A COMMUNITY WITH ZERO FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION

In August 2022, I happened to have moved from the city (Nairobi) to a rural area after losing my job. I was struggling with keeping up with the bills and hence had to relocate. That was difficult, yes, but tough times call for a tough decision. I then went to stay with my sister in a community which is in Kenya but will not name specifically, near the Tanzania border.  

Interacting with this community was a whole new experience, which included learning their language, and culture and even adopting their lifestyle. Oh, I also go myself a boyfriend, awesome right? One thing that really bothered me was how circumcision was taken very seriously in that community. You are probably wondering how that would bother me, now according to my interaction with the girls & women, 98% of them were circumcised. The community believes that a girl who is not circumcised is not fit to be a wife or even call herself a woman. 

This was very worrying,  considering how the women of the community valued circumcision, it tells how difficult it is to convince them that it's actually a crime and should not happen. As a world pulse member, I currently do not have a voice and cannot go back to the community and educate them on the consequences and risks of FGM, however with the world pulse, I believe I am able to get better insights and support to educate this community.