About 67 girls from Sinkiter village in Narok North Sub County have graduated after successfully completing an alternative rite of passage training, thanks to Coalition of Violence Against Women (COVAW) that sponsored the training.
During the celebrations, the girls who had not undergone Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) were celebrated and awarded gifts as a way of encouraging more girls to shun the retrogressive culture.
Daniel Ntokoiwan, a village elder said the community had agreed to put aside any illegal culture and instead engage in productive activities that will benefit the community.
“I personally donated land where COVAW was training the girls. They have undergone several trainings on Gender Based Violence (GBV) and we are sure they will be a light to the community,” he said.
Ntokoiwan observed that cases of teenage pregnancy and early marriages had decreased since the training began a year ago, lauding the parents and guardians for allowing their girls to attend the training.
The village elder called on parents to spend enough time with their children during this holiday season and monitor their movements so that they can be able to guide them appropriately.
“It is our responsibility as parents to ensure our children; both girls and boys are walking in the right way. If we do not guide our children, they may end up joining bad companies,” said Ntokoiwan.
He also challenged residents to report cases of FGM and early marriages to the authorities early enough so as to arrest and prosecute the culprits.
Mary Masako, a nyumba Kumi representative challenged the community to ‘say no’ to FGM since it is retrogressive and illegal.
“I have not heard anywhere in the bible where FGM was done. We have been practicing FGM for very many years but we have not seen any benefits. This is the time we stop with these retrogressive culture and focus on building the society,” said Ms Masako.
Violet Soipan, an 18-year-old girl, advised her fellow girls to refuse to undergo the cut and if forced, they should report to the authorities.
“I want to encourage all girls to be the first to say NO to FGM. I am a role model because I refused to undergo the cut,” she underscored.
Others present were COVAW representative Ms Moureen Khabuchi and Narok Gender Officer Ms Agnes Ng’eno.
Cases of FGM are rampant in the county and are linked to the many cases of teenage pregnancies, early marriage and school dropout reported in the area.
By Ann Salaton
