Africa Cries Out Series 2022 013

To Prevent Girls from Being Circumcised, For Them Not Becoming Someone’s Fourth Wife—the Girls Dorm Room Was Successfully Completed

Author Jun Xu, June 14, 2022

Translated by BRI Youth Vivian Hor

On September 6th, 2021, we started building a 6,000-square-feet female dormitory on top of the original male dormitory. It is finished now.

 

We followed the standard design and construction of American college dormitories. In order to provide the best conditions to our girls, we offered them the opportunity to study new skills, free of charge. Our hope is that after they complete their education, they will be able to alter their fates of being circumcised and becoming someone’s fourth wife. Hopefully, they will also manage to change their families and, eventually, society as well.

The female students that graduated last year mainly learned cooking and sewing. This year, our students can study courses that are tougher than before. However, it is also difficult to come by students with basic foundations on the skills. Many families were also too worried to allow their girls to leave their homes.

Owing to the donations of brick-making machines, school equipment, and wells that the benevolent people from mainland China and all over the world have contributed, our technical school was given a solid material foundation. We can feel your caring love, and the African students will forever remember your compassion! We will never forget!

In West Africa, some of the girls must endure genital mutilation without the use of anesthetics, and a lot of girls cannot go to school to learn new skills. Men can marry up to four wives. On the other hand, women have an average of five children in their lifetime, with 50% of them dying prematurely. Ultimately, the women are forced to both serve their husbands and raise their children. Their average life expectancy is 50 years old, and in modern society, they are subjected to great injustice.

Unfortunately, we are unable to save every one of them from their dreadful circumstances. But what we can do is help as many of them as we possibly can. Looking back at the 9-month construction process, your dedication is like a trickle of water, finally gathering to form a sea of love.