Haller + The Samburu Girls Foundation: Partnering to Protect Young Women in Rural Kenya.
TW: This piece makes explicit reference to FGM and other exploitative sexual practices.
It’s estimated that 200 million women and young girls globally have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM). FGM comprises all procedures that involve the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to the female genitalia for non-medical reasons. Recognised internationally as a violation of the human rights of women and girls, the practice persists as a reflection of gender inequality and harmful societal expectations.
In Kenya, FGM was formally illegalised in 2011. This had a positive impact on the incidence of the practice, but the positive effects were mainly felt in urban areas, where access to education is higher and women have a greater range of economic opportunities.
Across the country, the prevalence of FGM is 15%, but in the poorest, most rural areas this rate rises to over 90%. One of the areas still struggling to eradicate the practice is Samburu County, where FGM rates stand at 76%, and an estimated 13.4% of female children are married between 12-18 years (KNBS Census report, 2019). 95% of boys and men believe FGM is a required practice.
The high incidence of FGM is connected to the persistence of traditional beliefs and cultural customs in Samburu County, which is symptomatic of most rural pastoralist communities in Kenya. FGM is treated as a rite of passage for girls, often strongly supported by women who have already undergone the procedure.
The common perception is that undergoing FGM increases women’s economic value and that women who do not undergo FGM should not be entitled to family resources and are poorly renumerated. Girls who undergo FGM are deemed to be ‘pure’, virtuous, and more attractive, with men paying a family more to marry a daughter who has been through FGM. These financial and societal incentives mean that families continue to force their daughters to undergo FGM, despite frequently not agreeing with it themselves. There is a strong correlation between the economic wealth of a family, education levels, and rates of FGM.
Young girls are also subject to ‘beading’, the process in which girls as young as ten are booked for sexual benefits by the morans aged between 20-30 years. The girls involved are given colourful beads to wear by the morans, signalling to the wider community that she sexually belongs to one moran and is “engaged” and keeps off the other morans. However, a Moran can bead as many girls as he pleases. Beading is also associated with high levels of sexual abuse. Notably, the morans are not allowed to marry the girls they have beaded as they come from the same clan.
FGM precedes marriage as it is considered the initiation to womanhood. Most girls who undergo this practice are married off and drop out of school. In the long run, low education levels among women perpetuate FGM as the practice is passed on from generation to generation.
The Samburu Girls Foundation Intervention
Founded in 2011 by Dr Josephine Kulea, who sits in the Foundation’s board, the Samburu Girls Foundation works to eradicate FGM, child marriage, and beading in Samburu County and beyond.
Working with a team of more than 20 staff, SGF rescues girls in need of care and protection with the joint efforts of the government and places them in a safe shelter. SGF further provides psychosocial support to the girls who are often traumatized from the experiences they have had and further builds their agency through education and mentorships. Eventually, the girls are then safely reintegrated back to the community, fully equipped as agents of change. SGF has rescued over 2000 girls and supported their education on foundational learning through the Nabulaa Program through to universities/colleges.
The safe house in Loosuk Ward, Samburu County, consists of a 100-person capacity dormitory, 4 classrooms, a 300-person capacity dining room, a Tech hub, and a sports arena.
Access to proper sanitation facilities is a critical issue at the Samburu Girls Foundation safe house. Currently, there is extremely limited access to toilet facilities, which poses a hygiene risk.
Supported by Fondation Eagle, Haller is partnering with the Samburu Girls Foundation to expand the toilet facilities at the centre, creating sanitary facilities to improve hygiene and allow girls to focus on their education in a safe and secure environment.
The construction of sanitary facilities will also encompass:
Hygiene and sanitation workshops: to educate girls at the centre on proper sanitation and further reduce the spread of disease.
Education on menstruation and safe sex: aiming to shift perceptions around menstruation stigma.
Education of the wider Samburu County community on the harmful impacts of FGM: inclusive of men, women and elders, aiming to stop the perpetuation of misconceptions around the practice.
Support for young girls and women experiencing trauma at the safe house and in reconciliation efforts with their families.
If you’re interested in learning more about the partnership or how you can support our efforts with the Samburu Girls Foundation to protect young women and girls in rural Kenya, get in touch.
