Training #MenEndFGM Champions in Kenya

During this period, we continued with our men engagement activities across the five counties of Kajiado, Samburu, Meru, Tharaka Nithi and Wajir. Our trained male champions were supported to conduct under-the-tree dialogues with other men and boys in the villages as part of our efforts to build a strong movement of enlightened men and boys actively advocating for elimination of FGM and child marriage in their communities. 

Notable changes include ackowledgement by elders in Kajiado that indeed they were wrong to allow girls undergo FGM, and their resolve to hold series of meetings with young morans who will be next in-line to take up community cultural leadership position, with the goal of urging them to drop FGM in totality which for long has been disguised as a Maasai culture. This engagement requires our support and we appeal to all who wish to support elders in Kajiado to hold meetings with young men and morans who are next in-line to be cultural elders, to correct their mistake and urge them to drop FGM as a Maasai culture.

Links:

• Men End FGM latest newsletter

We trained additional five male champions from Wajir, Meru, Samburu, Tharaka Nithi and Kajiado counties. Under the first phase of building a movement of men and boys actively championing for elimination of FGM in Kenya, we have been able to reach 750 other men including young men from these five counties by our trained male champions.

The trained male champions have held dialogues under the tree with fellow men across the five counties. Indeed its has been proven that its not just the message that can transform a person, but also the one delivering the message has a big role to play in transforming the individual. When groups of men from the villages have been engaged by their fellow village mates, fellow men who are known to them, it has been transformative. Young men too have not been left out as they were engaged through sporting actvities. 

Across the five counties, we are slowly building a movement of transformed men, who will champion for gender equality. However, our interventions continue to face limited finances, thus hindering us from reaching a larger population. Additionally, at the moment, we are holding one session per month. Yet if we are to achieve SDG5 goal by 2030, we need to do five times more. 

We continue to rely on well wishers to support our interventions to engage more men and boys across the country to achieve zero FGM by 2030. We are seeking partnerships and support that will not only sustain the current inverventions, but also transform the communities at large by changing social and gender norms that perpetuate gender inequality. 

Links:

• Webinar on promoting positive masculinity