FGM Disarmament Declarations
Naijile Village- Kajiado County - March 2017
An Event Marking the Voluntary Public Declarations on Abandonment of FGM
At the Regional Education Centre in Naijile Village, a large gathering that brought together indigenous women, morans, village elders, village chief, village council, a public health officer from the MoH and participants from other neighbouring villages.
The participants recognized and agreed that the time had come to disarm, to put down the weapons used against young girls. In his speech, the village chief announced: “I want to make it clear that, in the Regional Authority of Naijile village in Kajiado, we are with the war against FGM”.
To have such men speak out in such terms was a breakthrough. Ole Leparakuo, head of MoH, was the first of many speakers to welcome the six most well-known circumcisers of Naijile village, who were about to disarm publicly and voluntarily, witnessed by a crowd of health professionals and well-wishers. Many speakers followed her example in highlighting the difficulties 'they’d all experienced' and the changes that are underway.
Finally, the moment of renunciation came. Leparakuo turned to the six waiting circumcisers. 'Do you agree to give up this practice?' 'Ndiyo!', they all answer, 'Ndiyo!' in Swahili language.
The first to come forward was Selina Ntomno, the oldest of the circumcisers. She laid down her gloves, her needle for suturing; sugar to dry the labia, local anaesthetic, a syringe, cotton wool, and a clean razor blade. She made her statement to a loud applause: 'I am praying to God to forgive me for what I have done before, and I swear that I am not going to do it in the future.'
When all six circumcisers had disarmed, it was time for singing and dancing. A young Masaai girl, who could never dance so freely if she had been cut and sewn together between her legs, led the dancing; she was the promise of the future. The songs were the ones the Masaai anti-FGM teams had written. 'FGM is against nature, FGM is against what God brought us. What God creates is best; No-one can change it for the better. Take care of your daughter. Take care of your son-in-law who is suffering as your daughter is suffering. Don't cut your daughter.' They sang and the people sang after them amid loud applause.
An Event Marking the Voluntary Public Declarations on Abandonment of FGM
At the Regional Education Centre in Naijile Village, a large gathering that brought together indigenous women, morans, village elders, village chief, village council, a public health officer from the MoH and participants from other neighbouring villages.
The participants recognized and agreed that the time had come to disarm, to put down the weapons used against young girls. In his speech, the village chief announced: “I want to make it clear that, in the Regional Authority of Naijile village in Kajiado, we are with the war against FGM”.
To have such men speak out in such terms was a breakthrough. Ole Leparakuo, head of MoH, was the first of many speakers to welcome the six most well-known circumcisers of Naijile village, who were about to disarm publicly and voluntarily, witnessed by a crowd of health professionals and well-wishers. Many speakers followed her example in highlighting the difficulties 'they’d all experienced' and the changes that are underway.
Finally, the moment of renunciation came. Leparakuo turned to the six waiting circumcisers. 'Do you agree to give up this practice?' 'Ndiyo!', they all answer, 'Ndiyo!' in Swahili language.
The first to come forward was Selina Ntomno, the oldest of the circumcisers. She laid down her gloves, her needle for suturing; sugar to dry the labia, local anaesthetic, a syringe, cotton wool, and a clean razor blade. She made her statement to a loud applause: 'I am praying to God to forgive me for what I have done before, and I swear that I am not going to do it in the future.'
When all six circumcisers had disarmed, it was time for singing and dancing. A young Masaai girl, who could never dance so freely if she had been cut and sewn together between her legs, led the dancing; she was the promise of the future. The songs were the ones the Masaai anti-FGM teams had written. 'FGM is against nature, FGM is against what God brought us. What God creates is best; No-one can change it for the better. Take care of your daughter. Take care of your son-in-law who is suffering as your daughter is suffering. Don't cut your daughter.' They sang and the people sang after them amid loud applause.