The World Vision has distributed goats to women and girls in Kuria sub county, Migori county as a way of combating female genital mutilation (FGM).
According to Zadrack Yator, cluster manager at the organisation the organisation is promoting dairy goat farming through rearing in the sub county as a way of supporting girl child and the livelihoods of the community.
Yator said that the initiative aims at providing an alternative economic solution, empowering communities to curb the harmful practice by offering sustainable livelihood options.
Through the initiative which focuses on income generation through livestock farming Yator maintained that emphasis will be aimed at shifting attention away from harmful practices like FGM and early marriages to dairy farming and concentration of girl child to education.
He said by promoting dairy farming, beneficiaries will be encouraged to focus on milk and meat production.
Yator went said through the farming communities will improve their economic stability while reducing the pressure to engage in traditional practices.
He added that the program is aimed at improving child nutrition and boost household economic income.
“Economic income has attachments to the rise and increase of FGM practice within the Kuria Community and is what we are trying to address,” said Yator.
Agriculture and Livestock CEC in Migori County Government Lucas Mosenda supported Yator’s sentiments and praised World Vision’s efforts to help end FGM in Kuria.
He pointed out that the community’s focus on FGM stems from the practice of marrying off girls at a young age after they have undergone the procedure, in order to gain wealth.
Two beneficiaries of the program Mwita Matiko and Polyne Ghati expressed their gratitude to the organisation and pledged to serve as role models in their community and advocate against FGM practices.
Kuria, Somali and Maasai communities are some of the communities in the country that still practice the culture of female circumcision that has been described as outdated.
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