What is FGM?
Female genital mutilation comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
FGM has no health benefits. It is most often carried out on girls between infancy and age 15. The World Health Organization describes it as a violation of human rights. It is practiced in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia — including regions of Kenya and Tanzania where III Hands works.
Why this season matters
In some communities, cutting is tied to a season — a window when families and clans expect the rite to happen. That window is when girls who refuse, or who are at risk of being forced, most need a place to go. They leave home for a short refuge, then return when the season has passed.
III Hands does not treat FGM as a spectacle. We fund protection through trusted local leaders: refuge camps, food and care, police presence at encampments, and longer work with elders, classrooms, clinics, and water.
How III Hands responds
Protection — safe refuge during cutting season, and ongoing care through Pastor Peter Lwero and local partners along the Kenya–Tanzania border, including the Mara–Tarime context.
Education — schools, churches, and discipleship so a girl who is not cut is not also cut off from a future.
Life — clinics and clean water, because a community that can heal and drink is better able to refuse harm.
— The Ask