On September 5th, Gulabi Stories hosted a discussion-based event with support from Sahiyo called Holding Conversation on Survivorship & Healing. This virtual gathering brought together individuals from diverse backgrounds to screen and hold space to discuss a few of the digital stories from Sahiyo, StoryCenter, and Asian Women’s Shelter’s Voices to End FGM/C project. 

In this intimate setting, the Voices stories sparked reflection and dialogue around deep-seated issues related to female genital cutting (FGC). Throughout the screening, we explored themes of reconciliation, acceptance, the quest for closure and understanding, the profound impact of FGC on personal relationships, and the transformative journey of self-definition while challenging societal norms.

If you are interested in hosting your own Voices screening session, please reach out to Aries Nuño, Sahiyo’s Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For the past three years, we have been honored to have Catherine Cox, or Cate as we know her, serve as Programs Coordinator at Sahiyo U.S. In this role, Cate saw Sahiyo’s community education and outreach program, including training and technical assistance, grow and blossom. 

It is thus with great excitement and some sadness too, Sahiyo wishes Cate success and luck on her next adventure! Cate will be transitioning off of Sahiyo as Programs Coordinator to journey to the United Kingdom, where she will start her Masters at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London with the goal to study Human Rights Law. 

Cate first joined Sahiyo as a Programs Intern in 2020, while she was a freshman at Simmons College studying International Relations. Being the stellar intern that she was, after her term ended, she was offered the position of Sahiyo’s first ever Programs Coordinator; since then, she has worked to strengthen and expand the many services Sahiyo offers. Though we will miss her dearly, we are glad that Cate will remain active as a Sahiyo volunteer, and look forward to the many accomplishments she will make in the field of human rights law!

Sahiyo is thrilled to announce the successful conclusion of our 2023 Voices to End FGM/C workshop! This collaborative endeavor, orchestrated by the dedicated teams at Sahiyo U.S., StoryCenter, and the Asian Women's Shelter, brought together nine extraordinary women from diverse cultures and backgrounds on an inspiring journey of storytelling. 

The workshop began with two virtual sessions, fostering a profound sense of community and connection as participants joined online from all across the United States. During the second session, participants shared personal narratives around their experience with FGM/C, whether as survivors, advocates, and/or activists, within a supportive story circle. This laid the foundation for the powerful stories that would follow.

For the in-person segment, participants met in Berkeley, California to immerse themselves in an enriching, hands-on experience. Over the course of two days, participants learned about the art and different elements of creating a digital story. They worked collaboratively, capturing and combining their voices with moving imagery, and creating videos that beautifully encapsulates the essence of their narratives.

In the coming months, these inspiring videos will be finalized and prepared for public debut, becoming powerful tools to further amplify the voices of these women and their advocacy to end FGM/C. 

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who participated and supported this workshop, and we eagerly anticipate the impact of these stories as they contribute to the ongoing dialogue and change surrounding this critical issue.

By Umme Kulsoom Arif

This September, from the 15-19th, Sahiyo will host its annual Activists Retreat in person for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. For many Sahiyo volunteers and retreat alumni, it will be the first time in several years that activists, volunteers, and survivors will meet in person; we would love to have you attend!

The 2022 Sahiyo Activists Retreat was the first time I spoke about my experience as a female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) survivor in a real-time group setting. Though virtual, being surrounded by other survivors and activists candidly sharing their experiences with one another, offering sympathy and support, was an experience I will never forget, and I am incredibly grateful for it.

Activism is work. Whether private or public, it can feel very exhausting to make yourself vulnerable time and again, speaking about an often stigmatized and hidden subject. It can also feel incredibly lonely to speak out against deeply held convictions and traditions that seem to go back generations. Before 2022, I felt adrift in my trauma and my grief, wanting to be an activist but feeling unsure of what I could provide, and also afraid of the obstacles I would face in speaking up.

In my 2022 Retreat Reflection, I spoke candidly of that fear. My gender identity and sexuality have been shaped by my experience with FGM/C This had lead to me feel reluctant to share my experiences, especially as I myself felt trapped in the angriest stage of grief. The 2022 Activists Retreat, however, came with community and confirmation that my emotions were valid, that I was enough for wanting to speak up and speak out. The 2022 Retreat taught me how to grieve, taught me the value of community, and taught me the most important thing — we are not alone.

This year, in May, I had the honor of attending a one-day virtual retreat, where I met and spoke to survivors and those whose parents protected them from FGM/C, a perspective I had not anticipated hearing from, and simultaneously, one that brought me much joy. The voices of those who have begun to break the tradition of FGM/C are vital to the activist movement, and I am delighted to hear more of them joining the conversation. 

We are delighted to offer travel scholarships for domestic travel to Atlanta, Georgia, as well as housing and meals. I invite you to join us for three days of healing and hope, all supported by Sahiyo’s incredible team and wonderful Retreat Planning Committee.

We are eager to welcome three amazing women into our organization, who will allow us to build up our organization’s capacity in order to better meet our mission to end female genital cutting (FGC) and expand the scope of our work!  

Aries Nuño, a seasoned volunteer with Sahiyo, joins us now as our Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator. Learn more about Aries.

Ming Rao brings her accounting and finance expertise to the team as Sahiyo’s Accountant. Learn more about Ming.

Samman Masud is excited to utilize her experiences in human rights advocacy in her role as Community Engagement Coordinator. Learn more about Samman.

Welcome to the team, Aries, Ming, and Samman!

On August 8th, Sahiyo hosted a training for the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice, titled “Cross-Collaborative Work: Incorporating Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Survivors into Support Services in Virginia.” Even with growing recognition of FGC in the U.S., many service-providers, including law enforcement, are not adequately equipped to address FGC in the United States. This training provided an introductory foundation for an understanding of FGC, as well as the role the legal system and victims advocates have in addressing and responding to this issue. In addition, the training addressed key competencies and best practices for working with and interacting with survivors of FGC and/or practicing communities. 

This training was attended by 60+ members of the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, including victims advocates, researchers, law enforcement, legal services, healthcare providers, and others.

Sahiyo U.S. would like to thank our friends at Ben & Jerry’s Foundation for a core support grant award of $20,000 per year for two years. Ben & Jerry’s Foundation supports grassroots groups throughout the U.S. and its territories that are led by the people most impacted by the legacies of white supremacy culture, as they organize for racial equity and social and environmental justice. They center the leadership and collective action of Black communities, Indigenous communities, and communities of color in their efforts to build movements to dismantle oppressive and discriminatory systems toward a more just and inclusive world.

These funds will help Sahiyo specifically by strengthening the network of community-based anti-female genital cutting (FGC) advocates leading prevention and policy campaigns in the movement to end FGC in the U.S.; continuing to build FGC survivor and community-driven state coalitions who advocate for policy in states that don’t yet have laws to address FGC; and expanding on our original Critical Intersections work, forming partnerships with allied social justice movements and working together to build more comprehensive and inclusive systems of care and support for FGC survivors and/or those at risk of FGC.

We are truly grateful for the support!

Sahiyo is excited to announce the upcoming publication of our new report, Examining the Current State of Critical Intersections: Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting and Social oppressions. The report explores how different forms of oppression intersect to limit survivors’ access to resources, as well as how the work to end FGM/C is connected to other themes across the human experience. 

In July 2021, Sahiyo hosted a public webinar titled, “Critical Intersections: Anti-Racism and Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C)." The discussion highlighted how systemic racism negatively effects the fight against FGM/C. The webinar was highly successful, engaging more than 300 people. 

Using that momentum, Sahiyo launched a research project to further understand how different forms of oppression affect marginalized communities that practice FGM/C and how to connect with other activist movements to strengthen our efforts to end FGM/C. 

This report is the first of a series on this research, and identifies current understandings of critical factors intersecting with FGM/C and outline the gaps in our knowledge. The publication is organized around seven core themes that intersect with FGM/C: religion, climate change, feminism, race and racism, law and policy, queer gender and sexuality, and bodily autonomy. This review serves as a significant starting point for Sahiyo’s own data collection for the  Examining Intersections Between FGM/C and other Social Oppressions Research Project, the results of which will be disseminated in Feb 2024.