NAROK COUNTY, Kenya – “Female genital mutilation is carried out in secret, and in some villages in Narok County the rate is as high as 99 per cent,” explains Patrick Ngigi, founder of the community-based organization Mission with a Vision.
Although the prevalence of women and girls subjected to female genital mutilation in Kenya has halved over the past 20 years – from more than 30 per cent in 2002 to 15 per cent in 2022 – every year, thousands of girls are still subjected to this painful and potentially deadly human rights violation.
Despite a national ban imposed in 2011, it remains common, particularly among rural communities. With support from UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, Mission with a Vision offers a safe space for those fleeing female genital mutilation, child marriage and other forms of gender-based violence.
“In 1997, I was working as a head teacher when a girl came to me and begged for help so she wouldn’t be married off,” recalled Mr. Ngigi. “I took her to my mother’s house because we didn’t have any rescue centres available, and that is how Mission with a Vision began.”
The shelter has since grown into a haven that can accommodate up to 120 girls across two facilities, which are supported by UNFPA.
Stories of resilience
For survivors and girls at risk of female genital mutilation, shelters and safe spaces play a critical role in offering a refuge, hope and new beginnings. Many of the girls who arrive at Mission with a Vision carry deep physical and emotional scars.
“My family was not happy when I ran away from home because everyone in the community was talking about it, and they felt I had brought them shame,” said Esther Kulet, who fled at 14 to escape being subjected to the practice.
She called the shelter home until she completed school and went away to university. Now 22, she has just graduated and is working as a qualified veterinary officer.
Over the years, Mission with a Vision has provided refuge to more than 3,200 girls escaping female genital mutilation, child marriage, rape and other forms of gender-based violence. They receive not only safety but also education, vocational training and counselling. Girls who cannot return to school because of early pregnancies are trained in trades such as tailoring and hairdressing, enabling them to rebuild their lives with dignity.
One young woman, 23-year-old Maryanne, recalled the despair that consumed her during an abusive childhood. “I had lost my mum when I was young, and I had to go to work as a maid,” she told UNFPA. “She treated me so badly. I had to work 24 hours… I thought killing myself was the only solution I had.”
At Mission with a Vision, she says, “I found someone who understood me. Working here now, I tell the younger girls not to give up, as there is nothing impossible in this world.”
Since joining the shelter, she has become a mentor and a house mother, caring for some 20 girls. Even simple moments like sharing a meal, singing, and dancing together are moments of healing, she said.
“At Christmas, we slaughter a goat, cook chapati and cabbage, and dance. It makes us feel at home, and that is the greatest thing,” explained Maryanne.
A call for more shelters
A report by Kenya’s Generation Equality Secretariat in 2022 revealed that the country has 54 private shelters and gender-based violence rescue centres operational, but they are located in only 18 of the 47 counties. Inadequate funding makes many shelters vulnerable to shutdowns, leaving survivors at greater risk of harm and without necessary services like temporary housing, counselling, and legal support.
“We get many girls coming to the shelter in search of help,” said Mr. Ngigi. “One time, we sent a girl to school, and she came back with 11 girls who wanted our help escaping female genital mutilation. We could not turn them away.”
The centre also receives girls from neighbouring and far-off counties that do not have operational shelters.
Changing communities
With funding from Norway, UNFPA has supported Mission with a Vision by expanding its skills-based training programme and equipping its quarters with much-needed supplies, such as bedding. This funding has also enabled the centre to carry out awareness raising among communities to shift the harmful gender and social norms that drive female genital mutilation, child marriage and other gender-based violence.
“When girls succeed, entire communities begin to change.”
The ripple effect of this outreach is undeniable.
Across Narok County, more than half of girls are known to be subjected to female genital mutilation, which is prevalent among the Maasai communities in the area. But in one Maasai village, a graduate of Mission with a Vision returned to speak with elders who once resisted the change. The elders have since asked the shelter to take in girls in need.
“You cannot fight culture with a gun, you can only fight it with a mindset shift,” said Mr. Ngigi. “When girls succeed, entire communities begin to change.”
The shelter also emphasizes reconciliation with families whenever possible. With careful mediation, many girls are reunited with their parents under safer, more supportive conditions.
“Female genital mutilation is not a good thing. It makes girls believe they are ready for marriage while they are still children,” explained Esther. “Now I'm a role model in our family because I’m the only one done with my education.”
She hopes her work in veterinary medicine paves the way for other girls, too. “It’s rare for ladies to do that course because it’s a hard course, and there are those in our community who believe it’s only for gentlemen. Now they see that girls can do it.”
