My team feels called to empower young girls. Since we are an all women’s team, we
know that God is going to use us in ways that the other teams can’t be
used. Yesterday we were visited by
a head mistress at an elementary school and she told us about some of the
things her girls are facing. These
girls are 6 to 13 year olds. She
told us how many girls are forced to marry at an extremely young age to men who
are 4 to 5 times older then them.
Once a girl is married here she very rarely continues her education. Many girls feel that marriage is the
only thing to strive for in order to have a future. They don’t believe they can be single and have a good life.
Another barbaric tribal custom, which is practiced here, is
female genital mutilation (FGM), often referred to as “female
circumcision�. It comprises all
procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia
for cultural or religious reasons.
This procedure is performed on females ranging from infancy to
adolescence. Here are some facts
about FGM.
·
150 million women are victims of FGM. Every year 2 million girls are added.
·
FGM can result in: extreme pain, shock from
blood loss, gangrene in vulva tissues, tetanus from unsterilized
equipment. Death can result from
hemorrhage, blood poisoning, and acute urinary retention.
·
The nations where FGM is practiced have the
highest mother mortality rate in the world.
·
For the average girl, there is no use of
anesthetic or sterilized instruments in this procedure.
The head mistress told us that their parents tell many young
girls that they cannot be a women unless they are circumcised. The procedure is normally practiced in
December and our contact told us that during that time you will see young girls
walking home nude with blood trailing.
Some pass out while they make the journey home. If a girl dies while she is healing
from the procedure she is discarded without even a proper burial. I can’t even imagine.
So God has given us a pl
atform to change a generation. When we were talking to the girls we
ask them to write questions down on paper so we could answer them. Many of them ask about FGM and if we
thought it was good. We explained
the health risks. We encouraged
them to have a conversation with their parents. Many of the girls have already received FGM so we are
praying that even though they have undergone the procedure they are now
educated and can stop the cycle.
This generation can stop this barbaric practice and empower their
daughters to change the world.
Please pray for us as we continue to speak to young girls about all the issues women face and how they can be empowered to change this generation and the next.
