Meet the Feminists of Western Mali

July 10, 2018Contraception, sex ed, fistula, female genital mutilation —this group tackles them all. en fran çaisIt seemed like a strange place for a meeting.We had just parked on a side street in Kayes, Mali, and climbed out of the car. It wasn ’t until we rounded a corner and stepped into a wide alley that we found the group we were scheduled to meet, and I saw why we needed such a big space.More than 60 women and girls, ranging from grandmothers to teenagers to infants in arms, were there waiting for us. They rose to their feet, smiling and gesturing to the plush couches they ’d set out for the guests. Once we were all settled, the group’s president, Tamaratou Samaké, stood and turned to us.“We are calledNieta, ” she said. “It means to move forward, to be progressive.”And they ’re not kidding.Nieta is made up of dozens of friends, neighbors, and activists united in a cause: to help Mali ’s women and children. They want to end child marriage, eliminate female genital mutilation, and promote sex education and family planning. They want to see zero new cases of obstetric fistula in Mali and to help any woman or girl who’s already living with it. They travel around Kayes and the su rrounding region talking to groups, educating communities, and urging pregnant women to get prenatal care and deliver their babies in health facilities.They  instill the same values in their girls and create openings for mother-daughter discussions that may otherwise never ...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Source Type: news