Maasai Woman Has Already Saved More Than 17,000 Girls From "The Cut" And Turned The Tradition Into An Empowering Ritual

Oct 20, 2019 by apost team

In 2018, TIME Magazine named Nice Nailantei Leng’ete as one of the most influential people in the world for her work in replacing female genital mutilation (FGM) with a new ceremony that celebrates a girl’s dreams and hopes.

Leng’ete is a member of the Maasai tribe who was born in Kenya in 1991. When she was eight years old, she was expected to undergo female genital mutilation, in which an elder would cut off most or all of her external genitalia. There is no medical reason for the ritual. It is also painful and can leave the girl with permanent health problems. In some cases, it can kill.

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As Leng’ete told Health, she and her sister decided to flee to an aunt’s village 40 miles away. They were caught and then beaten for their disobedience. Leng’ete’s sister eventually submitted as she knew she could not have a normal life within the village without being “cut.”

Leng’ete, however, stood firm and refused to be “cut.” She appealed to her grandfather, who was a respected elder in her village and told him she would keep running away if the village tried to force her to get “cut.” Her grandfather warned her that she would be an outcast within the village if she did not submit. The villagers would label her a coward and forbid her to marry. Leng’ete still refused.

Leng’ete went back to school and became the first girl in her village to attend high school. She eventually made contact with an organization called Amref Health Organization that provides medical care in East Africa. Amongst other projects, Amref educates communities about FGM and teaches them alternative ceremonies.

After attending a class on sexual health sponsored by Amref, Leng’ete asked the village elders permission to share what she had learned. They told her she could only speak to younger men – who proved uninterested in listening. She refused to give up and spent two years trying to educate the young men. Eventually, some began to listen, and she taught them what she had learned about FGM, HIV, and the health complications associated with teenage pregnancy.

In 2014, the village elders listened to Leng’ete talk about FGM, and she persuaded them that it was bad for both the girls and the whole community. The elders then replaced the cutting ceremony with a new ceremony that blesses the girls and encourages them to finish their education before starting families. Over the years, Leng’ete’s work has so far saved 17,000 girls from female genital mutilation.

"My hope is that we will be able to bring female genital mutilation to an end by 2030, all over Africa," she told Health.

Have you heard of Leng’ete or FGM? What are your thoughts on it? Please post your comments in the box below.