Former teacher fearlessly rescuing girls from female genital mutilation

Patrick Ngigi, founder of Hope rescue centre

He ditched his noble teaching career, spanning 17 years, and defied curses from the cultural Maasai Community to rescue girls from forced early marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM).

As a teacher in various schools within Narok County, Patrick Ngigi realised the alarming rate of girls dropping out of school compared to boys. This prompted him to embark on a fact-finding mission to determine where his pupils were disappearing to.

It was while teaching at Sekenani Primary School, where he was also the head teacher, that Ngigi got information that every holiday, girls from the local community would be subjected to FGM and then married off. Shortly a vision to rescue these girls was born.

"A few girls were reluctant to leave after schools closed because of the situation back home. Together with a local pastor, now deceased, we took the decision to rescue these girls and spare them from the retrogressive cultural practises," he says.

For almost two years, the two kept the girls at their mothers' place. This went on until 2004 when Ngigi met a couple, Joe and Ann Parsons from the US who encouraged by the initiative supported him in establishing the 'House of Hope'. Today it is a home to 56 girls who escaped the cut.

With their support, Ngigi resigned from teaching, and has now been joined by his wife Josephine who also resigned from her teaching career, to concentrate on the rescue and protection of these vulnerable girls.

"Our mission is to give any girl escaping from FGM and forced early marriage an opportunity to pursue and realise their goals and to utilise their God given potential that could have otherwise been cut off by these backward practices," he says.

His work has met a fair share of challenges top among being a curse by the elders for going against cultural dictates.

"When we began, the elders called an urgent meeting where they uttered curses against us. Soon after this, my partner - the pastor, died of a heart attack and of course this was taken as though the curses had worked.

Nonetheless, I chose to soldier on because I know what I am doing is for the good of society and I have nothing to fear. I am glad that I am now beginning to reap from our efforts," he says.

To date, the girls - some as young as 12-years-old, have been able to pursue their education. They are now in various primary schools, others in high school and five of them are in university and various other colleges all courtesy of various well-wishers.

As the children continue with their education, Ngigi has taken it upon himself to seek reconciliation between the girls and their parents. He is glad some parents are now embracing their children.

"Most parents who were opposed to their girls pursuing education are now frequent visitors to our home. They are happy with their daughter's progress and some have even given us goats - the same animals they thought were denied them in loss of bride price," he said.

The House of Hope located at the outskirts of Narok town, sits on a five acre farm and Josephine says they keep livestock to not only economically support their operations, but also feed the children.

"We have 2,000 chicken among them broilers, kienyeji and layers, a fishpond with 1,500 fingerlings and two dairy cows," she says.

Some of the rescued girls who spoke to Wednesday Life said they are happy because the rescue centre has given them a chance to determine their future.

Hellen Setek,16, who arrived at the home in 2009 after she ran away from their home in Mau says she is elated to be at the home and more so to get an education which she might not have gotten if her parents' mission had succeeded.

"I was ten when I heard from my sisters that my father was planning to marry me off to a man I had never seen. I ran to my local church and told the pastor of my predicament and he brought me to rescue home," she says.

Setek, who wants to be a doctor once she finishes her education, says her mother visits her regularly, but she has never heard from her father.

Another girl Esther Sandera, 13, who was rescued in August last year from a forced marriage counts herself lucky after her uncle saved her from the jaws of her abductors.

"I did not even know how to speak Swahili but was taught by the girls I have found here. I have now joined Standard One and hope to be a nurse when I grow up," she said.