By Godfrey Olukya 24-4-2014
Following the tragic death of a 13-year old Kenyan girl who underwent
female genital mutilation (FGM) last Monday, an organization that
helps FGM victims obtain restorative surgery to reverse FGM effects,
is urging Kenyan Health Secretary James Macharia to open Kenya’s first
clitoral repair hospital.
Clitoraid helps FGM victims obtain restorative surgery to reverse FGM effects
“FGM reversal surgery, which restores clitoral functioning, is a
powerful deterrent to the barbaric, cruel and dangerous practice of
female genital mutilation,” said Clitoraid Communications Director
Nadine Gary. “Why do something so unpleasant and painful when the
results can easily be undone?”
Clitoraid, which is in the final stages of opening a state-of-the-art
clitoral repair clinic in Burkina Faso, also organized a humanitarian
mission in Bobo Dioulasso last month in which 38 FGM patients
recovered clitoral function.
“Four American volunteer doctors traveled to Burkina Faso to do those
surgeries, and thanks to them, those 38 patients will now enjoy their
lives as complete women,” Gary said. “The same humanitarian mission
must be organized in Kenya without delay. Countless FGM victims have
written to us from Kenya, and they’re begging us to provide the
service in Kenya. They need our help to regain their sense of dignity
and their capacity for physical pleasure.”
Gary said her organization has written to James Macharia offering to
come and train a Kenyan surgeon to do the clitoral repair procedure
free of charge if he or she is willing to learn the technique.
Noting that a pan-African FGM conference organized by Burkina Faso’s
First Lady, Chantal Compaore, will be held April 24-26 in Ouagadougou,
Burkina Faso, Gary said Clitoraid is looking forward to the event.
“We’re looking forward to presenting our humanitarian project for
Kenya at that gathering,” she said. “No time should be wasted, since
we must act at once to save lives!”
END
