When a family have only girl children in Ephuenyim community; they say – ‘the girls are for sale’. Ukpa Ada breaks the silence on the perception of the girl child in the community. “Before ActionAid and PDA came into our community, we were in the dark. When they came to our community, they opened our eyes to many things that are wrong, for example before, if a woman have many girl children without boys, they say, we sell girls” she paused, thought through what she had revealed, then said more: “Women were not allowed to speak in public”.
Ada is the chairlady of the Ephuenyim Community Women Association, a meeting of community women established through the assistance of ActionAid and PDA. At the meeting, the women are thought the content of the Peer Education Manual. Ada insists that since the woman began to participate in the Peer Education group, they have become literarily transformed. “Many things have changed sincerely, we have learnt so much and it has improved our lives as women. Many of the women before don’t know about nutrition, they don’t even know much about cleanliness of themselves and their environment, some don’t know the value of education but now I can tell you that things have changed. She said of her children: “What I do for the boys, I do for the girls. I am preparing one of my girls for the University”.
Ukamaka Nwamba is Vice Chairlady of the women group. Ukamaka tells the gory stories of how the girl children suffer from the impact of Female Genital Mutilation, which once thrived in the community. “I remember the incidence of a 13 years old girl that bled to death because of this Female Genital Mutilation. The issue of Female Genital Mutilation was very popular here, they stigmatise the family that does that bring out their girls for the ceremony. It was seen as a thing of the pride of a woman. But when ActionAid and PDA began to teach us on the dangers of the practice, and we ourselves experience it, we see how many children bleed and the pain they go through, we became determined to end the practice. Now, no more Female Genital Mutilation in our community. Anybody found doing it is reported to the head of the community” said Ukamaka.