BBC Innovators: Di woman wey dey solve child marriage wit football
"E for be easier option to stay for Nairobi, practise law and earn some good money, drive one cool Mercedes Benz. But I just want to come back home."
Fatuma Abdulkadir Adan dey use football to break di silence around taboo subjects like FGM Na di life wey Fatuma Abdulkadir Adan for live. But instead she chose football inside one area where na taboo for girls to play di game. "Dem stone me for bodi and kick me comot from di football field,"na wetin she tok say happun to her wen she begin make efforts 10 years ago wen she start one girls team for northern Kenyan county of Marsabit. Soon afta dem return from dia first tournament, dem kidnap eight of di 12 girls inside her team and force dem to marry. E start in a painful way wey she no believe. One of di first football tournaments na to use am heal di kill-kill and katakata between communities Fatuma form NGO di Horn of Africa Development Initiative ,or aka HODI for 2003. She bin wan use football to bring pipo togeda and create shift from wetin culture expect. She used football to win di hearts of young men for di community afta kill kill for 2005 between different tribes, wey slaughter 100 pipo dem. "Na one AK-47 dem exchange to join di football team." E no tey, di young men no only give up dia weapons, but dem also begin play ball wit boys from tribes wey dem suppose to hate. Girls to play football na taboo on im own for northern Kenya when di tournaments bin start for 2008 Kicking cultural expectations When Fatuma turn to di girls she bin wan solve dia specific problems wey include early marriage of girl pikin and di way dem dey do female genital mutilation (FGM). She call di way she follow di mata Breaking the Silence, wey don make 1,645 girls from 152 villages for Marsabit region of Kenya to dey play football for di past 10 years. To empower pikin dem to stand up for demsef na ogbonge part of her mission, especially for area where traditional family and tribe believe say pikin and women no suppose get mouth tok. "Before na cool tin for 13 or 12-year-old girl to marry," Fatuma dey explain. "Today, if you marry 13 year old girl pikin give man, both boys and girls for class go complain." 14-year-old Fatuma Gufra say football don give her di confidence to change her life goals Hodi dey also do awareness sessions on top di mata dem before dem go play any match for competition and, as she dey teach di girls, Hodi dey also teach dia mama and papa. While both FGM and child marriage dey illegal inside Kenya, local cultures dey strong on top di mata and traditions still dey continue. Fatuma get to work hard both to argue against dis kain cultures and to work wit dem. Di way she dey follow di mata for area dey bring beta results. Afta she do tok-tok wit Imams on how she fit design football cloth wey dey okay for di Muslim girls wey wan to play, HODI now get girl team inside one Madrassa, one Islamic school. "I still no believe say I dey alive to see say e happen." One girl at one time While HODI numbers dey look good, na to see Fatuma work de affect di lives of individual girls dem na im really send message say she get beta way to solve problem. Fatuma Gufu, wey be 14 years, na di deputy president for her school. Na only her mama train her inside di poor family she come from where she be di be di only girl. She say "football don change her life." "Before-before shame dey catch me," na wetin she tok, "but after some time football change me. For many years parents bin no support girls to play football but in future, when I become mama, I go support girls to play football." Na dis area get beta ideas pass for Africa? Di BBC Innovators story dey show how pipo wey get beta ideas dey solve problems for many parts of South Asia and Africa Learn more about BBC Innovators. She also dey top five of students wey sabi book for her class - na position wey dey usually reserve for boys wey sabi sharp mouth for class, according to her head teacher, Madam Kame Koto. "Since she start to dey participate for football league, Fatuma don open up for tins wey concern her performance and leadership skills." "All of dis dey possible because of football, Fatuma say "Girls dey able to score goals for class and for football pitch. " Dis BBC story dem make am with helep money from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation