FGM

July 19, 2023

Successful Parents’ Meeting in Iloshon – WeCare-Association in Focus

Visit to Iloshon in July 2023: Successful parent meeting and positive developments

In Iloshon, a small Masai community in the Kajiado District, a successful parents’ meeting recently took place. The newly arrived school principal Mr. James invited Agnes Gitonga, a member of the WeCare Association, to this important meeting for the first time. The meeting was held in English and covered various topics including the work of the WeCare Association, the issues of FGM and teenage pregnancy, and girls’ achievement. In addition, challenges such as increased food prices and the need for a printer for the school were discussed.

WeCare Association takes action against FGM and teenage pregnancies

Members of the parents’ meeting were extremely positive about the work of the WeCare Association. In particular, the issues of FGM (female genital mutilation) and teenage pregnancies were discussed in depth. The meeting agreed that these problems must be fought to give girls a better future.

New demands for the program and rising food prices.

Another topic discussed at the meeting was the girls’ ability to perform, which is required to be accepted into the school’s program. It was decided that new girls must have both a certain level of achievement and come from very poor backgrounds. In addition, due to the sharp increase in food prices, an increase in the cost of staying at the Nasaru dormitory was discussed. This issue will likely lead to further discussion in the future.

Food prices increase due to high inflation

Higher administrative costs require a printer

Due to the newly introduced curriculum of the Kenyan government, the school needs a printer to cope with the increased administrative workload. This was addressed by the school administration during the meeting and will be implemented in the near future.

Chief Petro as elected representative against FGM and teenage pregnancies

Chief Petro, the elected representative of the community, also spoke out against FGM and teenage pregnancies. His presence at the parent meeting underscores the importance of these issues to the community.

Repair of the entrance gate and completion of the fence

The entrance gate to the school was destroyed by elephants in search of water. The school is now planning to repair the gate with the help of the community. Another issue was the fence, which is still not completed. The needed material is already on site and the meeting decided to mobilize some men to finish the fence.

Appreciation of teachers and maintenance work

Parents expressed their displeasure that teachers receive useful gifts such as rice and ugali flour during visits to Iloshon. However, Agnes Gitonga was able to explain that this appreciation to teachers is done for the benefit of their children. In addition, positive developments were mentioned regarding the maintenance work on the drainage pipes of the toilets and the orderliness in the rooms of the dormitory.

Installation of a rain gutter planned

During the construction of the dormitory, the installation of a rain gutter was omitted, which leads to stagnation of water in the courtyard when it rains and does not collect the valuable water. To solve this problem, it is planned to meet the two companies that offer rain gutters during a next visit to Kenya at the end of October 2023. There, the possibilities and costs for the installation of a rain gutter will be discussed.

The water is stagnating in the patio of the Nasaru dormitory

In conclusion, the visit to Iloshon was extremely positive. The parent meeting was successful and important issues such as FGM, teenage pregnancies and girls’ performance were discussed. The WeCare Association is actively campaigning against these issues. In addition, challenges such as increased food prices and the need for a printer for the school were addressed. Repairing the entrance gate and finishing the fence are other projects being worked on. Teacher appreciation and positive developments in terms of maintenance work are also worth mentioning. In the future, the installation of a rain gutter is planned to solve the problem of water logging.
The visit to Iloshon shows that the community is engaged and driving positive change. The WeCare Association plays an important role in this and is committed to the education and well-being of the girls. With further support and collaboration, even more positive developments can be achieved in Iloshon.

Africa Empowerment FGM Kenya Nasaru Learning Center Water

July 10, 2023

Don’t miss these exciting news from Kenya^Featured

News from the first six months 2023

We are currently working in Kenya in three different schools that are facing different challenges and problems. The new semester started in all three schools on 03 July 2023.

REHOBOTH SCHOOL

Since the beginning of 2023 we have been supporting the Rehoboth School. This school is located in Kitengela Noonkopir, the largest slum in the Kajiado District, right next to a dumping site, the “workplace” of many of the students’ parents. The school was founded by Jane Gitonga, a mother of five, in 2014 with the aim of giving poor children from the area the opportunity to attend school. Rehoboth is a public school and unlike Europe, in Kenya public schools are for the poorest of the poor as they do not have to pay school fees. The stories of the students are similar and are mostly of sexual and domestic violence, HIV, and abject poverty. Before Covid, the school had about 170 students, most of whom were financed through sponsorships. One consequence of the pandemic is that the school lost many its sponsors. As a result, teachers’ salaries could no longer be guaranteed, and some left the school. A considerable rent arrears accumulated, and the landlord was already threatening to kick them out. The number of students had dropped to 90 as the school had to ask for support from parents who could not afford it.
In this emergency, the WeCare Association decided to take over the school’s fixed costs as of January 2023. The children now receive three meals a day, 7 days a week. In the last month alone, 20 new students joined the school, and the total number of students is now 170 again. The number of daily cases of illness has decreased due to the improved nutritional situation of the children. Since there is no caning in this school (a practice that is officially banned in Kenya but is nevertheless common in many schools), the children like to come to school because they not only get food there but also have a haven. As the pupils are also provided with school materials and uniforms due to our donation, the cooperation with the parents has improved massively. The motivation of the teachers has increased, as they no longer must fear waiting for months for their salaries. It was also possible to increase the number of teachers from seven to eleven, which has a direct impact on the quality of teaching and all school subjects can now be taught.

Iloshon

We visited Iloshon four times in the first semester of 2023, but in April 2023 the visit ended halfway due to a closed road. The “normal” road, on which we have also visited the school in Iloshon several times, had been closed by the landowner due to disputes with the local population. This had a dramatic effect on the primary school in Iloshon, which is attended by 430 pupils. The teachers did not come to school, the pupils also had problems in some cases and of course our aid delivery also had to be picked up halfway by the pupils, as the alternative route was not passable. We contacted the local authorities, but unfortunately the mills grind very slowly in Kenya. The government is working on finalising the new route. Just for understanding: It is not about road construction in our sense, but the roughest stones are being removed to create a “road”.
In addition, Iloshon has a new school headmaster named Mr. James. According to Agnes Gitonga, he is an older Masai, but very open. He has promised to motivate parents in terms of having their girls attend the Nasaru Learning Centre.
We also organized and carried out the long-needed renovation of the drainage pipes and connection of the washbasins in the “bathrooms” of Nasaru through the vice-director Purity. This was urgently needed as the drainage pipes in the outdoor toilets had holes in them, causing a massive health problem.
There is also good news from the sewing studio: the sewing teacher Lilian has managed to sell some bags. We are not sure if these sales were profitable. But it is a very good start. However, Lilian is currently pregnant again and will soon stop working. We will try to find an acceptable interim solution.

Mperrishi

We visited Mperrishi four times in the first half of 2023. According to the budget, only three visits were planned for this period, but we were able to win a sponsor for an additional 10 girls from Mperrishi. The donation now covers the higher frequency of visits that has become necessary as a result, which will of course also benefit the girls already supported.
There has also been a change in the school management in Mperrishi: Mr. Immanuel has been replaced by Mr. Reuben. In addition, the number of teachers has been increased to a total of 9, which will have a positive effect on the learning success of the students.
Another positive development is the arrival of a young Masai teacher named Charity, who can act as a role model for the girls.

You can download the entire Half Year Report 2023 here:

Rapport-WeCare-July-E-2023 Download

We see progress in many areas and are convinced that we are on the right track.

Thank you for supporting us on this journey!

For regular updates, please follow us on social media:Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/femmes_des_rizieres
https://www.instagram.com/wecareassociation
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/femmesdesrizieres
https://www.facebook.com/WeCareAssociation
And of course, on our websites:
www.wecare-association.ch
www.femmes-des-rizieres.com

Have a wonderful summer 2023!

Africa Children FGM Food Nasaru Learning Center

December 20, 2022

Kenya 2022: An up and down of emotions^Featured

Our trip to Kenya this year took place in November 2022. It was a very intensive and touching stay.
Due to the prolonged drought, the situation on the ground is dramatic, in all three schools. Especially Immpirrishi worries us a lot, as we are the only organization there that at least comes by from time to time and takes care of the students.

School Iloshon
Iloshon is located in the Rift Valley about 10 km from Mile 46. The elementary school of Iloshon is attended by 423 students. The population of Iloshon is suffering extremely from the drought, however, several international organizations have already taken action there, including drilling a borehole and providing a 100 m3 water tank and washing stations for the school. Nevertheless, also in Iloshon the animals in the savannah do not find enough fodder anymore and straw bales have to be bought in as feed for the animals. The price for the very emaciated cows and goats has also dropped. The weak animals currently fetch price of about 1,000 KES and earlier between 40,000 and 60,000 KES could be fetched with them.
In contrast, the prices of staple foods such as ugali, cabbage, cornmeal, beans, sugar, salt and cooking oil have increased massively due to inflation. Transportation prices have also been affected by inflation.
At the request of the Deputy Head Teacher and the Head Teacher, we are now sponsoring a daily lunch at the school for the last few weeks of the semester, which will help keep the children coming to school regularly. According to the teachers, the children arrive at school completely dehydrated, hungry and tired, and some of them are unable to teach. During the farewell tour of all the classes, in PP1 and PP2 the children were sitting there with the empty bowls in their hands, as they were already waiting for the upcoming lunch. This meal is often the only meal per day that these children currently receive.
The elementary school of Iloshon is attended by 450 students. The introduction of the new curriculum makes changes necessary in Iloshon as well. For example, an Italian NGO is working to build two classrooms for the junior high school and there is a plan to build a needed secondary school. However, there is currently no budget for the construction of a laboratory. Government regulations, however, require the existence of a laboratory in order to officially register the secondary school.
The school has boarding facilities in Iloshon for about 70 girls at the Nasaru Learning Center for Masai Girls that we built. We also offer sewing classes for students and moms there, which are also very well received. Currently 53 girls are enrolled for boarding, of which we support 25.
Our goal is to also set up an infirmary and a hairdresser/barbershop there in order to show and also teach the schoolgirls further career prospects.
In addition, we would also like to show a perspective for the male students and plan to send individual students to the Masai Technical Institute in Kajiado.
There are also some boys boarding in one of the former teachers’ quarters and under very questionable hygienic conditions.
The community of Iloshon is supported and cared for by various non-profit organizations. For example, in the last two years a borehole has been constructed which, among other things, feeds a 100m3 water tank for the school. The permanent presence of water helps a lot. The problem, however, is that the actions of the organizations are not concerted, but selective and seemingly erratic.

Immpirrishi School
Immpirishi Primary School is located in Tinga, Kiserian. Around the school live about 800 families, i.e. about 5,600 people. There are currently 217 students enrolled at the school, however only 169 come to school semi-regularly.
This area is suffering greatly from the drought that has now lasted for over 2 years. The parents and also the children have to walk further and longer distances with their animals in search of water.
We are currently the only organization that goes there regularly to provide water, food and education about FGM. We have been active there for two years.
The school has no water, and the classrooms are made of corrugated metal that heats up under the sun. They are in terrible condition and snakes are often encountered in the classes and ants build their piles there during the vacations. Termites eat up the school books.
We are currently supporting 12 girls in this school who have been victims of FGM, with the aim of making them ambassadors against FGM and role models for the other girls. Three of the girls will enter secondary school next school year, and we will support them in this. In addition, one of our employees comes by every other month with a food delivery for the parents. On the occasion of our visit we also brought food and gifts for the teachers (beans, rice, oil for cooking, salt, sugar, soap, washing powder), writing books for the children and a water delivery.
This school was in dire need of a well or a large water tank. In addition, the nearest store is a 3 hour walk away – it is located in Tinga. The medical care for the population there is non-existent, FGM is practiced and the hygienic conditions are inhumane. We are also in contact with the cutter/midwife and have brought her disinfectant, disposable gloves and disposable blades for births.

School Kings & Queens of Rehoboth
This school is a private school in the slums of Kitengela (Noonkopir). In contrast to Europe, private schools in Kenya are for particularly poor children whose parents cannot afford the school fees.
This school is located directly behind a large garbage dump, where some of the children’s parents search for recyclable material during the day. This garbage dump stinks beastly and vapors rise, which are certainly not healthy. Next to it, skinny cows are looking for something to eat and the vultures are also waiting for their chance.
There are currently 170 children in this school, including refugees from Congo and children from the surrounding slums. The absentee rate is very high, and there are several reasons for this. One of the reasons is period poverty, meaning that the girls do not own underpants or have access to sanitary pads and therefore have to stay home for the duration of their periods. In addition, the children’s parents often do not even have money to provide regular water and food for their children. Many children come to school very dirty and some of them even wash themselves at school. Not all children wear school uniforms, although this is compulsory in Kenya and in case the school is inspected by the authorities, this would reflect very badly on the school and also be a reason for further inspection.
It is a private school recognized by the state, but it does not receive any support from the state. Recently, a new curriculum was introduced in Kenya, which means that the students need new textbooks. Furthermore, practical subjects such as keeping chickens and knitting are part of the new curriculum. While this is very welcome, the money for the necessary materials (knitting and crocheting needles and wool) is not available here either.
Some of the children are also unable to take their final exams – despite doing well in school – because they do not have birth certificates.
The school has a water tank, but not regularly the financial means to buy water. Regular meals at school also increase parents’ motivation to send their children to school.
Furthermore, the government requires a large room for the final exams, as an external person supervises the exams and the desks have to be placed more than 1 meter apart.

Problems in this school

Absences
Period poverty
Parents who are illiterate
Lack of birth certificates
School books and teaching materials are not available
Availability of school uniforms, underpants, socks and shoes
Money for food and water at school
Lack of a regular sponsor/supporter to pay for fixed costs (rent, teachers, school uniforms, breakfast and lunch for the children)
Domestic violence in many families at home: no wonder given the more than cramped and really terrible housing conditions.

There are a lot of problems in the schools located in the remote savannah, but they are present to the same extent in the slum of Kitengela, where in addition the extremely cramped living conditions lead to even greater tensions in the families than in the savannah, where people actually spend a large part of the time outdoors.
The school in Kitengela is financed exclusively by donations. Before Corona, there were many volunteers who would sponsor a child. Due to Corona, many of these sponsors have dropped out and the school’s existence is massively threatened. We will therefore take over the fixed costs for the maintenance of the school in Kitengela from 2023.

After all these great and touching encounters, we are aware that we have a Herculean task ahead of us. But, we also know that we get an incredible amount of love and above all: We will be back!

Africa Health Kenya

May 31, 2018

Female Genital Mutilation from a gynecologist’s perspective

As gynecologist with own office I am regularly if not very often confronted with this practice. Due to immigration from countries practicing FGM we see this phenomenon increasingly also in European countries.
It is important to be sensitized to this topic and to know more about it to treat affected women adequately and to prevent further damage caused by lack of experience, repudiation and judgment of FGM.

Here is some important background information:

FGM (or female circumcision as described by some authors) comprises the partial or total removal or other injury to the external female genitalia executed for cultural or other, non-medical purposes.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that worldwide at least 200 million women are affected by FGM. The annual number of new cases amounts to two million – most of them being infants, toddlers and young girls.

History

Even though often religious motifs are used to justify the practice, no religion explicitly demands FGM. The practice is older than Christianity and Islam. In the areas concerned Muslims, Catholics, Protestants, animists and atheists practice FGM.

Social and cultural reasons do have an important imfluence :

Tradition, rite of passage
Purity requirements
Aesthetic reasons
Preservation of virginity
Assure fidelity in married women
Increase in fertility
Group membership

These are just a few examples, the list could be extended indefinitely.

Geography

FGM is practiced predominantly in 28 African countries south of the Sahara and more rarely in some Asian regions. Egypt is the only north-African country where the practice is used.

Types of FGM

There are four types of FGM

Type 1 Sunna circumcision – removal of prepuce and partial or total removal of the clitoris.
Type 2 Removal of the clitoris plus part or all of the labia minora.
Type 3 Infibulation – removal of part or all of the labia minora, with the labia majora sewn together, covering the uretha and vagina and leaving a small hole for urine and menstrual fluid. The scar has to be opened for sexual intercourse and birth which provokes additional pain. This is the worst type of FGM.
Type 4 All other procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes including pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterization.

The majority of all (80%) comprise types 1 and 2. Infibulation represents 15% of all cases.

Procedure of FGM

Generally the procedures are performed by traditional circumcisers. In most cases the intervention takes place without anaesthesia and non-sterile devices. Devices include knives, scissors, razors, glass and scalpels.
In 70% of the cases FMG is undertaken during childhood. In some regions it is done shortly after birth, in others prior to a wedding or during puberty .

Consequences of FGM

FGM harms women’s physical and emotional health dramatically. Immediately after the FGM the complications can be hemorrhages, inflammations, tetanus, bladder paralysis or septicemia, which frequently are fatal. The use of non-steril devices can also provoke an infection with the HIV virus.

In the long term victims often complain of pain while urinating or during period. Infections of the bladder and incontinence may occur as well as pain during sexual intercourse and infertility.

Interestingly, affected women very often do not realize that these complications are consequences of the FGM. Usually the FGM is an event far in the past and they share these problems with most of the women around them («The typical life of a woman»).

Women concerned who live in the West very often are struggling more with the psychological problems and FGM can provoke severe psychological trauma. Very often it is perceived as a breach of confidentiality of their parents and grandparents. Anxiety, depression, couple problems or psychosis may be the results.

Legal situation

FGM is considered an aggravated assault which represents a punishable act in Switzerland . This applies also when the procedure is executed according to the patient’s desire.

Finally, I would like to emphasize the necessity to also take into account the legal, cultural and ethical problems as well as the medical ones when dealing with women affected by FGM. When confronted with the consequences of a tradition which most of us condemn vehemently, we may show reactions that are humiliating the women even more. Consequently, the topic has to be addressed with the utmost sensibility – even though it has to be addressed – because we have to protect their daughters from having to go through the same ordeal.

Dr. med. Elisabeth Lebeda
FMH Gynäkologie und Geburtshilfe
Dorfstrasse 5
8700 Küsnacht