By Elijah Cherutich
Community members and stakeholders in Teret location, Njoro in Nakuru County have expressed concern over the rising cases of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) being conducted discreetly in the villages.
Speaking at Koilonget Mixed Day Secondary School during a training session for more than 300 girls on the dangers of early marriages and FGM, some residents said that more than 100 young women and girls are reported to have undergone FGM this year in the area.
Rael Chelangat Ruto, principal of the secondary school, said that the situation is worrying because it has significantly affected education standards in the recent past.
She said that due to the social challenges stemming from the practice, some of their female students drop out of school to be married off.
“We decided to hold this seminar to save the girls from succumbing to this retrogressive practice that remains deeply rooted in the villages. We want the girls to be empowered to make decisions for themselves,” she said.
Sheila Cheruiyot, another teacher at the secondary school, said that the practice is holding the community back and denying girls the opportunity to succeed in their lives.
Beatrice Changtoek, a Community Health Promoter, said that young men are under pressure from the long-held culture to subject their wives or partners to FGM.
She said that they have been working hard to ensure that the community changes and embraces a new way of life that allows all children to enjoy their rights.
“These young men are pressuring their wives to undergo the rite so they can be accepted in the community as ‘complete’ women. This undermines the changes we are trying to bring, but we will not tire,” she said.
James Yegon, Director of the Soar Kenya Community Foundation and a member of the Rotary Club of Nakuru, said that they chose to support the initiative to train the girls on the negative effects of the practice in order to salvage the situation and give them hope to fulfill their dreams.
He said that through the Freedom for Girls Project, most of the girls will be able to avoid the vice and focus their energies on education and defending their child rights.
“There is a combination of challenges here, including FGM, child labour, early marriages, and teenage pregnancies, which are affecting education standards, particularly for girls,” he said.
The stakeholders used the opportunity to provide the girls with sanitary pads and other items as part of the awareness campaign.
