Protecting Girls from Genital Mutilation in Kenya

In our previous report we mentioned that Tareto Maa was having so many visitors as never before, and we promised to publish photos and testimonials of the visits. Here we go. :-)

Tareto Maa is very grateful to have received health services and education from the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) students who visited Tareto Maa.

These are the testimonials from the UNR students sharing thoughts on their visit to Tareto Maa.

• “The work being done by the leaders of Tareto Maa is really inspiring. To see a group of such amazing girls with the highest of spirits together, I would have never known they were rescued from child marriage or FGM. That alone shows Tareto Maa is doing a great job sheltering, empowering, and teaching all of the girls.” – Michael Stern

• “Each of their (the girls’) stories is an inspiration to me and I will forever hold this experience close to my heart.” – Alyssa Workman

• “Tareto Maa is filled with love and happiness. I have never seen so many beautiful smiles or felt more welcome. To be honest, I wish I had never left.” – Austin Porsborg

• “My time at Tareto Maa will always remain a part of me, as it has shown me happiness in its simplest form. Despite the existence of struggle the girls have overcome the hardships of their environment and find true joy in life.” – Rachel Waddington

• “There may be a lot of hurt in these girls’ lives, but there is also a lot of hope. The fact that Tareto Maa even exists is a blessing.” – Kellan Douglas

• “My stay at Tareto Maa was an experience of a lifetime. In the morning we were woken up by the songs as the girls made their way to the kitchen after the cooks rang the bell. During the hot afternoons we lounged under the shade of trees and talked about anything that came up. Many of them were very excited to be going back to school and they all had high hopes to complete it.” – Helen See

We would like to thank

- Professor Gerold Dermid Gray and to the entire crew of UNR for visiting and supporting Tareto Maa!

- Think Kindness for their generous donation of 200 shoes for the girls at Tareto Maa!

- Happy Feet in Tampa Bay for over 50 soccer balls!