State Awards Woman For Her Unwavering Efforts To Promote Education.
Rukia Kunyo, a Tana River county heroine, received her presidential award today from County Commissioner Mbogai Rioba for her efforts in combating Female Genital Mutilation, early child marriages and advocating for girl child education.
Kunyo, a laboratory technician in her early forties, said she was the only one in her family of 16 girls who went to school.
She was hired as a housemaid by a primary school headmaster at a young age, but one day she stormed his office and demanded admission to the school.
Kunyo stated that the challenges confronting children in Madogo, Bura constituency compelled her to launch advocacy and rescue programs to save the girl child.
“Our hinterlands in Madogo have a lot of problems. We decided in 2014 to form a girl child help women’s group. We have been called names, and accused of doing business with the girls we rescued,” said Kunyo.
She laments that her society still does not educate girls and that many are married off when they reach the age of 15 or drop out of school as a result of pregnancies, despite the fact that sensitization meetings are ongoing.
“Our hinterlands in Madogo have a lot of problems. We decided in 2014 to form a girl child help women’s group. We have been called names, and accused of doing business with the girls we rescued,” said Kunyo.
She went on to say that once they have rescued a child from their homes out of fear of being victimized, they refuse to return once the perpetrators have been apprehended.
Rukia and her two female companions visit schools and villages to educate and sensitize girls and their parents about the importance of girl child education and to encourage them to abandon outdated and harmful cultural practices.
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Many witnesses refuse to testify in order to bring perpetrators of FGM, defilement, and other atrocities against girls to justice in order to serve as a deterrent to others, preferring instead to settle disputes through elders.
Rukia requested that the Tana River County government establish a children’s department in Madogo because they are forced to travel to neighbouring Garissa County for limited services.
State Awards Woman For Her Unwavering Efforts To Promote Education.
