King's alumna given an award by students for her inspiring lecture
Georgia Green presents Pamela Okah-Bischof with her award
Pamela Okah-Bischof, a former King’s student, dedicated Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) campaigner, and midwife was invited to speak to students at the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery in July.
Pamela shared her own experience as a survivor of FGM with students, and talked about her motivation to help other women. She said: “My goal is to continue to educate people on FGM through the Revive Foundation, as it is a sensitive subject. Over the past year, ten women have accessed the service we provide which has been positive for us, and I hope to contribute to improving the lives of many more women.”
Pamela set up the Revive Foundation a year ago with the aim to educate people and raise awareness about the risks of FGM. The foundation supports FGM survivors by providing information on surgical intervention and financial support for women to undergo reconstructive procedures in Berlin. Students at the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery were so inspired by Pamela’s lecture that they decided to set up a GoFundMe page to support the Revive Foundation’s efforts to improve women’s lives. Georgia Green, an Adult Nursing student who set up the fundraising page, said: “I was really moved by the FGM lecture and was so amazed by Pamela having the courage to stand in front of so many people and share her story.
“There were many reasons why I decided to fundraise, for example when Pamela told me that she felt like less of a woman following FGM and that many other women felt that way, and her motivation to help other women to feel like women again. Secondly, when Pamela spoke about paying for women out of her own money to travel to Berlin to have reconstructive surgery, my first thought was that we need to pay her back for her kind gesture and raise enough money to send a woman to Berlin.”
The GoFundMe page received around 70 donations from students and their families after being shared on social media. Nursing students also held a cake sale which contributed to the final total of £700, the cost to send one woman to Berlin for reconstructive surgery.
In addition, students presented Pamela with a recognition award, for her commitment to raising awareness of FGM and supporting survivors, at their recent Completion Event, which celebrated final year nursing students at King’s. On receiving her award, Pamela said: “I felt incredibly honoured by the recognition, it has really made me realise how important spreading the word is and it made me want to give more. I have future plans to continue work with King’s on FGM education for students, to impart knowledge in the identification and management of FGM survivors.”
To read more about the Revive Foundation, please visit their website, or you can donate via the GoFundMe page.