The Girls in the Wild Fig Tree: How One Girl Fought to Save Herself, Her Sister

Description: The Girls in the Wild Fig Tree by Nice Leng'ete By the Amref activist Nice Lengete, one of the TIMEs 100 Most Influential People in 2018, an inspirational story of one girl who changed the minds of her elders, reformed traditions from the inside, and is creating a better future for girls and women throughout Africa FORMAT Paperback CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description A real hero looks like Nice Lengete . . . [An] elegant and inspiring memoir New York Times Nice Lengete was raised in a Maasai village in Kenya. In 1998, when Nice was six, her parents fell sick and died, and Nice and her sister Soila were taken in by their fathers brother, who had little interest in the girls beyond what their dowries might fetch. Fearing "the cut" (female genital mutilation, a painful and sometimes deadly ritualistic surgery), which was the fate of all Maasai women, Nice and Soila climbed a tree to hide.Nice hoped to find a way to avoid the cut forever, but Soila understood it would be impossible. But maybe if one of the sisters submitted, the other would be spared. After Soila chose to undergo the surgery, sacrificing herself to save Nice, their lives diverged. Soila married, dropped out of school, and had children -- all in her teenage years -- while Nice postponed receiving the cut, continued her education, and became the first in her family to attend college.Supported by Amref, Nice used visits home to set an example for what an uncut Maasai woman can achieve. Other women listened, and the elders finally saw the value of intact, educated girls as the way of the future. The village has since ended FGM entirely, and Nice continues the fight to end FGM throughout Africa and the world.Nices journey from "heartbroken child and community outcast, to leader of the Maasai" is an inspiration and a reminder that one person can change the world -- and every girl is worth saving. Flap Born in a remote village in Kenya, Nice Lengete saw the young girls she grew up with receive the cut, the rite of passage into female adulthood in Maasai culture. Every girl got the cut. Then she would be married off to a man triple her age. She might be his second or third wife. Shed have children in her teens. This is what happened to Nices sister. To resist meant becoming an outcast in Maasai culture, yet Nice managed to avoid it and stay in school. She was shunned. At the age of 21, Nice moved to Nairobi to work for Amref Health Africa, an organization spearheading the campaign against Female Genital Mutilation. Though she was still considered an outcast in her village, young girls began to look up to Nice. They saw the life they could have, not the one chosen for them. Eventually, Nice Lengete developed a platform for convincing women across Africa to forego the cut. First, she won over her village elders. Progress spread from there. Kenya outlawed the cut in 2011, and the Maasai people abandoned it in 2014. To date, Nice and Amref Health Africa have collaborated to help more than 16,000 girls avoid FGM in Kenya and Tanzania. Author Biography Nice Nailantei Lengete grew up in the village of Noomayianat, at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya. After her parents both died within a year of each other in 1998, Nice was sent to live with her uncle. At the age of eight, she avoided being subjected to FGM by running away from home, multiple times. She attended college in Nairobi before joining Amref, where she is now a Health Africa Project Officer and continues to challenge the attitudes of her male-dominated tribe in her quest to end FGM. Since 2009, Nice and Amref Health Africa have helped more than 16,000 girls avoid female genital mutilation/cutting in Kenya and Tanzania. Review A real hero looks like Nice Lengete, the Kenyan anti-female-genital-mutilation activist whose response to her childhood was to improve the experience for others . . . [An] elegant and inspiring memoir -- Sonia Faleiro * New York Times *An incredibly powerful story that offers real hope for the future * Kirkus * Long Description A real hero looks like Nice Lengete . . . [An] elegant and inspiring memoir New York Times Nice Lengete was raised in a Maasai village in Kenya. In 1998, when Nice was six, her parents fell sick and died, and Nice and her sister Soila were taken in by their fathers brother, who had little interest in the girls beyond what their dowries might fetch. Fearing "the cut" (female genital mutilation, a painful and sometimes deadly ritualistic surgery), which was the fate of all Maasai women, Nice and Soila climbed a tree to hide.Nice hoped to find a way to avoid the cut forever, but Soila understood it would be impossible. But maybe if one of the sisters submitted, the other would be spared. After Soila chose to undergo the surgery, sacrificing herself to save Nice, their lives diverged. Soila married, dropped out of school, and had children -- all in her teenage years -- while Nice postponed receiving the cut, continued her education, and became the first in her family to attend college.Supported by Amref, Nice used visits home to set an example for what an uncut Maasai woman can achieve. Other women listened, and the elders finally saw the value of intact, educated girls as the way of the future. The village has since ended FGM entirely, and Nice continues the fight to end FGM throughout Africa and the world.Nices journey from "heartbroken child and community outcast, to leader of the Maasai" is an inspiration and a reminder that one person can change the world -- and every girl is worth saving. Review Quote Shes an amazing, amazing personNice has been battling since she was eight years old and, thanks to her courage and efforts, thousands of girls have managed to escape...an unjust and terrible fateNice was the first woman in her community to be given a black talking stick for elders. And now she speaks on a global stage, using her voice to raise awareness about her work. FGM and child marriage will end in Africa because of the likes of NiceAn incredibly powerful story that offers real hope for the future - KirkusA real hero looks like Nice Lengete, the Kenyan anti-female-genital-mutilation activist whose response to her childhood was to improve the experience for others . . . [An] elegant and inspiring memoir - New York Times Promotional "Headline" By the Amref activist Nice Lengete, one of the TIMEs 100 Most Influential People in 2018, an inspirational story of one girl who changed the minds of her elders, reformed traditions from the inside, and is creating a better future for girls and women throughout Africa Details ISBN1472275845 Author Nice Lengete Year 2022 ISBN-10 1472275845 ISBN-13 9781472275844 Format Paperback Imprint Wildfire Place of Publication London Country of Publication United Kingdom Publisher Headline Publishing Group Publication Date 2022-03-17 UK Release Date 2022-03-17 Pages 240 Subtitle How One Girl Fought to Save Herself, Her Sister and Thousands of Girls Worldwide DEWEY 305.89655226092 Audience Tertiary & Higher Education NZ Release Date 2022-08-29 AU Release Date 2022-08-29 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. 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