Education, Awareness and Prevention Programmes work
“One day I go up to check on this particular newborn, I find her surrounded by some women and I’m stunned, so I ask the women involved what the problem should be. They assure me that nothing serious is happening but my instincts assure me that there must be something queer, It was then that I realized they wanted to carry out FGM on the 4-day old baby and had to stop them, I threatened to report the matter to the area chief for them to testify that indeed they were not to carry out the illegal activity.”
Amina Adhman is a midwife and works in Taveta, Kenya. She is one of the women who have been empowered by attending training and seminars organized by ActionAid on the fight against FGM.
Thanks to our supporters, ActionAid Women’s Groups exist and help to educate both men and women on the harmful impact of FGM and empower communities to reject this torture.
Mary, 50, is a former FGM cutter. She had made her living as cutter as this was the custom in her family, until one awful day a girl she cut almost bled to death. This was the turning point for her and she is now a passionate advocate against girls being cut.
Luckily, Amina was able to stop them from carrying out the activity on the child. She, therefore, took it upon herself to educate the same women on the consequences of FGM that affect women. She follows up even to date on the same child to make sure that FGM does not take place.
She also continues to educate other women and mothers on the dangers and risks that they put their girls when they go through FGM. She speaks to these women and tries to explain to them how women who have gone through FGM have difficulties during childbirth that can even cause them to result in getting fistula as compared to other females whose experience is natural and less painful, for example.
However, Amina still experiences challenges from the women she educates. She faces rejection from them owing to the fact that she herself she has gone through FGM back in the days when it was the norm and people did not have the education and empowerment on the consequences of FGM.
