FGM is still used as a coming-of-age ritual for girls and some older women in remote parts of Kenya. It is painful and dangerous and often leads to infection and death. The scarring also makes childbirth difficult subsequently. Although much progress has been made in stopping FGM, poorer families still use it in the hope of making their daughters more marriageable. Girls who are cut usually get married off quickly (aged 14) in exchange for a bride price, and seldom return to school.

We will train local teachers and parents to bring a culturally appropriate Alternative Rite of Passage ceremony to remote villages in Kericho County where FGM is still prevalent. These local facilitators will engage with the whole community, showing the girls and their parents how they can come of age without suffering FGM. Local chiefs and elders will participate and will endorse the ceremony, and the girls will learn all they need to know to be adult women in their community, and resist FGM.