The advice from the UK government’s Department for International Development is that lasting change will only come if it is locally built, managed and sustained, rather than holding people hostage to charity.
Amref started life in 1957 as the Flying Doctors of East Africa and turned 60 in 2017.
The years have helped staff understand local cultures and the realities on the ground, and Amref appears to comes closer than some NGOs to being a truly African organisation. Its headquarters are in Nairobi, Kenya, and it also runs country programmes in Ethiopia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Of its 1,000 employees, 93 per cent are African.
We never realised it was harmful for girls to marry young, leave their education, give birth at home and get circumcised. It was normal. Now, we think differently
In the Kenyan communities Amref has worked with, women say they are now feeling stronger. “Beforehand, women were not allowed to speak in front of men in meetings and we were not allowed to go to meetings in Nairobi,” says Mashidana. “Now, we talk publicly – even in front of the president. Our husbands, sons and brothers also work with us in our forums to promote women’s issues. Men have accepted that women play a big role.”
The men are right – in most communities in Kenya, it is the women who are gatekeepers to their communities’ health. “Women in this community are empowered now,” says Mashidana. “Our group is proof of the power that women can have.”
Loitoktok, north Kenya
A long-term presence in this region, which lies near Mount Kilimanjaro and the Tanzanian border, means that Amref has gained enough trust to try to tackle FGM. Drawing on its trusted position, the organisation has helped local women develop alternative rites of passage ceremonies. These celebrate girlhood without harming girls and their reproductive health.
Magbahli, 41, member of a women’s group
“In our women’s group we tackle issues such as FGM and girls’ education. Groups like ours have stopped 1,000 girls getting circumcised. Women here are strong.”
Nankalayiai, 16, graduate of an alternative rites of passage ceremony
“It is good for children to stay in school. We learn and then we can pass on our knowledge to help our community. Before, the girls here had no choice. My sisters are all cut and married. It is difficult for them because their future isn’t bright like mine. They are always in great pain. In the future, I would like to work to stop FGM happening to other young girls.”
Lilian, 14, graduate of an alternative rites of passage ceremony
“My sisters were all married and faced the cut. I didn’t want to. I took myself to school, where it was safe. I feel positive about my future because I know I don’t have to leave school and get married. I can stay in education and get a good job. I want to be a pilot and work for Amref Flying Doctors.”
Rosemary, 56, birth attendant
“I have delivered more than 100 babies. I am so proud to be a woman. Before, we didn’t know why we should stop FGM. I used to cut and I was cut, but now we have seen the negative impact. We have stopped and promote the good side of the alternative rites of passage ceremonies. That way, we get to keep the tradition and celebration, but we do not hurt our girls. We are moving from where we were to a better life. Our vision is for our girls to be safe, go to school and live better lives.”