RISING GRANTS SOL
girls were subjected to FGM. Today that number is down to 27%. Though that percentage is
still unacceptable, it undeniably shows the positive impact that Agnes Pareyio is having on the
Masai culture. As a survivor of FGM, Agnes has dedicated her life providing safe alternative rites
of passage into womanhood for Kenyan girls.
The first V-Day Safe House for the Girls opened on 8 April 2002 in Narok. In 2009, the second
V-Day Safe House, the Sakutiek Rescue Center, opened its doors 100 miles west of Nairobi. In
addition to providing housing and physical security, the safe houses ensures that the girls continue their education, provide Adolescent Reproductive Health workshops, and work to reconcile
and reconnect the girls with their families after negotiating a safe alternative that protects the girls
and respects the families’ cultural traditions. Even after a girl is reconciled with her parents and
returns home, the safe houses and Tasaru continue to pay her school fees through Form 4. Each
house can shelter up to 50 girls at a time, and to date, thousands of girls have benefited from the
safe houses and related programing. Too many girls are still subject to the fear of FGM and forced
marriages. In March of 2015 alone, 10 new girls sought temporary protection and housing.
Seven have since been reconciled with their families.
GABRIELA
(THE PHILIPPINES)
Established in 1984, this nationwide
alliance of more than 200 women’s
organizations dedicated to the mission
of achieving women’s freedom and true
democracy supports groups of Pinays and
non-Pinays across the globe. They are
active in national Filipino politics through
the GABRIELA Women’s Party, strong social activists at the forefront of the “Aquino
Resign” movement, leaders in justice for migrant and domestic workers, and grassroots activists throughout the Philippines addressing issues of militarization, climate change, gender
disparity and corruption.
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