Train 120 Health & Human Rights promoters in Kenya

The Kenya demographic survey (KDS 2014) shows that FGM is reducing. In Kisii community however, it is stubbornly high standing at 84% preference. The Kisii community is literary among the top practitioners of the practice, only third from the more remote Somali (94%) and Samburu (86%). The slow eradication trend among the kisii is worrying because compared these other communities, Kisii is not as remote and is not completely illiterate population. But what is really disturbing among the kisiis also is the fact that the FGM victims are quite young, as young as less than five, even two years old. These cannot resist the cut nor do they know the antiFGM law.

That is why the HFAW women in collaboration with antiFGM Board and Villi Bell Foundation organized this roadshow on June 9^th, 2016. The HFAW health and human right promoters took it upon themselves to create antiFGM messages and traversed through the hard to reach places in Nyamira and Kisii Counties.  The deep rural areas has seen more resistance to eradication but have also not been sufficiently reached with strong messages.  The KDS indicates that there is 9 times chances of a daughter of an uneducated women being cut compared to one whose mother has completed secondary school. Data also indicates that a girl will undergo the cut if her mother has also been cut—96 times chance as much as if the mother is uncircumcised.

The HFAW women discovered that the roadshow is one of the most effective tool in reaching out to hard to reach places. At times they got off the truck and ran and danced with song and were followed by the crowd. Sometimes the women worked with youth who dramatized the messages. Sometimes it was the mere fact that it is the village women doing the messaging, something that has not been seen before. People expect meeting by professionals in boardrooms and wondered how come now the women have taken this mantle themselves, This caused a lot more concern and more interest in listening to the messages. One woman said loud what was in her poster “not to be cut, my choice” and even translated to the kisii language as “Okwaroka yaya.” This was a crowd puller including many men.  At one moment the HFAW woman was holding a clip of photo with a girl sitting in her big pool of blood. A man moved closer and asked what this was. “Is this from a cut girl”. The women responded with a “yes”.  Several men said they wanted to be registered to join the campaign as they whistled in shock saying “This is completely unacceptable.” On this June 9^th we recruited more men to the campaign than we could ever have imagined.

We traversed through over 10 local market places each time met crowds and passed on the messages not just about the effects of FGM but also on the revelation that many women cross the world “do not do this” and that empowered women do not cut the girls. That FGM is criminal offense, that it is antigovernment, that is  total abuse of human rights and handicaps a women’s health. That FGM hurts everybody in the community and that it is not allowed in the bible.

We might not have ended FGM in Kisii on one day, indeed this practice is deeply entrenched in people’s minds. Many people do not even know why they practice it other than “it is our culture.” But his day we caused a stir. Something moved. We could not have done this without you, our supporters. How can we forget some of you who have walked with us every step of the way. Melanie, Carol and Lisa, and others, Thank you!

We want to increase momentum. We have done a series of school campaigns and have others planned to happen soon.  Targeting the young is a great strategy so the message is received early enough.  We also work with community and national leaders. We can speed up process by bringing the message to the community and challenge the many boardroom meetings which are hardly felt at the grassroots. By doing the right things and targeting the community it, giving the community leadership and engaging them directly as we at HFAW are doing. Again, thank you for all your support.

Links:

• HFAW Facebook