KENYA BIG DREAM

Empowering Kenyan girls
to know they are worthy.

 

KENYA BIG DREAM

Empowering Kenyan girls
to know they are worthy.

 

Hope for Kenyan girls and boys

Kenya is a vibrant and inviting country full of life, intrigue, opportunity, and hope . Yet, there are places where child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) have held girls and communities back for generations. We know it doesn’t need to be this way. We know because we’ve seen God transform lives and communities in Kenya and we won’t stop until child marriage and FGM ends everywhere we work in Kenya.
 
With your help, we’ll reach 1.2 million people to help them reach their full potential through the Kenya Big Dream.
 
Give to Kenya Big Dream

The need

In many cultures, FGM — also known as cutting — symbolizes the transition from girlhood to womanhood and is a valued traditional practice done on girls as young as 10 (in some places, on girls even younger). In areas of Kenya, it’s traditionally seen as a precursor to child marriage, but both FGM and child marriage can have devastating physical and psychological effects for girls.

At least 200 million women and girls alive today have been subjected to FGM, including 4 million in Kenya alone. And 650 million were married before their 18th birthday.

In some Kenyan cultures, tradition equates FGM with womanhood, no matter a girl’s age. A daughter’s worth can be tied to her bride price, money that can be the difference between survival and starvation for families living in poverty.

In Samburu County, 86% of women ages 15 to 49 have undergone FGM, and 77% were cut to become eligible for marriage. Only about one in 10 girls is enrolled in secondary school here.

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Our response

Turning the tide on child marriage and FGM requires a multi-sector approach to create lasting change. Following INSPIRE — the WHO’s evidence-based strategies for best practices in child protection work — the Kenya Big Dream changes social norms harmful to children, strengthens household economic conditions to reduce financial incentives for child marriage, promotes education and life skills training for girls, and more.

TRADITION EQUATES THE CUT WITH WOMANHOOD but through our work… trusted faith leaders are mobilized to strengthen their communities by leading child protection efforts, including Alternative Rites of Passage ceremonies to replace FGM.

FAMILIES NEED A DAUGHTER’S BRIDE PRICE but through our workfamilies are  economically empowered to become resilient and financially stable, so they can prioritize girls’ worthiness as they support community-wide laws and cultural mindset shifts against FGM and child marriage.

GIRLS’ EDUCATION ISN’T PRIORITIZED but through our workchildren are empowered through education, giving boys and girls alike the chance to know their potential for changing their societies.

Our impact

World Vision's child protection work in Kenya has resulted in fewer children experiencing violence and abuse. From 2016 to 2019, the number of children among those surveyed in our project areas in Kenya who said they experienced violence and abuse went from 71% to 37%, while youth who said they were "thriving" in life more than doubled.

This dream is big, but it’s achievable within our lifetimes. In over 10 years of work in Kenya, we’ve seen the acceptance of FGM and child marriage plummet.  And girls’ secondary school enrollment rates have skyrocketed — in an area where they were once nearly zero. “In 1999, the prevalence rate of FGM was over 95%  in Chepareria area of West Pokot. Today, it’s less than 10%,” explains Moses Chepkonga, the Kenya Big Dream program manager.

5,000

Over more than 10 years, nearly 5,000 girls and boys have taken part in Alternative Rites of Passage ceremonies, replacing FGM with a week-long event for girls and boys to celebrate their coming of age within the community.

608,085

In West Pokot and Baringo, 608,085 people have been empowered with access to child protection activities since 2020.

42

In 2021 alone, 42 traditional FGM circumcisers abandoned their cutting tools and embraced different values.

90%

In a 2015 study, more than nine in 10 people surveyed in West Pokot agreed that most people would like to see the practice of FGM ended.

37%

Rates of violence and abuse against children in West Pokot where World Vision works dropped from 71% in 2016 to 37% in 2019.

Our partners

We are blessed to partner with hundreds of Christian philanthropists and couldn’t do this work without them. And we’re able to reach more people because of our highly collaborative local and global partnerships within private and public sectors.

Margo Day with women

“I met a group of 34 young girls at a rescue center in West Pokot, Kenya. God placed a fire in my heart for those girls...and that trip proved to be the beginning of an incredible transformation...for the girls, for their community, and for me.”

Suzanna with another woman

“I’ve seen firsthand that when young women’s lives are transformed, they in turn become powerful agents of change in their communities.”

Our team of experts

Matthew Stephens Matthew Stephens
Senior Technical Advisor - Child Protection
Joanna Korandu Joanna Korandu
Senior Program Manager
Kristi Gleason Kristi Gleason
Director, Child Protection & Education