On the Day Female Genital Mutilation Died

Brand-New PlaceWhen Maranatha arrived at Kajiado in 2018, the place was in disrepair. There were not enough classrooms or dorms, and not enough water to support expansion plans. But after students fasted and prayed for two months, the Maranatha crew’s drilling rig hit an abundant source of underground water, which allowed them to move forward with construction plans and start a vegetable garden to complement the students’ diet.After six years of dedicated work and the support of local crews, staff, and 1,600 volunteers and donors, Kajiado was ready for the official reinauguration and handover of the keys to the regional church administration. Besides the water well, the renovations and additions to the school included brand-new classrooms, dorms, a science lab, kitchen, and a cafeteria and meeting hall. It also included a massive landscaping effort that saw a dust-filled campus transformed into concrete walking paths surrounded by flowering plants, shrubs, and green lawns.

Two Revealing SkitsOn July 10, on the eve of the official reinauguration of the school, students shared some of the traditional Maasai songs and dances with donors and other guests who were there to attend the ceremony a day later. At that cultural program, they also performed two drama skits to help people get acquainted with some of their culture-based challenges and highlight how KASS changed their lives for the better.The first skit showed some of the hurdles faced by Maasai girls wanting to escape from an early marriage and FGM. In it, a girl repeatedly escapes her home, only to be apprehended and returned to her family. Eventually, the police and even a judge get involved. According to viewers, the skit accurately described a typical case in that region of Kenya.

The second skit was put together by the school’s journalism class. In a news report, an investigative report shares the story of “Mr. FGM,” an “evil man” who roams around, hurting girls across Maasai lands. In the skit, he is exposed and denounced for being a scourge to young girls across the land.As the report is wrapping up, the news host is suddenly interrupted.“We have breaking news!” a reporter announces. “We have been informed that there has been a fatal accident. Not far from here, Mr. FGM was traveling full speed when he crashed head-on with Maranatha,” she reports with a faked somber mood. “Reports indicate that Maranatha has been left unscathed from the collision. Mr. FGM, however, has succumbed to his injuries and has been pronounced dead.”

A subsequent “funeral” staged by the students confirms the demise of evil FGM and a new day for Maasai girls at Kajiado.“It might look shocking, how they dealt with the subject and even laughed about it,” one of the leaders who attended the program commented after the skit. “But it’s very likely it’s good for them to talk about it, as it helps these girls to heal.”“Grace, grace, God’s grace,” everyone sang. “Grace that is greater than all our sin.”

Maranatha Volunteers International is an independent supporting ministry and is not operated by the corporate Seventh-day Adventist Church.