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Granny Fight Club

Africa’s rape victims are learning to fight back

On the outskirts of Kenya’s capital, elderly women walk in constant fear, as they increasingly fall victim to rape. However, some are now fighting back thanks to self-defence classes designed especially for them. 

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Most people in Korogocho, one of Nairobi’s biggest slum neighbourhoods, live on less than a dollar a day. Many eke out a living in this crime ridden area by scavenging in the local dump or reselling produce bought from the local market. HIV has decimated the community, depriving many children of one or both parents. Moreover, rape is rampant, especially against older women who are preyed upon by young men in the belief that sex with a ‘shushu’ cures AIDS and lifts curses.

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Things are changing though; join 40-year-old Naomi Wanjiro, a local NGO officer, as she teaches some extraordinary ladies to use both their fists and voices to say “NO!”. The program is clearly making a difference to many women’s lives, whether they are 55, 85, or even 105 years old, many say they have been empowered to live their lives in safety and with confidence.



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