The Maasai are a nomadic people group living in Kenya and Tanzania. Within Maasai culture, significant moments in community members’ lives are marked with rites of passage. During puberty, one rite of passage that Maasai girls may experience is the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), which is the non-medical injury or removal of female genitalia. In some communities as many as 58% of girls experience FGM, a practice recognized as a human rights violation. Due to the prevalence of this practice, one in ten women in Tanzania have been circumcised.

One Day’s Wages partnered with Mulika Afrika – a Maasai founded and led organization – to eradicate FGM and end violence against women in the Maasai community. Working within traditional Maasai social structures and consulting key community members (such as village elders, youth clubs, and traditional birth attendants), Mulika Afrika advocated to end FGM and adopt alternative rites of passage for girls as they transition into womanhood. Culturally-relevant methods, such as storytelling, music, and dance, were used to raise awareness in Lingido and Ngorongoro Districts. As a result, 80% of community members demonstrated a stronger understanding of their rights and available support services, and the number of reported cases of GBV and FGM in the project area decreased by 30%.