Wrong Rite of Passage

At the age of 12, prior to her impending marriage, Kakenya Ntaiya made a deal with her father. She would endure the rite of passage of female circumcision if she could continue attending school. Her father agreed.

In Nairobi where Kakenya grew up, the rite of passage prepares females for marriage. After that, girls in her village are expected to drop out of school and assume the duties of a wife and mother. Kakenya said, “I knew that the very best thing I could do for the girls was to give them an education.” She became the first women in her community to attend a college in the United States.

Kakenya went on to earn a doctorate in education and work for the United Nations, but never forgot the promise she made to return to the community that had supported her pursuit of higher education. In 2009, she opened the Kakenya Center for Excellence, the first primary school for girls in her village. It is ranked one of the top schools in the district. More than 100 girls apply for only 30 spots per year.

“Now, they can focus on their studies—and on being kids,” Kakenya says. “It’s the only way you can give a girl child a chance to excel.”

Kakenya has been selected as one of CNN’s Top 10 Heroes of 2013. The title comes with a $50,000 prize. If the public chooses her as the CNN Hero of the Year, she will receive an additional $250,000. If she wins, she would use the money to double the opportunities for girls.

Today’s gift was voting for Kakenya as a CNN Top 10 Hero. The more education that young girls attain, the greater the chance that this wrong rite of passage will be abolished.

In Giving,

Robin