Girls often arrive at the Safe House of Hope for Girls and Women Tanzania (HGWT) late at night with just the clothes on their backs. Those arriving on foot have to navigate from remote, rural areas in the dark. Girls know about the Safe Houses as a result of awareness sessions done at school clubs or community awareness outreach programs.
Rhobi Samwelly, Founder and Director of Hope for Girls and Women often gets a phone call from activists, frequently a Digital Champion or a teacher or a family member in a village saying girls are about to be cut. Rhobi then alerts the Police Gender Desk and Social Welfare and they attempt to rescue the girls; often this is very last-minute and late at night. They are brought to the nearest Safe House. Some of the girls may have been sexually abused and are in need of medical care and counselling. After the police are informed, they will go out to rescue the girls. Sometimes the police will be contacted directly, and they will then inform HGWT that they are going to do a rescue. The video clip, A Refuge for Rosie, provides a good overview of the process followed.
According to the United Nations
, in the Mara region of Tanzania, 32% of women aged between 15 and 49 report having undergone female genital mutilation (FGM). Gender-based violence continues to be a serious problem in the Mara. This region has the highest rate of spousal violence in the country, affecting 78% of married women. Over 50% of adult women are married by age 18 and 32% have undergone FGM, while only 21% have ever attended secondary education. Governmental services to help these girls and women are limited.
Hope for Girls and Women was founded by the Tanzanian activist Rhobi Samwelly in 2017. Rhobi’s personal experience of being forced to undergo FGM as a child inspired her lifelong commitment to fight for the rights of girls and women. Although she has faced threats over the years for the incredible work she does for women’s rights in Tanzania, this hasn’t stopped her, and she remains passionate about saving more girls and women. She still recalls being a small girl who was subjected to FGM; this experience, along with the knowledge that there are many who still need help and support, pushed her on.
Rhobi explains, I grew up in a small village where girls were seen as commodities to exchange for cattle. I was cut and forced to marry against my will. Rhobi went through a particularly traumatic experience when she was subjected to FGM. I lost so much blood, I became unconscious. My family and neighbours started crying as they thought I was dying. For fear of being arrested, Rhobi’s family didn’t seek professional help by taking her to hospital. Although she made a recovery, she was understandably angry with her family and said she would only grant them forgiveness if they agreed not to put her sisters through the same ordeal of cutting.
Determined that women and girls should be considered and recognized as being equal, Rhobi was inspired to set up a safe house in 2014, just in time for the “cutting season.” The initial Safe House was funded by Tanzania Development Trust and managed by Rhobi as an employee of the Anglican Diocese. A new bishop arrived in 2017, seized the Safe House and dismissed all the staff, including Rhobi. Rhobi then partnered with Tanzania Development Trust to set up a new NGO in 2017, with the aim to continue outreach and advocacy work in the community as well as the management of safe houses and vocational training centers, working hand in hand with the district Social Welfare Department and Police Gender Desk. UNFPA supported the building of the Safe House with a building grant in 2018/2019.
I want to inspire girls to stand up for their rights to education, not to be cut, and to marry who they choose. I wanted girls to have the support in saying no that I never had. To realise they can have control over their bodies and their lives.
Hope for Girls and Women currently runs two Safe Houses in the Butiama and Serengeti Districts of the Mara Region of Tanzania, which shelter and support those fleeing FGM, child marriage, and other forms of gender-based violence. Girls are encouraged to attend school. Where not possible, through a team of committed staff, free classes in vocational training, such as tailoring and computer skills, are offered to those sheltering in the Safe Houses. This training is important in supporting women’s entrepreneurship. Women can use their new skills to generate much-needed income, becoming valued providers for their families while also increasing their independence and making them less vulnerable to forced marriage and FGM.
The period of the December holidays is typically the “cutting season” in the Serengeti, the time when thousands of young girls are forced to undergo female genital mutilation. The holidays allow girls to recover and to be ready to return to school. COVID-19 resulted in an earlier onset of the cutting season in the Mara. HGWT rescued almost 500 girls from being cut during the May/June/July and December 2020 cutting seasons, and reconciled more than 400 girls with their families by the end of January. The reconciliation process is an ongoing process.
It is important to emphasize that Hope for Girls and Women Tanzania always strives to reconcile girls with their families. The purpose of the Safe House is not to function as an orphanage or to replace the family and the village. The reconciliation process always takes place as soon as possible after the cutting season has come to an end, at a moment where it is possible to engage the parents and families in a conversation about FGM and the impact associated with it. This process is a team effort between one or more members of staff of Hope for Girls and Women Tanzania, the Police Gender Desk, the social services and most important, the rescued girl. Guardians/parents are encouraged to sign an affidavit and to allow follow-up visits so that HGWT can ensure each girl’s safety.
The reconciliation process, at times, may be a very challenging conversation. There are, unfortunately, cases where reconciliation is not possible, and the Safe House provides a warm and caring environment for these girls, an environment where they are encouraged to attend school or participate in vocational training allowing them to reach their dreams. A failed reconciliation does not mean that there will be no further contact with the family; these situations sometimes require more than one visit to discuss the importance of reconciliation.
It is not the role of the FAWCO Target Team to determine focus areas and activities of the staff of HGWT. Rhobi and most of the staff are members of the Kuria community and have lived in the Mara all of their lives; they have the best understanding of the community to do what is required.
Mama Rhobi, as Rhobi is known to many, is a force of power, a most determined woman working very hard to bring FGM to an end in her community. She is well known and has received many accolades for the work that she is doing in fighting to end FGM. She has spoken at the United Kingdom’s Houses of Parliament, been interviewed by the BBC and has spoken at the UN FGM panel. She has received numerous awards, including the 2019 Powerful Queen award from Clouds Media. HGWT was also featured in the award-winning film, In the Name of Your Daughter. Many articles have been written about Rhobi’s work which can be viewed here. We are honored and humbled to be able to support the work of Rhobi Samwelly and her team as they work to change the tide of FGM in Tanzania.
(Photo credits: Hope for Girls and Women Tanzania)