As you read this, there are 4.3 million girls globally, estimated to be at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation/cutting in the next 12 months.
Around the world, 200 million women have already been subjected to this barbaric vice and it is in such spaces that you will most likely find Asenath.
“I started as a programme officer at Maendeleo ya Wanawake and rose to CEO. I have dedicated over a decade to hands-on, field-focused design and implementation of programmes and interventions aimed at addressing negative gender stereotypes and norms, elimination of harmful practices, and promotion of gender equality,” Asenath says.
"I am passionate about making gender equality a reality in my generation and inspiring others to join me in this mission."
It has been two years since she joined the Orchid project, from Equality Now, where she was the Global Lead- End Harmful Practices (FGM/C and Child Marriage). In this role, she provided thought leadership and strategic directions to end the practices.
At her current station, her job is to strengthen partnerships, advocacy, research, and movement building in the Global South, a daunting task but one she rises to.
“Being a woman in leadership is quite challenging. We put in more work compared to men, that’s the truth, it’s challenging to balance all these responsibilities,” she says.
Before joining Equality Now, she worked as the programme analyst for the United Nations Population Fund, implementing its FGM/C programme.
Her passion to fight these harmful practices has seen her serve everywhere on the globe, from Africa to Mediterranean North America, Europe, and Asia.
“I am passionate about making gender equality a reality in my generation and inspiring others to join me in this mission,” she says.
Asenath has been privileged to deliver high-profile talks at Buckingham Palace in the UK parliament.
“I have quite a lot to highlight, but regionally, I have contributed to policy inclusion and enactment of laws. I also did a lot in Sierra Leone, where we were calling for the government to end FGM/C and enact laws. Lobbying a government is not something easy, I am very proud of that,” says Asenath.
– By Sinda Matiko
