Send girls in Kenya at risk to FGM to school

“Thanks to this alternative ritual, I can become a woman without bloodshed.”

Meet Kaiseyie:

“I am very happy to participate in this Alternative Rite of Passage (ARP),” says 13-year-old sixth-grader, Kaiseyie. “Thanks to this ritual, I still receive the blessings of our Maasai tribal elders to become a woman. This way, I can become a woman without bloodshed and continue to go to school.”

Previously, nearly all the girls from Kaiseyie’s community were circumcised. “I heard how traumatizing and painful this was from older girls,” says the teen. Through training and information sessions, Kaiseyie and other girls learned about the many risks associated with female genital mutilation (FGM). “Cutters often use the same razor blade for several girls, and diseases are easily transmitted. All kinds of complications can occur after circumcision; you can get an infection, have a greater chance of complications delivering your baby, and even bleed to death during a circumcision.”

“Fortunately, my parents support my participation in this ARP,” says the teenager. “Also, several tribal elders in the community now know about the harmful effects of FGM. If parents still want their daughter circumcised, tribal elders will forbid it and tell the parents about the dangers of circumcision and that it’s now illegal.”

Amref includes boys in the conversation about the negative impacts of FGM, which Kaiseyie thinks is very good and essential. “You see, more and more boys are protecting their sisters from FGM. If they hear that their parents still want to circumcise their sister, they report it to the tribal elders,” says Kaiseyie. “Educating boys is important because these girls will be their future wives.”

Kaiseyie is also happy she is learning about other relevant topics for girls like her. “We learned not only about the dangers of FGM but also about the negative effects of other practices in our culture, such as child/forced marriage. I know my rights better now and am very grateful. They also taught us the importance of having good personal hygiene, keeping your home clean, and washing food before eating it. Because of these lessons, I can take better care of myself and hopefully stay healthier.”

She isn’t worried about whether a boy will want to marry her later since she’s not circumcised. “About eighty percent of Masai boys support ARP,” says the teenager. “As far as I’m concerned, my future husband doesn’t necessarily have to be from the Masai tribe,” she says as she starts laughing.

Our ARP programs have protected over 100 girls from FGM and helped over 200 girls attend secondary school. Kaiseyie dreams of becoming a lawyer to “stand up for other people’s rights.” Thanks to donors like you, we can continue to help girls like Kaiseyie get even closer to achieving their dreams by investing in girls’ education!