Celebration of Christian Womanhood
The community's response has been so positive that COPE now hosts two week-long sessions each year. To our knowledge, no girl who has attended these sessions has ever gone on to be circumcised.
This offers a Christ-centered response to female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage. The purpose is to teach sexual purity and present Christ as Lord and Saviour. The girls meet in April and August with over 100 attending each one.



Celebration of Christian Manhood
The traditional circumcision ritual for Pokot boys is often very harsh and lasts for a couple of months. In response to this practice, which confirms the Pokot male as an adult and ready for marriage. COPE invited Pokot boys to come to the Mission for a week of teaching and fellowship. This has been a much more difficult program to "sell" to the community because the message of following Jesus as He respected women is not well received. In spite of the challenges, the Celebration is held each year. Other organizations have come to Pokot and are circumcising the boys in a medical environment to promote good health and discourage the traditional practice.

