Female genital mutilation is still practiced among the Pokot, a tribe in Northern Kenya, even though the government has outlawed it.
The young girl’s education ends at age 10 when she takes on household duties. At 11 her painful circumcision takes place and she is often married by age 12. By age 15 she is likely having her first child.
She will suffer from a number of pelvic and urinary infections due to the genital mutilation.
Worse, she fears the delivery of her baby.
Due to the extreme form of genital mutilation that causes scar tissue, she will spend several days in the bush delivering her baby. Because of this there is a high likelihood that her baby will be stillborn. Or, she may suffer from a fistula, which is a tear between the wall of the vaginal canal and anus to accommodate the baby’s passage along the birth canal. Without surgery she will have no control over bladder or bowel movements and will then be shunned from the community as unclean.
Yet, the Pokot’s live simply, off the land, and are shielded from much of the developing world which provides its warm people many benefits.
A Kenyan worker takes the Gospel’s transformation, not a Western culture!
John Otienne has begun working among the Pokot to bring, not a Western church, but the truth of Jesus’ Good News through simple truths that can bring the relief of pain. Truths such as:
- The dignity of all people as the Creator loves and values each one
- The equality of men and women
- The right of women to make choices about the traditional practices
- The right of women to receive the same education as men.
Your prayer for John and his emerging team are appreciated as they seek to demonstrate and share the message of Jesus Christ’s transforming power.
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