emancipations of discriminatory and hazardous cultural practices.

Dr (Mrs) Patience Alfa.
Executive Director General.
Le Societe Femmes Rurales Parakou, carre,120,rue de gondo,parakou, phone,00229 98 47 83.
parakou,Rep du Benin.

Le Sociètè Femmes Rurales Parakou is a female rights activist group formed on the 5th of January 2001.We focus on the emancipation of rural women and girls in Bènin from traditional cultural practices which are discriminatory, hazardous to health and impedes the development of the female gender.

Based in Borgu department in Parakou prèfecturè, we are presently working in eight sous-prèfecturès, or local governments. We are made up of mostly women and girls - farmers, housewives and young unmarried girls. The executive of the group is made up of five women lead by Dr. Patience Alfa, a medical practitioner in private service. The only other professional in the group is Ms. Immacullatta Sovi, a legal practitioner and the secretary.

Le Sociètè Femmes Rurales Parakou was formed because of women and girls who had bleed to death while undergoing circumcision and because of confirmed stories of marital assault which had caused some of our women to flee into urban centres. Our main focus is on Female Genital Mutilation, Forced Early Marriages, Purdah,(Islamic confinement of marriedwomen/young girls to domestication and life time isolation), and marital assault and rape.

Our aims are to: (1)Stop harmful traditional practices against our women/girls; (2) Enlighten our men/society about the evil in violence against their women; (3 )Improve our women's/girls access to information/education; (4) Improve our women/girls right in their homes; and (5) Empower our women economically.

We would like to know if your organisation could be of assistance financially to our cause. We would like to know if your organisation is providing small, flexible, timely grants for general support. A comprehensive detail of our work (progammes, activities, budgets, financial expenditures and structure of our group) will be sent if your organisation can assist us. In case you are unable to help please kindly introduce us to any organisation that gives grants and funding for work like ours. Alternatively, please furnish us with names, addresses (emails, phone, faxes)of organisations that would be of help to us.

The rural women of Parakou await your positive response to our requests.
Thanks.
Ms.Immacullatta Sovi.(sec)
For Director General.
[email][email protected]

Dr Patience Alfa, Le Societe Femmes Rurales Parakou