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Visiting the Hope Centre for Women and Girls in Tanzania April 17, 2025

While in Tanzania, Nomad arranged for us to visit The Hope Centre in Mugumu, one of two centres run by the Hope for Girls & Women Tanzania charity.  We were shown around by Daniel Boyo Misoji, the house manager, who explained the charity’s story and its goal, and introduced us to the girls and staff who were on site.

The centre was set up in 2017 by Rhobi Samwelly to help girls escape the tribal tradition of female genital mutilation, or ‘cutting’.  This practise has been illegal in Tanzania since 1998, but is still widespread, with five tribes in seven regions of Tanzania still performing the ritual.  60-80% of girls are still thought to be cut, with the main ‘cutting’ season being in December.

The practise of cutting involves the removal of part of, or all the eternal genitalia, including the clitoris, and can be fatal for the victim.  Those that survive being cut are then accepted into the community as adults, can be wed, and traded for between 15-20 cows (the local currency).  The cutting ceremony is important to the family, a big celebration that is planned and signifies the passage into womanhood.  It is the ceremony, rather than the actual cutting that signifies this passage. Children who refuse to be cut are thought to shame the family, they are cast out by their families and ignored by their communities.

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In recent years, schools have been encouraged to educate the children about FGM and teach them there is an alternative, a safe way out if they decide not to do it.  They do this not only in schools, but local charity volunteers also visit the communities and pass on the information via traditional dance and music.

The charity has set up a system where girls who do not want to be cut, and think their parents are arranging their cutting ceremony, can contact a safe person in their community.  This safe person is the charity’s eye on the ground; they are provided with a smart phone and report information to the police and social worker.  If contacted by a girl, this safe person will give them a location to go to at a certain time, the charity will then find them, collect them and look after them.

Once the girl is safe, the charity maintains dialogue with the family and community.  They repeatedly ask the family if they will accept the daughter back and not have her cut. If this is refused, then the Charity keeps the child with them, educates them and gives them a home, and the support they need.  If the family accept the child back, they are closely monitored to make sure the girl is happy.

Some of the girls brought up by the charity have gone on to become lawyers, and work in the tourist industry.  We met a remarkable woman called Lucy who now works in Nomad’s Lamai Serengeti Lodge.  She ran away from home in the middle of the night when she realised her parents were organising to have her cut.  She lived at The Hope Centre for five years before working for Nomad and in her time off, she stays at the centre, helping to educate the girls in conservation and wildlife.

When we visited The Hope Centre, there were 87 girls in residence being looked after by a handful of skilled volunteers.  Over a thousand girls have been helped by the charity since it was set up.  The Hope Centre is aptly named, it gives hope to the girls in the surrounding area, an alternative to a brutal tradition.  It is a safe house, where the girls can grow up, find friends and go to school.  The girls we met were so very young, so bright and full of smiles, they were also the bravest and strongest girls I have ever come across.

Our visit was one of the highlights of our trip to Tanzania. I brought some plasticine with me to give to the girls, and one of them, Maria, instantly made a heart. I am thinking about casting it into silver to help raise much-needed funds.

As you can imagine, The Hope Centre is bursting at the seams, and they are keen to build a new home for the girls.  For this, they rely totally on charitable donations, so if you would like to donate, please follow the link below.

https://hopeforgirlsandwomen.org

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