The purpose of this project is to empower girls in Kenya to refuse to be subjected to the practice of FGM. FGM is the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia. It is often performed without anesthesia or sufficient antiseptic conditions, with girls as young as five years old. An estimated 150 million women have undergone FGM - with 2 to 3 million new victims annually. HFAW will bring qualified personnel to 9 of the 63 schools to educate girls and their parents about FGM.
FGM is deeply embedded in some cultures of Kenya, & viewed a "rite of passage" from which a girl emerges as a "woman". Women who have not undergone this ritual are not considered eligible for marriage, and may not be permitted to handle water or food. Myths surround the practice: If a clitoris touches a man's penis, he will die. If a clitoris touches baby's head, it will die. Short and long-term effects of FGM include pain, shock, hemorrhage, infection, fever,cycts and difficult birth.
Grace & team of Community Health and Human Rights Promoters (CHHRP) will bring a developed educational program, piloted in 14 schools to date, to 9 of 63 schools in rural Nyamira County. The program consists of training materials, information presented in drama, roadshows, walks, market campaigns, etc. It includes finance and entrepreneurship literacy skills and Hope Fund loans for businesses to provide women with economic independence, allowing them & daughters to choose not to be mutilated.
Women, men, and children will learn the myths surrounding FGM, and the long-term damage the practice inflicts on girls, their families, and communities. Economic empowerment will create opportunities for women to choose not to be mutilated, because they will be able to sustain themselves. Targeting this very heinous practice will initiate dialogue among families and communities about other forms of gender disparities, and will be the catalyst for a radical paradigm shift for women
This project has provided additional documentation in a DOCX file (projdoc.docx).
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