Blog

Guest blog by Zahra from SIMAHO

As an ancient tribal tradition, FGM has been adopted by many countries, particularly in Africa. It is wrongly believed to be a religious requirement and done to “protect” girls. Also, it is believed to prevent excessive clitoral growth and preserve virginity to ensure marriageability. Therefore, it has highly affected many village girls in Kenya with levels highest among Somali and Muslim women. From the age of six and up to teenage years, girls have forcibly undergone FGM. This action is a five-level effect; childhood, girlhood, marriage and sexual intercourse, pregnancy and childbirth, and later life.

  Kenya

Guest blog by Chantalle Okondo, Assistant Program Officer with Population Council. 

The International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) brings awareness of the need to globally eradicate FGM/C. However, it can be difficult to ensure that no girl or women is left behind on a local level. This could not be truer when it comes to West Pokot County on the western side of Kenya, where FGM/C is nearly universal (85 - 94%)^{1, 2} despite the practice being outlawed by the National Government.

  Kenya

Guest Blog by Hope Gloria Mugambi Mwanyuma, Founder: Hope Alive Africa Initiative: A safe space for girls is a place where women and girls can go to at any time to feel safer and empowered and have access to information, education, recreational activities, support and services.

  Tanzania, Kenya

Guest Blog by Abdullahi Mohamed Abdinur, Health and Hunger Aid. Health and Hunger Aid (HhAid) is a non-governmental organization, free from political, clans, religion and ethnic divisions, works with thousands of youth in urban and rural areas throughout Northern Kenya. HhAid strives to create a future where communities are able to facilitate their own development. HhAid works in program areas of Sexual and Reproductive and right, Food security, Water and Sanitation as well as HIV/AIDS awareness/mitigation.

  Kenya, Somalia

Guest Blog by Sam Cook, Feed the Minds. Alternative Rite of Passage (ARP) approaches – that use an alternative ritual to FGM to symbolise a girl’s transition to womanhood – sound great on the surface. But are they an effective strategy for abandonment of FGM that can be applied in other communities? And who else needs to be involved to ensure long term change?

  Kenya

Guest Blog by the Pastoralist Child Foundation. Since 2013, Pastoralist Child Foundation’s (PCF) Alternative Rites of Passage (ARP) have been instrumental in lowering the rate of FGM in Samburu, Kenya. We have managed to decrease the former rate of 96% in East Samburu Ward down to 80%. Our replacement for “the cut” is through education and celebrations for groups of 60 girls during their school holidays in April, August, and December. 

  Kenya

Guest Blog by Millicent Ondigo for Amref Health Africa. It began one and a half years ago with the birth of the ‘Yes I Do Alliance-Kenya Programme’. The Yes I Do Alliance had one purpose of contributing to the reduction of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), child marriage and teenage pregnancies among the Maa community residing in Kajiado West Sub County of Kajiado in Kenya.

  Kenya

Guest Blog by Miranda Dobson, Orchid Project. 

SAFE Maa is a Kenyan-based NGO and UK charity working with the Maasai in the Loita Hills, South West Kenya, on ending female genital cutting (FGC), environmental sustainability, and addressing HIV and AIDS. They have been delivering programmes since 2008, and are dedicated to changing the attitudes surrounding FGC in Loita as a way to help create community-led change. Orchid Project partnered with SAFE Maa in 2013 to support an awareness-raising performance tour on FGC and have continued to work closely with them ever since.

  Kenya

Guest Blog by Dorian Cosijnse. Uganda is one of the 28+ countries where Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is practised. The estimated prevalence lingers around 1.4% amongst women in the age of 15 till 49. Although this national figure is relatively low, prevalence amongst the Pokot tribe in the Eastern part of the country is near-universal (95%) ¹. This guest blog is written in Amudat, a district in the Karamoja region, and aims to give an insight in the harmful cultural practice of FGM amongst this unique tribe in East-Uganda.

  Kenya, Uganda

Guest blog by Esther Njenga. Nancy is a bubbly, kind and intelligent girl who just last year successfully completed high school. Getting to this landmark stage of her life is nothing but a journey of courage and sacrifice not only for her but also for her two brothers who have stood by her through her trying times.

  Kenya

Guest blog by Kabete Benard. Kabete Benard provides an insight into community development work in Pokot County in Kenya where FGM is still widely practised.

  Kenya

Did you know the on that day when the real men stand up and say no to FGM it will be on that day when we will say a final RIP to Female Genital Mutilation? In a guest blog for 28 Too Many, Geoffrey Otieno from Kenya talks about the role of men in FGM and why they should take action to end this harmful practice.

  Kenya, Male involvement

Guest blog by 28 Too Many volunteer Vivien Cohen. Vivien Cohen reviews the film "I will never be cut" by The Guardian Global Development, which looks at FGM in Kenya and highlights how girls and campaigners are trying to change attitudes and end this cruel practice.

  Kenya

A guest blog by Helen Harwood. A review of "The Day I Will Never Forget", a powerful documentary by acclaimed film maker Kim Longinotto follows a number of women in Kenya around the theme of female genital mutilation (FGM).

  Kenya

Blog by Katherine Allen, Research Intern and co-author of FGM in Kenya. 28 Too Many has released its first country profile report on FGM in Kenya. This information resource is freely available on our website and is intended to provide consolidated and objective information on female genital mutilation (FGM) in Kenya, and on national efforts to eradicate the practice.

  Kenya

Progress is being made in the fight against female genital mutilation (FGM) in Kenya, confirms a new report by charity 28 Too Many which shows a significant drop in prevalence over the last ten years.

  Kenya

Guest blog by Helen Marshall, Tareto Maa. I don’t remember exactly when I first became concerned about the subject of FGM but it was one of those moments when something so hard hits you, you can’t get it out of your mind. Learning about a girl being cut and left in pain, sometimes to bleed and die was something so shocking to

  Kenya

How can human rights change agents help the Maasai turn away from the harmful aspects of their tradition (FGM and early forced marriage) and not taint the authenticity of their rich culture? One way to create change is to offer alternative rituals or rites of passage (ARP). The work of Cath Holland in Central Pokot, as shown in the film Abandon the Knife, shows over 170 girls standing up to their community and choosing to not have FGM. It also shows the benefits of completing education for girls, as my favourite line in the film states that ‘cows (from a dowry) can die yet the benefits of education can bring milk for life!’ 

  Kenya

Abandon the Knife (Kepsteno Rotwo) follows the lives of two girls, Nancy 17 and Gertrude who stand up to their families to avoid having FGM. One girls runs for refuge to her grandmother and he mother is temporarily ‘thrown’ out by her husband for helping his daughter escape his planned marriage – as the suitor is on the way and cows have already been ‘paid’ for. She wants to complete her schooling and become a doctor, but her marriage dowry, to immediately follow her FGM ceremony, will pay for her brother’s education – and more cows! Click here to see the film.

  Kenya

Amongst a number of Kenyan tribes, FGM is practised for social and religious reasons. The Kenya Demographic of Health Survey shows the overall prevalence of FGM has decreased over 10 years: 38% in 1998; 32% in 2003 and 27% in 2008-9. However, the prevalence is still over a third of 15-49 year olds in Eastern Kenya although 88% of women ‘believe it should end’.

  Kenya