Training #MenEndFGM Champions in Kenya

In partnership with Child Fund Kenya, Zinduka Kenya and Lake Region Development Programme, Men End FGM trained 30 male champions drawn from Kuria West sub county in Migori county. The three-day training was hosted at Borderpoint Hotel in Isibania from 23rd to 25th March 2022. The champions were drawn from the youth, religious leaders, teachers and members of the Kuria council of elders. The objective of this training was to prepare for a possible surge in FGM cases during the April school holiday. Through this training, we witnessed a sustained campaign by the council of elders through radio talk shows and chief barazas denouncing FGM as being a practice whose time is over. They urged residents to embrace education and focus on educating girls as well as boys. 

In partnership with Amref, Zinduka Kenya and Tunaweza empowerment, we trained 30 male champions from Kuria East region from 19th to 21st April 2022. The main objective of this training is to strengthen the surveilance of FGM cases in Kuria east during the school holiday. The trained male champions drawn from elders, teachers,youth and religious including persons with disabilities, were equipped with key knowledge 

Links:

• Video documentation of Kuria West male champions training

In partnership with UNFPA and World Vision Kenya, our trained male champions conducted community dialogues in Eluanata and Noosikitok villages in the Noosikitok location, Namanga division, Kajiado county. The three-days community dialogues saw a total of 167 participants were reached directly. 

Several strong messages emerged, including the following:

a) Men should stop appearing to be oblivious when a girl is subjected to female genital mutilation. They are the family's decision-makers. Nothing occurs in the family without their knowledge– one participant agreed that they are the financiers of the celebrations that occur when a girl is cut, and collectively they vowed to discontinue the practice.

b) Girls should be empowered to make their own body choices. I am calling to all community members to band together and assist put an end to female genital mutilation in our village and to treat girls and women equally - a trained male champion emphasized the importance of equal rights for women and girls.

c)     Not all of our cultures are bad, but we are against the cultures which harm the women and girls. We need to change our culture of ushering in our girls into womanhood through FGM as it hampers the potential of girls to lead flourishing life– said a trained participant.

d)     When a girl is educated the whole society benefits. Education helps in alleviating the poverty levels of the parents because that educated girl will succeed and come back to help the parents. Am urging all of us, let us take these girls to school to as opposed to subjecting them to FGM and thereafter marrying them off early – said chief Kanchori Shuaka

f)     FGM can never be safe and there is no medical justification for the practice- said Ntengese Topoika a trained male champion.

In October, November and December, in partnership with Global Media Campaign, we took our trained male champions to radio for live radio talk shows in their native languages. The trained male champions were drawn from Isiolo, Meru, Wajir, Samburu and Kajiado counties. Through the radio talk shows, more than 1.5M listeners from these counties were reached with anti-FGM messages. The focus of the talk shows was on sensitization on the law, delinking FGM with religion and advocacy for elimination of harmful practices against women and girls.