The Las Vegas, US-based NGO Clitoraid has been criticized for their use of the motto “Adopt a Clitoris” as a reclaim for fundraising. In some of its activities, such as the last one held in Italy last July 2012, the coordinators gifted the attendants to the event with “Clito-boxes” (see LINK). Researcher Sylvia Tamale, in her introduction to her work “African Sexualities: a Reader”, condemns the frivolity and racism of these terms Clitoraid uses to collect money.
Closely linked to the Raelian sect, in its WEBPAGE, this is how they introduce themselves:
“Given the barbaric nature of clitoral excision or female genital mutilation (FGM), Rael, spiritual leader of the Raelian Movement, founded Clitoraid, a private non-profit organization whose goal is to sponsor any African woman who wants to have her clitoris rebuilt.
Since 2006, Clitoraid has been able to train several doctors and assist in providing clitoral repair surgery for many women in France and the United States. All of our patients have reported improvements after the surgery, and about 60 percent of them have experienced orgasm – something they thought would never happen for them.
We’re now halfway through the construction of our ‘Pleasure Hospital’ in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, where we will enable local women and women of West Africa to have the procedure for free. This is our main goal, since too many women cannot afford this surgery. Without our help, it would cost several years of their wages for them to have it, so they are hoping and waiting for us!”
afworo.org 