Send girls in Kenya at risk to FGM to school

"My niece bled to death when she was circumcised. She was twelve," says 13-year-old Nayieso. Although she was only eight at the time, she still remembers it as if it were yesterday. "There was a great panic. The circumciser and the woman who helped her didn't know what to do. No one knew how to save her. And there was no clinic around that she could have been taken to." Since then, Nayieso has been vehemently opposed to female circumcision. Fortunately, her parents also support her. "Because of the deadly incident with my niece, they realize that female circumcision is dangerous."

Nayieso is incredibly happy that she can go through the Alternative Rite of Passage (ARP) program. "This way, I can become a woman without enduring torture and life-threatening risks." Her parents are also pleased with the alternative ritual and encouraged her to participate. "I am very proud that they have promised to protect me from female circumcision."

She is elated by all the education she receives during this special week. "We learned the dangers of having sex at a young age; how getting pregnant young puts you at a high risk of not finishing your education. This causes a lot of poverty in our community." She also learned about the other risks associated with female circumcision. "Unfortunately, I have seen for myself how deadly it can be. But I didn't know, for example, that after your circumcision, you can have serious complications during childbirth."

The boys in her community also receive lessons about the dangers of female circumcision, and Nayieso is very pleased about that. "They are our future spouses," the teen said. "It is extra important to also give boys this education. You see more and more boys protecting their sisters if the parents want her circumcised."

Nayieso wants to get married once she's finished with her education, finds a job, and receives a steady salary. "That way, I won't be dependent on my husband." The teenager is the best at her school in languages, especially English, and would like to become a lawyer.

"In the future, I would like to teach people in much more remote villages about the ARP and the dangers of female circumcision," says Nayieso. She wants to focus on the circumcisers so they can realize how dangerous it is and stop this cultural practice.

"Female circumcision is just a terrible thing. I hope no one has to endure it anymore."

We often share stories from the perspectives of the girls at risk of FGM. This story is from the perspective of a former cutter who plays a significant role in reducing the practice in her community. Without people like Darmi, girls will remain at risk for FGM. 

"I can't go back to cutting." Meet Darmi

Darmi is 45 and lives in Kenya. Like most women in her village, Darmi was subjected to female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) at age eight and was married to a much older man soon after. "The man approached my father, who decided to give me away," she remembers.

For Darmi, FGM/C and being married very young were just part of the culture that women were expected to endure. So, when her community approached her to become a circumciser, she gladly accepted the position, as circumcisers are well-respected and revered. "The community perceives the circumciser as someone who has wisdom. It was my job. It helped pay for food and clothing for my children, and it was part of my father's culture." Darmi was a circumciser for five years.

In 2017, Amref Health Africa came to Darmi's community and held a seminar about FGM/C as part of our Koota Injena initiative, which trains elders, youth, and respected community leaders on how to use discussions to change people's minds about FGM and child marriage and abandon these practices. At the seminar, Darmi learned about the harmful effects of FGM/C and child marriage that she did not know about because it was taboo in her community to discuss 'women's issues.'

Darmi says:
"Once I understood the effects, I decided to stop circumcising. I realized that FGM/C was a tradition that brought absolutely no value to a girl. It just brings a lot of pain. I began to remember how difficult it was to be married very young to an older man. I decided to be against child marriage as well. Two of my daughters are very young. I will not circumcise them, and I will marry them off when they are older after they have finished school. I am reformed, and I can't go back to cutting. Now I am trying to re-establish my life and do something better for the community."

As a well-respected member of the community, Darmi is invited to many ceremonies and attends village meetings. Using the training she received from Amref, Darmi holds regular discussions about FGM/C:
"Whenever I get the opportunity, I gather women, even midwives, and tell them the effects of FGM and why it is not good for girls to undergo. There are many naming and wedding ceremonies happening, especially during the holidays. At those ceremonies, I hold discussions about FGM. I tell respected elders present not to marry off their girls young and to take them to school. There are also village meetings that I attend. There, people still approach me and ask me to circumcise their daughters. I say no and explain the negative effects of FGM. I tell them that there are no positive effects of FGM. Many people who approach me are Muslim and try to relate FGM to scripture. I tell them that yes, FGM is part of our culture, but it is not written anywhere in the Quran. It is something that we can change."