When Aisha Hussein Roba underwent Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) as a girl, she could not have imagined that one day she would become one of the strongest voices challenging the practice in northern Kenya.
Today, she is the founder of Every Girl’s Dream, a grassroots organisation working across Isiolo County to protect girls, support survivors, and challenge the social norms that allow FGM and child marriage to continue.
But her journey into activism did not begin in a meeting room or development programme. It began with her own experience.After undergoing FGM as a child, Aisha later faced serious complications during childbirth. It was a turning point that forced her to confront the lifelong consequences of the practice.
For Aisha, staying silent was no longer an option. She realised that many girls in her community were facing the same risks without anyone openly speaking about them. What began as a personal commitment to protect girls eventually grew into Every Girl’s Dream, an organisation dedicated to ensuring that girls can grow up free from violence, discrimination, and harmful practices.
From Survivor to Founder
Every Girl’s Dream was born from lived experience. Aisha wanted to create something she had never had herself: a safe space where girls could speak openly, ask questions, and find support without fear or judgment.
Over the years, the organisation has become a trusted presence in communities across Isiolo County, working with girls, parents, religious leaders, elders, schools, and local authorities.
Rather than approaching communities with blame or confrontation, the organisation focuses on dialogue, education, and building trust.
This approach has helped create opportunities for difficult conversations around FGM, child marriage, girls’ education, and women’s rights in places where such topics are often considered taboo.
Building Safe Spaces for Survivors
One of the most important parts of Every Girl’s Dream’s work is supporting survivors.
For many women and girls, speaking publicly about their experiences remains difficult. Shame, stigma, and fear often prevent survivors from seeking help or sharing their stories.
Aisha and her team have worked to change that.
These spaces do more than provide support. They help survivors realise they are not alone. They create opportunities for healing, leadership, and advocacy, allowing women who once suffered in silence to become voices for change within their own communities.
Ending FGM in Isiolo County Through the Born Perfect Caravans
Later this year, Every Girl’s Dream is expected to play a leading role in bringing the Born Perfect Caravans to Isiolo County.
The campaign is designed to take anti-FGM messaging directly into communities, reaching people who may never attend formal workshops, conferences, or awareness events.
Unlike traditional programmes that expect communities to come to them, the Born Perfect Caravans travel village to village, bringing together survivors, religious leaders, elders, local influencers, health professionals, and community members.
The goal is simple: bring trusted voices directly to the places where girls are most at risk.
“The caravans go directly into villages, markets, schools, and public spaces. This creates a sense of urgency and collective participation, sparks spontaneous dialogue, and reaches people who may not normally attend structured workshops or formal programmes.”
This approach has already delivered remarkable results across other parts of Africa.
By taking conversations directly into communities, the caravans break silence, challenge myths, and create opportunities for families to discuss FGM openly for perhaps the first time.
For Isiolo County, the caravans represent an opportunity to reach communities that are often overlooked and ensure that no girl is left behind.
Why Frontline Women Must Be Supported
For Aisha, ending FGM is not simply about funding projects. It is about trusting the people who live and work within the communities most affected.
Across Africa, frontline women are often the first to identify girls at risk, support survivors, and challenge harmful social norms. Yet they continue to receive only a small fraction of the resources dedicated to ending FGM.
Aisha believes that must change:
“Supporting us is not just about funding activities; it is about investing in systems of trust, cultural influence, and lived experience. When local actors lead, interventions are more sustainable and less likely to collapse once funding ends.”
Her message reflects a growing recognition across the sector that lasting change happens when communities themselves lead the process.
Frontline organisations understand local realities, speak local languages, and have built relationships over many years. They are often able to reach places and people that larger institutions cannot.
Looking Ahead
Aisha remains hopeful about the future.
Through Every Girl’s Dream, she continues to work with girls, families, community leaders, and survivors across Isiolo County, helping create environments where girls can grow up safe, educated, and free to make their own choices.
The upcoming Born Perfect Caravans offer another opportunity to bring that message directly into communities, ensuring that conversations about FGM reach villages, schools, markets, and homes across the county.
For Aisha, the vision remains simple: every girl deserves the chance to dream, to learn, to thrive, and to live free from violence.
To learn more about Every Girl’s Dream or support their work, visit:
