19/07/2024
NTANÌRA NA MÚGAMBO/Circumcision with word
Do you ever sit down n try to recall some lifetime episodes from as far as you can remember? At what age do kids start to eaves drop at grownups talk? One of the memories I reminisce from my childhood is the emergence of Ntaníra na Mùgambo.
Having lived the better part of my childhood in Tharaka Nithi County, I remember a time when there were seminars being conducted and only girls were involved. All I would hear from 'eaves dropping at grownups talk' was that there is a Mzungu who has come in the District (then, Meru South), with an organization called Ntanira Na Mugambo and girls were getting registered and taken for some seminars in which they would be initiated into some sort of devil worship. This was treated like a secret demonic affair. Then, I was a litle girl.
Later in life, I have come to realize that indeed some organization existed, but for the good of girl child. Here is a look into the origin and What Ntanìra na Mùgambo is about.
The Tharaka Women Welfare Program (TWWP) was originally established in 1996 under the name "Ntanira Na Mugambo," which translates to "Circumcision with Words." with the primary mission of eradicating Female Ge***al Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) in Tharaka. Their approach included providing girls with an Alternative Rite of Passage and has played a pivotal role in achieving a significant reduction in the prevalence of FGM/C within the area.
Over time, Ntanira Na Mugambo evolved into TWWP and diversified its initiatives with support from Women's Global Education Project (WGEP) who have been our main partner since 2008. These expanded initiatives include promoting girls' education, fostering adult literacy, and enhancing the overall quality of life for girls and women in the community.
TWWP works in close partnership with WGEP to jointly implement our programs in the Tharaka region. Through these collaborative efforts, TWWP and WGEP continue their mission to uplift and empower women and girls in Tharaka, addressing multifaceted challenges and fostering positive change in the community.
One of these programs that TWWP implements on a sub-awardee arrangement is the USAID-funded “Our Sisters Read” project an educational intervention that uses a community-based approach to improve reading skills resulting from sustained love for reading and increased family value on education by offering targeted and engaging reading activities in all the primary schools in Tharaka North, including reading remediation for pupils lagging in reading. The program supports grades 1-3 learners to ensure they transit to grade 4 with the appropriate grade level reading competencies in English.
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