Eradicate Female Genital Mutilation in Kenya

Sanctuary Day Camps & Community Efforts to End FGM

School holidays in Kenya mark what many communities call the “cutting season” a period when girls are most vulnerable to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Without the daily protection that school provides, girls face heightened risks, and families often come under increased pressure to uphold harmful traditional practices.

At Last Mile4D, these weeks call us to action. Our mission is clear and urgent: protect, empower, and educate. This quarter, we expanded our Sanctuary Day Camps, strengthened community outreach, and deepened partnerships that amplify our impact at the grassroots level. And every step forward has been made possible because of supporters like you.

Sanctuary Day Camps: Safe Havens During High-Risk Weeks

As the holiday season began, the need for safe daytime spaces intensified. In response, we scaled up our Sanctuary Day Camps—places where girls and boys spend their days learning, playing, and staying protected.

Across 24 schools in three counties, our teams reached 2,300 girls and 500 boys through:

• Participatory anti-FGM education sessions
• Role-playing scenarios that help children practice skills like refusing FGM and seeking help from local authorities
• Outdoor sports and a shared, nourishing lunch
• Empowerment activities designed to build confidence and affirm bodily autonomy

Importantly, we continue to intentionally include boys. As future husbands, fathers, and community leaders, their understanding and advocacy are essential to ending FGM for good.

Community Sensitization: Transforming Mindsets and Norms

Protecting girls in the short term is only one part of the solution. Ending FGM requires a deep shift in community attitudes, challenging long-standing beliefs, and equipping families with knowledge and support.

Ahead of the anticipated cutting season, we conducted 17 community sensitization meetings across multiple villages, engaging 1,697 participants, including:

• Parents
• Teachers
• Chiefs and assistant chiefs
• Religious and cultural leaders

These sessions focused on:

• The illegality of FGM in Kenya
• The severe physical and psychological consequences of FGM
• The central role families play in safeguarding their daughters

The response was inspiring: 1,175 community members signed declarations committing to end FGM and violence against children. Even more encouraging, 95.3% of parents publicly pledged to protect their daughters—an undeniable sign of cultural transformation taking root.

Your Support Is Driving Transformational Change

Every safe day at a camp, every lesson taught, every girl who remains uncut—your support makes it possible. Your generosity is not only protecting children today but planting the seeds for a safer tomorrow.

• A gift of $800.00 helps us to run the Sanctuary Day Camps for 100 girls.
• Recurring donations unlock GlobalGiving matching funds and ensure we remain fully equipped during the most dangerous times of the year.

And as we celebrate each girl’s safety and strength at the conclusion of our year long program, we exercise an alternative rite of passage by planting trees in honor of girls that have not been cut and have said NO to FGM.

• A gift of $500 plants a grove of 150 trees, honoring uncut girls and symbolizing hope for 

generations to come. 

On behalf of our entire team—and the girls dreaming of safer, healthier futures—thank you for standing with us.

Stay Connected

Instagram: @Lastmile4d
Twitter/X: @LastMile_4d
Website: www.lastmile4d.org

Together, we are building a generation free from FGM— one child, one family, and one community at a time.

Links:

• Through role-play, our students learn to stand against FGM
• Sanctuary Camp in Sambalat School
• Kenya's Department for Gender held discussions with LM4D CEO

A Success Story from Last Mile4D

1. Introduction: Empowering Change Through Education

At Last Mile4D, we believe that knowledge is power—and in the hands of girls and young women, it becomes a force for generational transformation. In 2024, our Gender Equality and Anti-FGM initiative reached Orolwo Primary School, one of many rural schools where we introduced critical training modules on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). This is the story of Sharon, a brave 13-year-old girl whose life trajectory was altered through the power of knowledge and timely intervention.

2. Background: A Young Girl with a Dream

Sharon was a Grade 5 student in 2024 when she became a participant in our educational program at Orolwo Primary. Alongside 87 other girls, she completed our training modules focused on ending harmful practices and understanding their rights.

From an early age, Sharon had dreams of becoming a teacher, inspired by her mother, who was a second wife in a polygamous family. With our support, Sharon gained both the education and the courage to dream big—and to stand firm against cultural practices that threatened to derail her future.

3. The Crisis: Forced Marriage and Educational Neglect

In early 2025, Sharon advanced to Grade 6, excited to continue her education. But mid-way through the term, her life took a dangerous turn. Her father refused to pay her school fees and ordered her to stay home. Upon inquiry, it became clear: he planned to marry her off as a second wife—just as her mother had been.

This would have meant dropping out of school, undergoing FGM, and losing her future.

4. Intervention: Rapid Response from Last Mile4D

Thanks to the relationships built during our training sessions, Sharon’s mother reached out to us using the emergency contacts we had provided. Understanding the urgency, we swiftly engaged local law enforcement and the area chief, who summoned the parents for intervention.

In communities like the Pokot, where traditional leadership holds significant influence, this approach worked. Sharon’s father complied with the chief’s orders, and a formal meeting was held to address the situation.

5. The Rescue: A New Beginning Through Partnerships

Through our continued engagement with education leaders, we connected Sharon with a rescue center and a partner school where she was offered a full academic scholarship. She is now safely enrolled, continuing her studies and walking the path toward becoming the teacher she dreams to be.

This would not have been possible without the network of allies and supporters that Last Mile4D has cultivated—individuals and institutions committed to rescuing girls from abuse and supporting their education.

6. Impact: Creating Ripples of Change

Sharon’s resilience and bravery now inspire other girls in her community. She tells her peers:

“No girl should be married off as a second or third wife. No girl should undergo FGM. We deserve to dream, to learn, and to become who we want to be.”

Our modules do more than educate; they transform mindsets, build community awareness, and create safe channels for rescue when girls are in danger.

7. Call to Action: Partner with Us to Reach More Girls

Sharon is just one of hundreds of girls saved and empowered through our grassroots education and advocacy. But for every Sharon, there are many more waiting for help.

We invite you to partner with Last Mile4D—whether through funding, resources, or amplifying our message—so that:

• More schools can implement anti-FGM and GBV education
• More girls can access emergency rescue and scholarship support
• Communities can break cycles of gender-based violence and early marriage

8. Conclusion: Why Your Support Matters

Without Last Mile4D, Sharon’s story would have ended in forced marriage, FGM, and loss of education. But because of your support and belief in our mission, we changed the narrative.

The power of knowledge saved a girl.
With your help, we can save many more.

Note: To protect the privacy of individuals, all names have been changed.

Follow our journey:

• Instagram: @Lastmile4d
• Twitter: @LastMile_4d
• Website: www.lastmile4d.org

Thank you for walking alongside us in this fight. Your unwavering support fuels our progress, one girl and one community at a time.

Links:

• Our transformational work gives girls a voice
• Citizen TV report of Last Mile4D's work in West Pokot, Kenya
• The Well of Hope: A Story of Transformation