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The WeCare-Association has been committed to supporting and promoting women and children in the Rift Valley, south-east of Kenya’s capital Nairobi, for over ten years. Our focus is on helping people help themselves and strengthening their self-confidence.
FGM (female genital mutilation) is a major problem, especially in the remote Maasai communities. For the parents, this is a social rite that marks the transition from child to woman. The girls affected are often unsuspecting and fall victim to this terrible practice.
Through direct contact with FGM victims, we have heard time and again that the girls would have fought back if they had known what they were facing. They don’t want their sisters or friends to have to go through the same thing.
The pressure on the girls and young women is enormous, both from the family (mothers, mothers-in-law and husbands) and from the cutters, who often also act as midwives.
Although FGM is officially banned in Kenya, this has led to the topic becoming even more taboo. However, we are proud of the girls in Mperrishi who have broken this taboo and showed their own mutilation in front of the whole community in an impressive performance. Watch the incredible video here.
Our aim is to convince all stakeholders – men, women, parents and teachers – that it is better for the future of the girls and the community to abstain from FGM. The mutilation often means the end of the girls’ school education. According to a 2017 study by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), educated women in Kenya have fewer children on average than uneducated women.
The fight against FGM requires measures at various levels, including education and awareness-raising campaigns for all those involved (parents, cutters, girls). As Maasai society is strongly patriarchal, it is also crucial to convince men of the senselessness of FGM. It is also important to enable girls to attend school, as school offers both education and protection from FGM.
