3461 miles. 5570 kilometres. No matter how you phrase it, London is far from my small university in upstate New York.
My name is Francesca Toscano and I am a student at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York studying Integrated Marketing Communications. The decision to study in London for four months was daunting, as I had never been to Europe before. Adding to my mounting stress, I wanted international work experience in digital marketing. I was presented with the opportunity to be a digital strategy intern for FORWARDUK, and without any prior knowledge of female genital mutilation, I accepted the position.
On my first day, I was given the responsibility of creating a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Strategy. The concept behind SEO is simple: how can a company best utilize search engines to optimize their online presence? I had learned about SEO in my university studies, but my understanding of the issues FORWARD works on was limited.
Within my first two weeks, I immersed myself into readings on various women’s issues, ranging from FGM to child marriage to fistula. I read personal accounts of young African women, startling statistics within Africa and the United Kingdom, and inspirational stories of FORWARD’s efforts. What affected me most deeply, however, was the passion of my co-workers.
With a newfound grasp of African women’s rights, I used various software to analyse what search keywords led users to our page. The findings were fascinating: it was discovered that FORWARDUK is a common resource for people searching female genital mutilation and child marriage within the UK. However, FORWARDUK is not utilized for information on sexual or reproductive health. These findings and more will be considered as we improve FORWARD’s digital presence.
With three months left to my internship, I look forward to continually being inspired by the women involved with this organisation. We may have different customs and backgrounds, we may use a different metric system, but bonding over a common passion makes the distance from home seem so much smaller.
