“Msichana” is the Swahili word for “girl”. Msichana Empowerment Kuria is a community based organization and women–led movement who actively works to end female genital mutilation, child marriage, sexual and gender based violence in the marginalized Kuria community. Their vision is of a world where girls are empowered and supported in their communities to build key resources and resilience to realize their full potential.

They work in 3 key areas:

1) Community-led Advocacy – through structured community dialogues, with young men and women, one village at a time, they are facilitating the much needed conversations to demystify myths and misconceptions on female genital mutilation as a social norm. To date they have engaged more than 1,000 young men, 600 women and men in structured community dialogues, organizes marches and community events that reached over 5000 participants.

• #SRHR4Girls - an adolescent girls program, which supports safe spaces for girls in 5 villages in the communities they work with. These spaces enable girls to feel safe as they learn on Key Human rights, Life Skills, advocacy to be girl’s advocates and make a contribution to their development and well-being. The program currently supports 200 girls every year, and to date they have developed a strong networks of 360 adolescent girls advocates in Kuria.

2) Education – they coordinate an after school Children’s Rights Based literacy story telling program for children from 8 to 14 years, aimed at developing the knowledge, skills and talents of marginalized girls and children, to promote literacy and access to rights through establishing a safe space for girls and children.

3) Mentorship and Skills Development - NAWEZA (I CAN) - a girl-led and focused life skills program for adolescent girls in Kuria, that has supported over 250 adolescent girls to date. The year-long program is designed to provide the girls an empowering experience with an emphasis on impact of the harmful effects of Female Genital Mutilation, and works with girls to build key life skills while addressing socio-cultural issues that act as barriers to their development. A special component of the program is that they support skills workshops for parents of the girls.

The organization was created in 2013 and registered in 2015, and has grown steadily over the years. 

For more information, please visit their website.