In a corrugated iron shed in Bura Sub-county, Garissa County, 20 girls aged five to twenty sit on colourful mats, sharing stories of school achievements, resilience, and long-held dreams. Giggles ripple from the little ones while older girls lean in, listening and confiding. In this simple space, ActionAid Kenya, through the Girl Generation Programme uses a girl-centred approach to empower girls to challenge female genital mutilation (FGM) and reclaim control of their futures.
Fahma Jirree, a student at Umma University, guides the session as one of the mentors of this girls’ forum by the Girl Generation initiative.
“We arm them with knowledge to recognize and report FGM,” she says. “FGM related complications can make girls miss weeks of school and derail their education.”
However, there are many barriers to attending the forums. From parents wary of “corrupted” daughters to household chores and poverty that brands uncut girls as unmarriageable, pushing weddings as early as 13.
Beyond forums, the initiative combines hygiene kits, male champions, and community outreach through radio, family dialogues, and school drives to expose the harsh consequences of FGM.
Naima Ali Aden, a second-year student at Garissa University, began as a participant in the girls’ forum and now represents Kenya at the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group of Experts (STAGE), a high-level multinational body working to end FGM. She brings international insights back to the sessions, empowering girls to challenge harmful traditions.
“Patriarchy governs everything,” she says, pointing to customs that silence girls’ voices and hide assaults behind family “resolutions.”
For Naima, FGM is violence disguised as tradition. Speaking out invites backlash, but in the initiative’s safe spaces, she and the girls confront elders and imams with courage, reclaiming their rights and agency.
“The Girl Generation centres us. We own the narrative.”
The initiative’s success stems from a clear, girl-centred blueprint, which has been deployed in regions where FGM remains most prevalent, including Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Senegal.
“Girls fuel the movement through their voices, ideas, and leadership,” says Dorothy Mulei, Gender Lead at TGG-ALM, ActionAid Kenya.
The initiative blends a broad strategy that involves parents, educators, policymakers, and faith leaders with a girl-centred framework that drives real change. Find Her reaches every girl, whether in school, married, parenting, or living with a disability. Listen to Her turn’s grievances into action through Girl Councils. Co-Create with Her gives girls a say in programmes and policy. Learn with Her lets them track results and improve approaches, making sure they shape the change that affects their own lives.
Teresa Awili, ActionAid Kenya’s Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator, surveys the shed. Five years in, Garissa’s FGM rate has dropped from 98% to 83% (Kenya Demograhic and Health Survey 2022). Over 31,000 people have participated directly, including 6,411 girls, 4,371 boys, and 678 with disabilities; 30 girls were saved from the cut, and 120 returned to school.
“Resistance was fierce,” Teresa recalls. “Translation hurdles, security threats from extremists, and leaders who pretended to support but undermined efforts. FGM thrives on poverty and muted voices.”
The Girl Generation initiative is designed to last. Forums are integrated into school clubs, while groups like Women’s Rights Networks and Men for Change ensure continuity. She notes that initiatives linking education, economic empowerment, and climate adaptation weaken FGM’s roots.
As the session winds down and the midday call to prayer echoes from the nearby mosque, Dorothy insists that this girl-centred model not only fights FGM but also turns shy voices into confident advocates and young leaders with real agency.
Teresa adds that ending FGM requires tackling the gender inequalities that sustain it. When girls and women have equal opportunities, a voice in decisions, and access to education, the cycle of violence can finally break.
Author: Ezra Kiriago ,Communications Coordinator ActionAid Kenya.