Somalia.”

Put Numbers into Context
Sometimes, percentages or big numbers are hard to understand.
So, let’s compare them to something we already know.

For example:
Instead of just saying, “Nigeria has 20 million FGM survivors,”
say, “Nigeria has 20 million survivors, which is more than the number of people who voted in Kenya’s last election, which is about 14.4 million.”

This helps us feel the size of the problem.

Define Key Words
Not everyone knows words like "prevalence."
So, let’s explain them in easy words.

For example:
"Prevalence means how common something is.
For FGM, it means how many women in a group have gone through it."
So, let’s define hard words.

Check Numbers Carefully
Before we share numbers, we need to make sure they are right.
Look at trusted sources like:

• DHS (Demographic and Health Surveys)

• UNICEF

• WHO (World Health Organization)

• National statistics groups

That way, we avoid using the wrong numbers.

Use Pictures to Help Explain
Pictures like charts or maps can make it easier to understand big numbers.
Instead of lots of words, show:

• Numbers side by side (like real numbers vs. percentages)

• Simple charts that are easy to read.

Explain the Numbers Clearly
Sometimes, reports only talk about percentages.
But we need to show the real numbers too!
This helps people see that countries with lower percentages can still have many survivors.

For example:
“Mali has 89% of FGM, but 10 million survivors.
Nigeria has 20 million survivors, even though their percentage is lower (19.5%).”

Ask for More Help in your call to action
Policymakers and funders often focus on countries with high percentages.
But we need to also support countries with big numbers of survivors who need more support.

Teach Journalists
Many journalists aren’t very confident using numbers.
We need to build their confidence on how to:

• Check FGM facts carefully

• Share numbers clearly and in a way that everyone can understand

• Avoid mistakes when reporting

Let’s keep discussing in our circles.
Let’s discuss why real numbers matter.
Let’s help journalists, activists, and groups use real numbers all the time.

Please note!
High percentages and low numbers shouldn’t be ignored.
If we focus on these places, we can help end FGM faster!

Asante sana! (Thank you!)

— Kipainoi.

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