Five Kenyan teenage girls have created the i-Cut app designed to tackle Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
The app is specifically designed to help girls affected by FGM by connecting them to legal and medical assistance.
The group of girls is comprised of Stacy Owino, Cynthia Otieno, Purity Achieng, Mascrine Atieno and Ivy Akinyi. The girls are aged between 15 and 17. They go by the name ‘The Restorers’.
The Restorers beat nine other semifinalists to become the only Africans selected to participate in the 2017 international Technovation Challenge.
It is sponsored by Google, Verizon, and the United Nations and it encourages girls aged 10-18 to develop an app or technology solution that solves a problem in their community.
Google is well impressed by the innovation and has invited the girls to visit their headquarters in California.
The team is expected to face other finalists from various parts of the world for a chance to win $15,000
Young girls seem determined to close the gender gap in tech. One of the most recent has to be Alhumedhim; a young 15-year old girl was credited with submitting a proposal that led to the development of apple’s hijab emoji.
This goes to prove that, indeed, the technology space is merit driven. One’s gender is not a criterion for shunning life-changing innovations.
How the i-Cut app works
The i-Cut app is for girls who are at risk of FGM.
The objective is to connect them to rescue centers and offer medical and legal assistance to those who have been forced to undergo the cut.
The app’s interface is simple and straightforward. It comes with five buttons-help, rescue, report, information on FGM, and feedback. Each of these buttons offers users different services.
One of the most interesting things is that the app allows girls to make a distress call and report violations all within the touch of a button.
The app is also a conversation starter. It is expected to get people to talk about FGM, its effects and how people can get involved in the fight against the cultural tradition.
Possible challenges
According to a 2016 UNICEF report, at least 200 million girls and women in 30 countries have undergone the cut.
In Kenya, one in four women has undergone FGM. The efforts to decrease the occurrence of FGM through education and dialogue have been fairly successful but the battle to completely eradicating the practice is yet to be won.
The i-Cut app a vital tool and has the potential to fight FGM.
But there’s a problem:
Currently, FGM is mostly practiced in rural Kenya. Here, the fairly low internet and mobile phone penetration may act as a hindrance.
Also, UNICEF says that FGM happens to girls aged 10-14. These are young girls and chances are that they do not own mobile phones. The only option for them is to borrow a mobile phone from a senior member of the family, relatives, or other community members.
This makes poses a challenge for girls seeking assistance since those around them may be in support of the practice.
The app is a great invention but it will be more effective if and when introduced alongside educational and empowerment programs.
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