More than 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone some form of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). In the region of rural Kenya where we operate, over 70% of women between the ages of 15-49 have undergone some form of FGM/C. FGM/C is traditionally seen as a rite of passage into adulthood that renders girls susceptible to dropping out of school and to early marriage.

Together with our local partner, Tharaka Women's Welfare Programme (TWWP), we have developed a community education and training program called the Alternative Rite of Passage (ARP) to help adolescent girls transition into their young adulthood without the harmful practice of FGM/C. ARP provides girls with an alternative to FGM/C, where they can celebrate their adolescence with a weeklong retreat of singing, dancing, and empowering workshops. In these workshops, girls learn about the harmful effects of genital cutting, reproductive health, personal hygiene, interpersonal communication, relationship building, family life, personal decision-making and confidence building.

Woman role models and community members are invited to participate in the ARP graduation ceremony at the end of the retreat, so they can see the positive influence that the program has on girls’ lives and attitudes. Girls who participate in ARP are more than twice as likely to stay in school and lead healthier lives then girls who undergo FGM/C. Since we began our partnership with TWWP in 2007, over 2,500 young women have participated in the program, contributing to a 40% decrease in the instances of FGM/C in Tharaka-Nithi county, Kenya.