During our call, our team shared the grim reality these girls face: “One of our girls mother is in charge of taking the girls from their homes if they are to undergo the FGM. If they go to your home and see an older girl that has yet to have this done, they can take the daughter by force and the father cannot say anything per tribal culture. FGM is illegal per Kenya law but the tribe is still actively seeking out girls to practice it on.”
Read MoreWith the start of a new year, I want to start something new and aim to send a monthly update to our amazing community. I am so grateful for each of you and the various ways you continue to be engaged in Just1— whether through regularly reading our emails, donating, praying, or interacting with us on our socials. Every form of connection and engagement means the world to us and is felt by our small team! Some updates may be shorter than others, but my aim is to keep you updated in a more personal way, as well as share current needs and prayer requests.
Read MoreWhat’s a powerful predictor of health outcomes later in life? Childhood trauma. That’s according to Katie McLaughlin, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at Harvard University. “Not only mental health outcomes like depression and anxiety,” she says in a recent press release, “but also physical health outcomes like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.” Our girls at the Safe House in Kenya know about childhood adversity all too well…
Read MoreEmotional violence. It might not be a term you’re familiar with. But it’s something people all over the world deal with every day.
All types of emotional abuse fall under this label — being called bad names, being humiliated on purpose in front of others, being made to feel unwanted or being threatened with abandonment. And it’s a major problem among women and girls in Kenya.
In fact, 1 in 4 women in the 2010 Kenya Violence Against Children Study reported experiencing emotional violence before the age of 18. The 2019 Kenya Violence Against Children Survey looked into the perpetrators more closely. About 7% of the women surveyed experienced emotional violence from a parent, adult caregiver or adult relative during childhood…
Read MoreIt’s been called the “shadow pandemic” of the COVID-19 crisis — violence against women and girls. According to a recent survey of African women, it’s on the rise.
73% reported a hike in intimate partner violence
51% mentioned sexual violence
32% indicated a surge in early and forced marriage
But while the pandemic has exacerbated the problem of violence in countries like Kenya, it can’t overshadow the power of people coming together to support one another…
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