“Hurry! Hurry!. We cannot afford to waste any more time. Your father will soon be back with your aunt”. Said Mother. “You have to get out of here my dear daughter, Go and live your life unchained from the shackles of these traditions which I was unable to escape from.” She added. These were the last words uttered to me by my mother who at the moment was trembling in fear. I still remember the look in her eyes that night. She was trying really hard to hold in the flood of tears which was threatening to break banks and flow down her face. We both had to be strong for what was coming. I picked up the few essentials she handed me and began to make my way to the pickup point t which was just but a stone throw away from my village. For months, my mother hatched this entire plan which allowed me to escape. All these memories my mind while I drove back to my village 10 years later.
One thing you should know about my village is that some of our practices were nothing short of a bad penny. However, there is one which tops the chart. This is best known as Female Genital Mutilation. Growing up, I remember being brainwashed into thinking it was absolutely right. “Only then will you become a woman, Clean and ready for marriage”, they said. It was only after going through it that one truly became a part of the community. At a young age, I choose to turn a blind eye to the signs that were adamantly clear such as the excruciating pain that the girls who had gone through it suffered. This procedure was done without the help of any anesthetics. Not only that but also the aftermath was just as painful. Some girls could even suffer from excessive bleeding which would lead to their demise.
Just the thought that I would have suffered the same fate in the name of upholding traditions had it not been for my mother breaks my heart. This is why I started a foundation in the name of helping young girls who are a target of this practice. We aim at giving a voice to these voiceless girls and help them break free from these practices and catapult them into brighter futures where they can also return the same favor.