Stop FGM!

Today was a fun day. So Kenyan and so good.

We started out about an hour and a half late--no problem. We were to leave at 8am to reach the place of the program which was to begin at 10. 

After leaving late, and then our 2.5 hour drive, we arrived just as the program was getting started a few hours late... or maybe right on time! We were attending a World Vision ceremony celebrating over 200 young girls committing to education and saying no to female circumcision. 

"We the 2009 ARP Graduates have said no to FGM/EM and Yes to Education"

Circumcision for both males and females is still a common practice for the Maasai. It is a rite of passage into adulthood for both genders. After circumcision young boys become warriors and young girls move into womanhood and ability to be married. Circumcision, (for girls also called Female Genital Mutilation or FGM), is done around the ages of 11-13.

Today the girls recited poems asking their fathers and communities to give them the opportunity to "become doctors, nurses, professors" by allowing them to continue their education and put an end to FGM.  If circumcised, many girls are taken out of school and married off, ending their chance to have the opportunity that education allows. 

While it is easy for an outsider to understand why the practice of FGM should end already, this tradition is so deeply a part of culture and tradition that many of them aren't able to see the extent of the harm it's doing. Some communities know it is discouraged and looked down upon, so they perform the operation during the night or in secret. Many girls look forward to this rite of passage because it is so deeply ingrained in them the importance of becoming a woman. Today even, during the ceremony, a traditional elder sitting in front of me was shaking his head as he listened to the speeches about ending FGM and said, "You are changing our culture! This is part of our culture."

World Vision is working to educate communities about the dangers of FGM. In their 2.5 years focusing on educating this area on the risks of FGM, the number of girls being circumcised has reduced from 97% to 56%! Reason to celebrate.

Part of the ceremony was traditional dancing and singing. These boys were great. I really enjoy this part of the Maasai culture.

TV Interviews with the Minister of Parliament

Ole Ntimama, a Member of the Kenyan Parliament was there as the guest of honor (his position is similar to a US Senator or Congressman). He declared today as a day of change and end to FGM in these communities. His daughter stood and told the crowd that her father was a a true believer in stopping FGM--he hadn't allowed her to be circumcised when she was a young girl. He believes and practices what he was preaching. It was an honor to meet him--a happy man who has been representing the Narok district for many years. 

Another interesting dynamic to the day was being the only white person among hundreds of Kenyans! I think we all got a kick out of that.

Up tomorrow: Celebrating answered prayers in Ewaso Ngiro! A nearby town has held it's weekly market day on Sunday. Because of this, business owners were faced with the choice of attending church or working their stands at the market to make money to feed their family for the week. Community members and pastors have been praying for the market day to change--and their prayers have been answered! Tomorrow they are closing the market (moving it to another day) and celebrating all that means for the community!!