“As a coach, the girls trust me,” she said. “They tell me things they can’t tell anyone else, about pressure to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM), about being told to drop out of school, about relationships that make them feel unsafe.”
In rural and hard-to-reach areas of Uganda, FGM remains a serious human rights violation and public health problem. For girls in Sebei communities, it is linked to deeply entrenched gender norms that also increase the risk of child marriage, school dropouts and violence.
However, on school grounds and athletic tracks, change is beginning to take hold.
A coach, a track and a safe space
Ms Cheptoek works with the Joshua Cheptegei Development Foundation, partnering with the United Nations reproductive health agency (UNFPA) and the Joint Program of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), to eliminate female genital mutilation using sport as an entry point to reach young people – especially girls – who are often excluded from opportunities.
“This mentality underestimates their social, intellectual and cultural potential,” he said. “Sport helps us challenge that.”
For many girls, resisting harmful practices comes at a high personal cost. Those who refuse FGM may face pressure, ostracism and even violence for being seen as rejecting tradition.
Female genital mutilation (alteration or injury to the genitals for non-medical reasons) is often followed by child marriage and early school leaving. All are closely linked to poverty, which causes these damages and is reinforced by them.
From community careers to classrooms
Every year, a Christmas race brings together boys and girls from all over Sebei. But the event is more than competition. From those races, 12 girls are selected to receive educational sponsorships to help them enroll in primary school.
“Most of these girls come from communities where female genital mutilation is still practiced,” Ms Cheptoek said. “Without sport and education, many of them would already be married or not going to school.”
As girls begin to thrive in athletics and in class, attitudes are slowly changing.
“Some parents now see that athletics can transform not just an individual girl, but the entire community,” she said. “When these girls run, they run away from harmful practices and toward a future that choose for themselves.”
Learn security, rights and self-esteem.
Ms Cheptoek also offers age-appropriate advice on sexual and reproductive health, along with guidance on personal safety and psychosocial support.
Helps girls cope with the pressures that can come with visibility and success in communities where female independence is still in question.
“Girls who become successful athletes are often told, ‘You should stop running and get married,’” she said. “But financial independence and education give them options.”
Those discussions became even more urgent after the murder of Ugandan distance runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who died in 2024 after being attacked by her ex-partner following a land dispute.
“We talk about safety because we don’t want to lose more women,” Cheptoek said. “Female athletes are becoming more vulnerable because they challenge traditional gender roles, but no woman should be punished for pursuing her potential.”
“Female athletes are becoming more financially and socially independent and that can trigger violence in a society that still believes that a woman should stay in the kitchen, cooking and taking care of children,” she said.
By supporting community-driven and survivor-centered approaches, UNFPA and its partners ensure that girls and women can live free of violence.
Sport for freedom
For Cheptoek, the goal is clear.
“Sport should give girls freedom, not put their lives at risk.”
Through these efforts, hundreds of young people, parents and local leaders in Uganda are receiving messages about ending female genital mutilation, promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights, and promoting gender equality.
UNFPA and its partners support community-driven, survivor-centered efforts that help girls and women live free of violence, access accurate health information and services, make informed decisions about their bodies, and reach their full potential.
