By Beverly Gilbert Stone | Director
The Times They are a Changin’
For centuries Pastoralist girls were prepared for marriage very early, some as young as 10 years old! Often the prospective father is in his 40’s or 50’s and the girl is his second or third wife. The negotiations for the girl’s dowry of cows, and goats is done without the girl’s knowledge and most often without even the mother’s knowledge and consent.
Most tribes prepared the girl with some form of Female Genital Mutilation. This procedure is risky to the life of the girl as well as presenting many challenges in child birth.
Girls were rarely allowed to go to school but remained at home to learn how to perform domestic chores.
Now in 2015, the times are a changin’. Illegal in Kenya, FGM and EFM are still performed but in hiding. Girls are required by law to attend school. Though more than half the girls still remain at home, the awareness is slowly filtering to the villages. The marriage value of educated girls is increasing. The girls that were educated are finding employment and assisting their families. They are speaking to and often “for” their parents in three languages, demonstrating the value of education.
There is still a great need for Girl Child RESCUE and an even greater need for financial assistance to pay school fees for the girl child.
Thank you donors for assisting with this change.
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