HOME - FrontlineEndingFGM Kenya

HOW WE ARE ERADICATING

Female Genital Mutilation

ABOUT US

At #FrontlineEndingFGM Kenya, in close collaboration with the European Union, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Brighter Society Initiative (BSI), and the Anti-FGM Board Kenya, we are finalizing preparations for the launch of the EU/UNFPA Stop FGM Now!

The programme is scheduled to commence in April 2025, ahead of the Easter cutting season.

This groundbreaking FGM eradication program, developed over the past decade by the UNFPA and the Global Media Campaign to End FGM, will empower frontline women’s rights organizations across 7 key Kenyan counties through Direct Action Grants, ensuring they receive both funding and creative control.

We are partnering directly with the Kenyan government’s Anti-FGM Board to ensure the eradication of FGM extends from national policy to the most remote rural communities. This collaborative campaign will engage government officials, law enforcement, and duty bearers, while simultaneously empowering the resilient women at the forefront of this movement.

WHAT WE DO

3 STEPS TO ENDING FGM

In collaboration with the Brighter Society Initiative, run by the veteran campaigner Sadia Hussein, who has made great progress driving down rates of FGM in Tana River, FrontlineKenya will be using FrontlineEndingFGM’s BornPerfect 3-Step Solution – a model developed by frontline women with decades worth of experience fighting FGM at a grassroots level.

1

BornPerfect Academies – Bringing together survivors, activists, and influential voices from each region for 5 days of direct training on the Tree of Life, Caravans, and local media blitzes ahead of the campaign roll-out, supported by Jeremiah Kipainoi – lifetime campaigner against FGM in Kenya and leader of FrontlineKenya.

2

BornPerfect Women’s Caravans – The most influential voices take the road on our Caravans with giant movie screens and music, rallying the masses and spreading the anti-FGM message, no village left behind. The Caravans break the silence on FGM, empowering communities to mobilize against it and incorporating the Dear Daughter Pledge – a public commitment to not cut their daughters.

3

Local Media Blitzes – Ignited by the momentum of the Caravans, we launch 3-years of intense and relentless local media campaigns in each region, consistently hammering home the end-FGM message. No ear untouched by the anti-FGM message.

OUR APPROACH

This evidence-based model (impact data available here) effectively reaches marginalized communities. Each campaign is region-specific, tailored to local cultural influences and media landscapes, and mobilizes key activists and community leaders. For activists unable to attend the Born Perfect Campaign Academies, we offer virtual Born Perfect Media Hubs, empowering them to leverage media to amplify their movements. These resources are readily accessible on our YouTube channel and website.

The Brighter Society Initiative has commenced operations in Elgeyo-Marakwet, Marsabit, and Garissa counties. Simultaneously, #FrontlineEndingFGM Kenya will support grassroots women’s rights organizations in implementing their own Caravan campaigns in Tharaka-Nithi, West Pokot, Wajir, and Isiolo counties.

Jeremiah Kipainoi (shown in picture), a lifelong advocate against FGM in Kenya, will lead the #FrontlineEndingFGM Kenya team. He will oversee the Born Perfect Campaign Academies, providing critical media training for activists, and coordinate the development of the innovative Whistleblowers Map – a digital tool enabling activists to alert law enforcement and authorities to suspected or imminent FGM procedures.

the frontline map

Work in progress on the definitive guide to trusted frontline feminist organisations ending FGM and Child Marriage across Africa

TREE OF LIFE

For the first time, and with the support of Dr. Gillian Hughes, FrontlineKenya will implement the Tree of Life at scale, using psychosocial support to encourage women and girls to speak in the comfort of their own communities about the trauma of FGM. Key activists and survivors will be trained on the Tree of Life during the 5-day BornPerfect academies, and the day before the BornPerfect Caravan arrives in each village, they will hold a Tree of Life session with girls and women in their villages. This provides psychosocial support to survivors of FGM in anticipation of the messaging during the upcoming Caravans and media campaigns.

See our BornPerfect Campaign working to eradicate FGM across 15 countries in Africa
www.frontlineendingfgm.org