The Intervention of Media in Determining Acceptance of Alternative Rite of Passage (ARP) among Girls and Women in the Maasai Community of Kenya.

Many communities in Africa and particularly in Kenya cherish and uphold FGM/C as a cultural rite of passage. Alternative rite of passage ARP is an intervention programme/activities by NGOs, government agencies and international organizations aimed at providing an alternative to female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). Most researchers have left a gap in the assessing the intervention of journalism determining the acceptance of ARP among girls and women in the Maasai community of Kenya. The aim of this study was to establish how Media determine acceptance of ARP among girls and women in the Maasai community. The study employed a mixed method research. The study focused on Loitoktok town and a sample of 50 male and female from different age brackets was selected through quota sampling. Data was collected through questionnaires and focused group discussions with Maasai elders, ARP graduates and key informants. Descriptive statistics such as means, standard deviations and frequency distributions were used to analyse the data which was presented inform of charts and frequency tables. The qualitative information was analysed thematically along the study objectives. The presentation has included verbatim quotes from the focus group discussions participants and key informants. The results show that Radio and Social media are majorly used to cover ARP messages, media ambassadors’ involvement in ARP Persuasion is still low and the ARP media messages largely target mainly girls and womenThe outcomes were used to guide the existing approaches to eradicating FGM/C and inform all stakeholders in ARP campaign on how to tackle resistance towards the programme. The study recommended that proponents of ARP should who use media target men as they are the key decision makers on whether their daughters undergo FGM/C or not and also give more support to graduates of ARP to sustain their resistance to FGM/C pressure