Kenya, the country where being a woman is brave. #DayInternationalGirl

In Kenya, primary education is free, but cultural norms prevent many girls from going to school. Because? Because the family thinks it is not necessary for them to study, or because HIV/AIDS has killed their fathers and mothers and they have to take care of their brothers.

According to data from UNICEF, in Kenya, 75% of girls attended primary education from 2008 to 2012. However, the rate drops to 41.6% when they reach secondary school. 

Female genital mutilation has been prohibited in Kenya by law since 2011. But according to the latest  national survey demographic and health, prevails in the 21% of women from 15 to 49 years of age and in 11% of girls from 11 to 15 years of age. According to UNICEF, more than 30 million girls are expected to be affected in the next decade.

This terrible practice leaves indelible marks on girls. According to International Amnesty, women and girls subjected to this type of practice often suffer severe pain, bleeding, shock, difficulty urinating, infections and sometimes even death. Many also suffer from chronic pain, difficulties during childbirth, decreased sexual pleasure, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

In Kenya, a 23% of girls marry under 18 years of age. According to the NGO Girls not Brides, one of the reasons for such a high rate is that families often see girls as a source of income. They exchange them for goods, money or livestock. 

The Kenyan Constitution has several discriminatory laws against women. For example, married women (or girls) they are required to have the authorization of their husband in order to obtain a national identity card or a passport. In addition, women cannot receive inheritances or own property, according to the NGO Kubuka.

In some coastal areas, more than 30% of adolescent girls occasionally offer sex in exchange for money. This industry of child sex it could involve between 10,000 and 15,000 girls in the coastal areas of Malindi, Mombasa, Kalifi and Diani. 

Besides, between 2,000 and 3,000 girls work on a stable basis in the sex industry. About half of them started when they were just 12 or 13 years old. They are data from UNICEF. 

“She is the daughter of a minor (12 years old). He had delivered her to a hospital and the project welcomed her to give her a home, assistance and education. He made us happy with that smile.”

“Sophia is shy, she doesn't like to be the center of attention, always in the background, although you can see the kindness on her face. He has four brothers. She lives with one of them, Juma, much smaller than her, in the center with which we collaborate in Malindi. Although their mother lives and adores them, Sophia and Juma had to live on the streets due to lack of resources”.

“She is one of the smallest in the center, but she has plenty of good sense, tranquility and a desire to help. He never puts on a bad face. He overcomes the blows that life has given him with an inappropriate maturity for his age. A girl's sky."

“He has been in the project with which Tumaini collaborates for 14 years, from the age of 4 to the 18 he is now. She told me that she loves to write poems and showed me her notebook, where she has many of them written. Some are about the colonial period of Kenya, about the freedom of the country in times of war, the elections… He even made one called “Thank you” to the volunteers before we left! He wants to go to the University and study Literature”.

“Almost always smiling, sometimes melancholic and shy at times. Being with her friends gives her life. When you least expect it, at 7 in the morning, you see them dancing and singing! She is studying in the last year of school, and she is very clear that she wants to be a credible journalist (she does not trust many of the things that are written). Do you plan to work in Mombasa or the UK, why not!”