DAY IN THE LIFE: Fighting the scourge of FGM and early marriage

“There is a Somali saying that says that there is no use taking a girl to school as her education will stay in the kitchen. People in my community actually believe this. The birth of a girl is not met with joy. You will hear a father say, ‘This girl will bring shame to this family.’ Her fate is sealed even before her life has begun.

“I am a refugee. I was born and raised in the camps. I was very lucky to have a mother who believed that my life would be better if I went to school; most of the girls I grew up with underwent FGM, then they were forcibly married off young to men who went on to mistreat them. Once a girl has been circumcised, child birth becomes a problem. A lot of them die while giving birth.

“I grew up knowing that I would change the lives of girls in my community, and I started four years ago. I had nothing other than overwhelming need to effect change. I started with a Facebook page and a computer that was given to me by a friend. I would wander into homes and the school at the camp to talk to the girls. I had just one message for them: stay in school. I truly believe that this is the only weapon that a girl can wield against these retrogressive cultural practices.

“Now my campaign is bigger. I have more people coming on board to support me. I am an Akili Dada fellow. Now I lead my campaigns by telling powerful stories of refugee girls and women on my blog and on social media. I have heard hundreds of stories of refugee women and I have shared hundreds of them.

“I remember people were very closed off when we began. Women would just look at me and then ask me whether I was not scared of getting attacked. Now they can see that there is truth in the messages I give.

“There are still financial challenges. There are still days that internet access is a problem. I have however learnt to ask. On days like these, I will walk to other organisation offices and ask to use their internet. The worst thing that can happen, I now know, is that I will be told ‘no’.

“It’s not a waste what I do because there is no one else to tell these stories. The ultimate goal for me is to have the refugee girl valued, protected and given equal opportunities at life.”