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Peninah Lesorogol_Freude auf den Kinofilm ©Andrea Eidenhammer.jpg

,,I am a
child of
the heart.““

© Andrea Eidenhammer

Peninah
Lesorogol

© Andrea Eidenhammer

because-the-first-woman-said-background_desert009.png

Peninah's Story:
A Woman Between
Two Worlds

Peninah Lesorogol was born into a Samburu community in northern Kenya, where tradition shaped a woman’s life.

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But Peninah was curious. She questioned. And she kept asking why.

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She became the first girl in her community to attend school.

She underwent female genital mutilation because she wanted to belong.

She entered an arranged marriage with a powerful politician. A life of privilege became a golden cage –

until a violent attack changed everything…

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Today, Peninah lives between Kenya and Austria with her three sons. She fights for women’s and migrants’ rights, while remaining deeply connected to her culture and the people she loves.

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Throughout her life, she kept asking herself:

How do you change the traditions that shaped you without losing the world you come from?

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Peninah's heart is in both Kenya and Austria – she is a child of the heart. She does not want to turn her back on her culture. She wants to build a bridge between its past and its future.

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Perhaps, change begins with one woman who dares to ask why.

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