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We are aiming to set up a rural community centre in Java, Indonesia to help vulnerable women including victims of domestic abuse and FGM.

I’m sure that, like me, you have been horrified to see reports last month that millions more women than previously estimated are victims of female genital mutilation. The single biggest reason for the new figures is the WHO’s discovery that around 70 million women and girls in Indonesia have been forced to undergo this hugely harmful practice, with its serious health implications.

Whilst Indonesia may not be the first country that springs to mind when we think of the oppression of women, issues such as FGM, high rates of maternal mortality and lack of access to clean water and sanitation are huge problems, particularly in rural areas.

Proteks International is a registered charity currently delivering services in Indonesia through our city community centre, which provides vulnerable women with a safe place to stay, to learn skills, gain independence and move forward with their lives.

With the help of supporters like yourself who want to make a real difference, we could help many more women and families. We want to build a larger centre in a rural area, in which women will be partners in a social enterprise. They will be able to live on site if they have had to flee abuse or do not feel safe, and receive training in a range of skills.

Could you help us make this happen? We are able to meet the construction costs for our planned centre, so just need to purchase the land. Our initial funding target to ensure we can do so on schedule is £20,000, which we need to raise by August 2016. Anything you could do to help us towards this target would make a huge difference to women’s lives.