In 2012, the UN General Assembly designated February 6th as the International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM, with the aim to amplify and direct the efforts on the elimination of this vice. 10 years later, we still commemorate this day!!
At Spread Truth Africa it was, without a doubt, a memorable weekend at Sajiloni Girls High School in Kajiado Central.This was particularly a special weekend for us as we got to spend time with the girls as we continued covering the FGM Survivor Psychosocial Support Curriculum.
With us was one of our long time partners, the National Youth Council of Kenya (NYC), who joined us to celebrate the day together with the girls.Mr. Roy Sasaka, the CEO at NYC, took the girls through chapter 4 of the curriculum.The Chapter aimed at addressing why bad things happen to us regardless of us being God’s children. He shared his life story as he brought this into perspective.
The girls were very motivated and got to understand that challenges are part of life. Job’s story was a good example to show that bad things can still happen to good people but God will always have our back. Even in tribulations, God commands us to be strong and of good courage with unwavering faith and trust in Him. Is FGM a bad thing? Definitely YES! However, for past victims, it does not imply that the bad act happened to them because God does not love them. NOT AT ALL! He loves us all unconditionally, despite our previous experiences and to Him, we are PERFECT!
After Mr. Roy talked to the girls, he led the team in singing a worship song briefly.Rev. Hamisi Kirenga, the director at Spread Truth Africa, took over and led the team into a prayer session. He prayed and dedicated the girls to God. Mr. Ken Lanyo and Peter Kimani also got to interact with the girls and encourage them.
The girls were so excited to receive snacks from the team.This moment took most of us back to when we were in High School and we would look forward to the days when visitors would visit us in school. This meant that ‘goodies’ would definitely be there and in this case, sweet snacks apart from the normal meals in school. These were for sure glorious days! It was a beautiful time sharing these moments with the girls.
Vanessa with the help of Naserian and Phoro Catherine took the girls through chapter 7 and 9 of the curriculum. The two chapters focused on what we can do with pain, fear and how to go about forgiveness. Evidently, the effects of FGM go beyond the physical damage, hence the need to learn on how to cope with fear and pain.
God has a beautiful plan for every girl’s future. As we commemorated the International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM, we reminded ourselves that it is our collective responsibility, as individuals, organizations and institutions, to ensure that we create a better world for girls now and in the days to come. A world which is safe where they feel protected, empowered and supported in their journey to realize their goals and aspirations.
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