Rescue Maasai Girls from Female Genital Mutilation

We are happy to report that all three girls who we rescued from Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) recently have made it back to our Safe House from boarding school for the long winter break.

Unlike other children who can go home to spend time with their families, our girls would be immediately subjected to Female Genital Mutilation if they were to go to their actual homes.

So, no matter how much they might miss their siblings and friends at home – and even their birth mothers – they know they can’t go home.

As you may recall, each girl ran away from home last year on the night they were to be subjected to the illegal and vicious act of FGM. They had each heard about our safe house during our anti-FGM "know your rights" community outreach sessions at schools and churches.

BTW, “FGM Zero” is the name of a project that is managed and funded by the US-based children’s charity, Global Roots. FGM Zero has its own website but it remains under the Global Roots umbrella.

Now back to our girls…

Instead of going home to be cut like cattle, our girls can come to a safe place where they can study and do chores during the day, and have fun with each other at night…all under the watchful gaze of Mary Keruta, our home’s mother and manager. Mary, as you surely know if you have been following this program, was rescued herself by FGM Zero when she was a little girl.

“I love to give life to these girls in the same way this program gave life to me.”

When Mary isn’t managing the Safe House, she is busy raising her three children and pestering Kenya’s Ministry of Education for a job. Mary graduated teaching school two years ago with honors but it’s become very difficult to get a first teaching job in Kenya.

Please see the attached screenshots of videos of our girls enjoying themselves at home. Sarah prefers secular dances while Big Naomi and little Naomi like to practice Maasai dances. Keep in mind that this is simply playtime during their vacation. The girls deserve to have a little fun after months of rigorous studies. The girls know that they will be sent out of the house if they don’t apply themselves at school.

What you can’t see is the safety provided by our guards. There is always the threat of someone coming to terrorize our girls, subject them to FGM, and sell them into marriage – but our guards won’t let that happen.

Midterm results

• Sarah is 17 out of 45
• Naomi is 15 out of 83 in her “wing” but 67 out of 532 overall.
• Little Naomi has primary exams coming up but her teacher told us she is top of her class.

We are pleased with these results. Keep in mind that these gave up their support systems and they may never see their siblings again – at least not until the man they choose to marry (if they marry) provides them the safety they would need to visit their homes again.

It usually takes a year or two for our girls to find their way at boarding school. It’s hard for them to fit in as there is always a stigma to overcome. But they will eventually outperform their peers simply because they are braver and stronger.

Moving on, we have our eyes open now for more runaways because the Maasai festival period is coming and it’s the time of year that many families secretly subject their daughters to FGM.

Soon, we will give several anti-FGM outreach sessions at a number of schools and churches. Girls who are truly threatened with FGM will know they have a wonderful woman to turn to in Mary Keruta should they need help.

Mary asked me to thank all GlobalGiving donors…

“Please thank the donors,” she told me during a WhatsApp last week. “My husband works very hard but it would be unfair to ask him to feed three extra mouths and buy everything these girls need to do well in their lives. The good donors of GlobalGiving make sure that I can buy these girls food, shoes and even a nice dress once a year. Thank you so much!”