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Empathy and Social Change

Across Africa, some 92 million women and girls have undergone female genital cutting. It comes with serious health risks like bleeding, infections, and even death. Women’s rights activist Molly Melching says it’s understandable to be outraged, but you can’t simply tell people to abandon a deeply embedded cultural practice. Melching is founder of a non-profit called Tostan, which doesn’t “fight” FCG, but educates a community about what’s happening to their girls. Melching is in Utah, and joins Doug to discuss the crucial role of empathy in effecting change.

Monday, September 29th at 6:30 p.m., Molly Melching will speak about her work at The City Library [map]. It's this year's Anne and SandyDolowitzLecture in Human Rights presented by the University of Utah's College of Humanities. Following her lecture, she'll be on hand to sign copies of the book However Long the Night: Molly Melching's Journey to Help Millions of African Women and Girls Triumph (written by Aimee Molloy) [Indiebound|Amazon]

Learn more about Molly Melching's work at Tostan, which means "breakthrough" in the Wolof language of Senegal.

Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.