By Richard Montgomery | Executive Director
Dear supporters,
We are happy to share news about the work we are doing in Kenya and to be transparent about what this work requires. Your support has helped us protect girls from Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and early marriage while keeping them in school. Our outreach work is expanding to reach more girls in danger.
A strong vote of confidence from our donors
In 2025, with the help of our supporters, we strengthened our community outreach, ran anti-FGM workshops, and improved safe house access. These efforts allowed us to respond quickly when girls were in immediate danger, thus ensuring they could remain in school and live free from abuse.
Our donors’ support has made it possible to protect more girls, cover school fees, and provide safe places for them to live when their homes are unsafe. Without this support, our work would not have been possible.
Two more girls rescued
In December 2025, Global Roots conducted an outreach in Lolgorian, a remote community in the hills above the Maasai Mara. During this visit, we identified two girls at imminent risk of FGM and early marriage.
Naomi N., 16
Naomi is a high school student. She lost her father at age nine and has faced many hardships since then. Her aunt helped her complete primary school, but when Naomi was ready for high school, there was no money to continue her education.
Upon returning to her mother’s home, Naomi found a dangerous environment. Her mother, struggling to raise eleven children, had turned to alcohol. Naomi’s two older sisters had already been married off at ages 12 and 13. Soon, her mother openly discussed plans to have Naomi cut and married.
Naomi refused. She moved from house to house, borrowed essentials from classmates, and sometimes asked teachers for help to stay in school. She survived by hiding and relying on small acts of kindness from others.
Jessica N., 15
Jessica has just completed Grade 9 and wants to continue to senior school. She was born out of wedlock, and her stepfather does not accept her or support her education. After the death of her great-grandmother, who had protected her, Jessica was left alone.
Her uncles began planning to have her undergo FGM and marry her off. Jessica could not return to her stepfather’s home. Her mother’s sister agreed to take her in, but she could not afford school fees. Jessica is now at serious risk, and without support, her future is uncertain.
These girls’ lives are at risk every day. But with timely intervention, protection, and support, their futures can be changed.
Proof that protection works
There is strong evidence that our approach saves lives and keeps girls in school. Two girls previously supported through the FGM Zero Project, Sarah N. and Naomi K., completed high school in November 2025. Sarah earned a B+, and Naomi earned a C+, making them eligible for university programs starting in September 2026.
Four years ago, these same girls faced immediate danger. One escaped on the night she was supposed to be cut, running from her home to safety. Another was rescued just hours before her father planned to kidnap her. Threats were real, and danger was near.
But because there was a safe house, because there were funds for boarding schools, and because our staff acted quickly, these girls survived. Today, they are safe and dreaming about their future.
Why your support is critical
Our funding is limited. Safe houses, school fees, and emergency transport require ongoing support. Without donor funding, girls like Naomi and Jessica cannot be kept safe during holidays, when risk is highest.
While we can provide protection, girls also need support to meet basic needs. Food, clothing, and health care are critical. When girls are hungry, sick, or cold, learning becomes difficult. Protection alone cannot guarantee that a girl will stay in school if her home life is unsafe or unstable.
Your continued support ensures that girls in danger have a safe place to stay, can attend school, and receive the care they need. It allows us to maintain our safe house, pay school fees, and respond quickly when a girl is at risk.
Naomi and Jessica are alive, uncut, and still dreaming because support was there when they needed it most. There are many more girls like them. Your donation helps us reach them before it is too late.
Thank you
We are grateful for your continued partnership. Growth brings both promise and responsibility. Together, we can ensure that protection and education are not just possible, but real, lasting, and life-changing for girls at risk.
Thank you for standing with girls in Kenya at this critical moment.
With gratitude,
The Global Roots Team
By Richard Montgomery | Executive Director
By Mary Keruta | Safehouse Manager, FGM Zero Team
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