We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Voices to End FGM/C Screening Guide, an educational resource developed by Sahiyo, Silence Speaks, and the Asian Women’s Shelter. This guide marks a significant step forward in our collective efforts to amplify the voices of survivors, educate people, and mobilize communities to support ending female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C).

Supported by the Wallace Global Fund and the Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice, the guide is designed to help everybody facilitate impactful screenings of digital stories by survivors, activists, and advocates. These stories are not just narratives; they are powerful testimonies of resilience, courage, and the human spirit's ability to overcome.

Why This Guide Matters

FGM/C is a social norm justified by a variety of reasons, yet it carries significant implications for women's health, rights, and well-being. The Voices to End FGM/C Screening Guide stands as a crucial step forward in our collective efforts to raise awareness, foster understanding, and drive change. The guide offers a wealth of tools and templates to assist in organizing screenings of Voices to End FGM/C videos, whether within organizations, schools, or informal gatherings. It aims to create a space for learning, reflection, and action, encouraging participants to move from awareness to advocacy. By hosting a screening, you contribute to a larger dialogue about human rights, gender equality, and the urgent need to end FGM/C.

What You'll Find Inside

The guide serves as a comprehensive toolkit for anyone committed to ending FGM/C, providing the following information: 

• Detailed screening guidelines 
• Discussion prompts
• Event planning tools
• Resources for organizing engaging and informative screenings
• A selection of digital stories from our Voices project

We encourage you to visit our Voices to End FGM/C website and browse through the diverse narratives from around the globe. 

Join the Movement

By exploring the Voices to End FGM/C Screening Guide, you're taking a significant step towards raising awareness and creating opportunities for dialogue. We hope this guide becomes more than just a resource; we want this guide to serve as a call to action for everyone who believes in the power of storytelling to inspire change.

We invite you to join us in this vital movement. For any questions or to learn more about our Voices program, please reach out to us atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Related:

• Voices to End FGM/C 2023 Cohort Video Screening

When and how did you first get involved with Sahiyo?

My engagement with Sahiyo began through my interest in addressing gender-based violence, specifically focusing on FGM/C, within the public health sphere. My initial involvement as a volunteer was driven by the opportunity to apply my public health knowledge to Sahiyo's efforts. Over time, my increasing understanding of FGM/C's complexities and my desire for a more direct role in the organization's initiatives led me to the Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator position. This role has allowed me to use my skills more effectively, contributing to the development and execution of Sahiyo's mission.

What does your work with Sahiyo involve?

As the T&TA Coordinator, while my role involves creating training programs, I prioritize fostering relationships and building trust with community stakeholders to ensure our efforts are truly collaborative and responsive. Some of our training initiatives are structured to engage with healthcare professionals, gender-based violence (GBV) providers, and the local community each bringing unique challenges and perspectives to the table. Part of my work is also rooted in collaborating with a variety of partners, including NGOs, government entities, and directly with survivors, to enhance FGM/C prevention and raise awareness effectively. Additionally, I am involved with creating educational materials that serve both individuals and organizations, to provide comprehensive knowledge and practical tools, fostering an inclusive, culturally sensitive, and trauma-informed approach to addressing FGM/C. 

Finally, one key program I support is Sahiyo’s Voices to End FGM/C initiative (I participated in the mort recent Voices Conhort in 2023). This program brings together survivors, activists, and advocates from across the globe by bringing them together to share and heal from FGM/C, connect and grow as leaders, and create short videos sharing their experience with the practice. 

How has your involvement with Sahiyo impacted your life?

Working with Sahiyo has deepened my understanding of FGM/C as a complex issue that requires a comprehensive and collaborative approach to address effectively. Moving into a professional capacity within the organization has expanded my view of the challenges and possibilities in this field. It has underscored the importance of education, advocacy, and partnership in driving change. The resilience of survivors and the commitment of advocates continue to inspire my work. My hope is for Sahiyo's programs to be recognized as effective and empathetic resources in the global effort to end FGM/C.

What words of wisdom would you like to share with others who may be interested in supporting Sahiyo and the movement against FGC?

Respecting culture and tradition is crucial when addressing the practice of FGM/C. It is important to understand that FGM/C is often perpetuated by cultural and societal attitudes and is deeply rooted in the beliefs and traditions of communities that practice it. As an outsider to the practice, a judgmental approach can alienate the very communities we hope to engage. It is essential to engage with communities in a respectful and culturally sensitive manner in order to work collaboratively and to create solutions that are sustainable and in line with their values and beliefs. By doing so, we can help to create lasting change and promote gender equality while respecting cultural diversity.

Starting March 6th, Sahiyo will be hosting its second annual Women's Day Celebration & Silent Auction with the goal of raising $15,000 in support of our work to end female genital cutting. The auction will open on Wednesday, March 6th and close on Sunday, March 10th. During this five-day fundraising event, we'll celebrate women's voices with comedy, video spotlights, stories, and entertainment. 

We’re incredibly grateful to all of our generous sponsors and supporters who have contributed some wonderful auction items. To uplift their work and thank them, we’re highlighting a few and why they support Sahiyo. And if you, too, would like to contribute in some way,  click here to donate auction items, money, or sponsor the event.

Today we’re profiling Arefa Cassoobhoy, who served as the chair of the Sahiyo U.S. advisory board in 2021-2023. She is also a board certified internal medicine physician and has held various senior editing and writing roles at the likes of Everyday Health, WebMD, and Medscape.

When and how did your involvement with Sahiyo first begin?

I discovered Sahiyo’s website online when I was researching FGC for my work at WebMD and Medscape back in 2018. There was an excellent media resource guide for reporting on FGC and I decided to reach out to speak with Mariya Taher, the U.S. Executive Director to learn more. She was incredibly helpful with the articles and videos and we stayed connected afterwards. We then met at the American Public Health Association national meeting and by 2019 I had joined Sahiyo’s U.S. Advisory Board.

Why did you decide to donate to Sahiyo’s silent auction? What does the event mean to you? 

I’ve worked with Mariya and her team for a few years now, and I have been impressed by how much work they do and also the breadth of their work. From educating healthcare professionals and providing support for survivors, [to] addressing legal issues, planning Activist Retreats and the Voices to End FGM/C workshops, it's a lot for a small organization. They’ve done a great job building on their successes so every year they’re expanding and fine tuning their projects. So I feel like the money is really well spent. The more they’re able to do, the better.

The silent auction and comedy show are a great way to expose more people through a fun event to Sahiyo’s work. I’m looking forward to having people over to my house and sharing with them information about FGC. 

What did you donate?

I’m committed to Sahiyo and their work and give a monthly recurring donation. Also this year I’ve bought a VIP watch party ticket for the Women’s Day Celebration comedy show. I’ve catered the meal from a local nonprofit and have invited guests who I hope will take advantage of the many great items listed in the silent auction portion of the celebration! Many have already donated generously. 

How would you like to see your donation help Sahiyo grow? 

I hope it helps in continuing to grow existing programs at Sahiyo. I really appreciate their multi pronged approach of educating healthcare providers so that appropriate care can be given to survivors in the U.S. And also how Sahiyo encourages conversations that allow people to talk about [FGC], especially the Voices to End FGM/C workshop. I think there's a lot of healing that happens there, and ultimately stopping FGC from happening to more people.

And with Mariya's leadership, and all the other staff members, they really listen to people. So when someone brings up an idea, they remember it, they make notes. and they follow up. They’ll create a project or a program on a small scale, and then refine it before expanding it.  That has given me a lot of confidence that the projects and programs that come out of Sahiyo are really thoughtful and scalable. They truly reflect what the audience is asking for and their needs and wants. They don't rush it. So I hope my donation helps Sahiyo as they are expanding.

Related:

• Read about our other inspiring supporters in our Silent Auction Donor Spotlight 2024 series 

By Amie Kujabi

I am an FGM/C survivor. For the past two decades, my advocacy on FGM/C has been centered around other survivors and girls at risk—but never have I shared my story. A story that shaped the trajectory of my childhood and marked the beginning of a long…long…lonely self-awareness journey to an unknown destination.

I took a bold step and shared my story as an FGM/C survivor with people outside of my close-knit circle by giving testimony during an anti-FGM/C bill hearing with policymakers in Washington State. It occurred to me that there is a need for survivors to share their unique stories to raise awareness and encourage action-oriented commitments from different stakeholders. When the opportunity to participate in the digital storytelling workshop presented itself, I challenged myself to be part of the amplified voices. Voices that not only narrate similar stories about FGM/C but also give a human face to FGM/C. In our digital world,  people are moved not just by words, but also by actions and visual representation. Since FGM/C is not seldom talked about—a taboo in our communities—it was important for my story to be told in a captivating way, to change the narrative.

My digital story narrates the experiences I remember the most as a six-year-old girl who was taken to another country (Senegal) for FGM/C, under the disguise of spending summer break with my cousins and family. And so it happened: I was cut and introduced into “womanhood,” as they claimed. I later understood it as “vocational cutting” at the peak of my self-awareness journey as an adult and advocate. My story highlights the issues I faced—and I continue to struggle with. As a survivor, I struggled a lot, with my relationships growing up and in adulthood. Though this experience took me on an unknown journey, it landed me on the shores of “fighting for what is right”. That’s what propelled me into my work as a girl’s and women's rights advocate.

Everything I learned from the workshop was gold to me. I enjoyed all the sessions and the new skills I acquired in creating a digital story. From learning how to write a straight-to-the-point short story, creating and editing a digital story, being in a space with other survivors and allies, sharing our stories, and most importantly, finding support in each other. It made me feel seen and understood in my multifaceted emotions and struggles that the rest of the world may never see on a day-to-day basis. The workshop was an amazing experience, and I want more women (and others ) to be part of this great network. Together we can create more digital stories that amplify voices against this horrendous practice.

I want my story to captivate the attention of people from different walks of life. I hope that it will inspire survivors to share their stories, allies to render their support when and where it is needed, and even those on the other side of the table to finally resist this age-old tradition that harms girls. My hope is to see every state and nation have solid anti-FGM/C policies in place. I know for a fact that these laws concentrate on protecting girls at risk of being subjected to FGM/C, but I hope to see the implementation of policies that would support survivors of FGM/C as well.

I hope you will find the time to watch my short digital story. A story about a scar. A scar that my primary duty bearers believed was necessary to have in order to be labeled as the “purified” girl, for marriage, as opposed to being referred to as a “solimaa”, the uncut girl. A scar that will resemble a fresh wound for the rest of my life. Here I am today, after being silent for many years.

I now am not afraid to talk in public about stopping FGM/C. If there had been laws when I was a child, things would have been different. I was able to convince another family member to have her girls cut. And my mother is finally on board with me. But all I can think is that I failed you. I wish I didn’t have this scar. I wish you didn’t either. But we don’t have to be silent about it.

Amie Kujabi was born and raised in The Gambia, a small country in West Africa. She is very passionate about development issues, especially from a grassroots level, but also, about what development should entail at a global scale. Amie is a human rights advocate, as well as a champion for women and girls' rights and empowerment. She is also the co-founder of Think Young Women, a young women-led organization in The Gambia.

Amie is an FGM/C survivor and anti-FGM/C advocate currently residing in Washington State. As a member of the Washington Coalition to End FGM/C, Amie helped Washington become the 41st state to enact anti-FGM/C legislation. Amie is also a recent graduate of Global Development Studies and French and Francophone Studies and aspires to contribute immensely to the development of her community, state, and at the international level.

Date: March 18, 2024 

Time: 9AM-10:30AM Pacific/ 12PM-1:30PM Eastern

Register here: https://bit.ly/RTIxSahiyo. 

On March 18, Sahiyo and other FGM/C advocates will discuss the pivotal role community engagement plays in raising awareness of FGM/C and ultimately ending the practice. Led by Sahiyo’s U.S. Executive Director Mariya Taher, panelists will share effective ways to engage with FGM/C impacted communities. We invite everybody to attend the virtual panel discussion!

Speakers will include: 

• Wonder Guannu, who is the African Cultural Alliance of North America’s Project Coordinator for the FGM/C Project in Philadelphia
• Samman Masud, who is Sahiyo’s Community Engagement Coordinator
• Breanne Lash, who is the Director of Programs for Nile Sisters Development Initiative in Los Angeles and San Diego

Who should attend this virtual event?

Anybody who wants to increase engagement with individuals and communities impacted by FGM/C.

What will the event be about?

Panelists will share diverse case studies, illustrating real-world examples of community engagement in this field. These discussions will dive into the intricacies of building partnerships, mobilizing resources, influencing systems, and sustaining community and individual-level involvement to improve the wellbeing of those affected by FGM/C. 

Attendees will:

• Gain valuable insights into the challenges and successes of initiatives to address FGM/C
• Learn and be inspired by the power of community engagement in creating impact 
• Gain knowledge about specific strategies
• Have the opportunity to discuss any workshop approaches that they have used in their communities

Register for the event here: https://bit.ly/RTIxSahiyo. 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

PS: Sahiyo’s Silent Auction fundraising event kicks off on March 6-10 while the Live Virtual Comedy Show will take place on March 7. We aim to raise $15,000 in support of our work. Click here to donate auction items, money, or sponsor the event.

From political to personal, ending female genital mutilation (FGM/C) requires a multifaceted approach that includes funding. Sadly, a lack of adequate funding has created a real obstacle in our effects to enact change, which is why The Global Platform for Action to End FGM/C in partnership with the United States Mission to the United Nations is hosting  “From Rhetoric to Reality: Closing the Funding Gap to End FGM/C”, a parallel event at the 68 U.N. Commission on the Status of Women meetings this March.

• Date: Friday, March 15, 2024
• Time: 4:30-6:00 PM ET 
• Where: Church Center United Nations, 10th Floor, , New York, NY 10017
• Register: https://bit.ly/FundFGMC 
• Cost: Free

This event will explore innovative options and call for solutions to close the funding gap. Event objectives include:

1. Highlight the funding gap with an emphasis on the global nature of FGM/C and the funding needs globally.
2. Share new findings on the landscape of FGM/C funding, identify strategic entry points.
3. Bring in new stakeholders to commit to funding anti-FGM/C programming, promote dialogue between CSOs, activists and funders and mobilise multi-stakeholder partnerships.
4. Secure support for a Global Commitment Summit to attract funding to the sector.

Related:

• Reflecting on Investing in Girls and Women: Unleashing the Power of Philanthropy to End FGM/C  

PS: While we’re on the subject, Sahiyo’s Silent Auction fundraising event kicks off on March 6-10 while the Live Virtual Comedy Show takes place on March 7. We aim to raise $15,000 in support of our work. Click here to donate auction items, money, or sponsor the event.

Sahiyo U.S. will host its second annual Women's Day Celebration & Silent Auction with the goal of raising $15,000 in support of our work to end female genital cutting. The auction will open on Wednesday, March 6th, 2024 and close on Sunday, March 10th, 2024. During this five-day fundraising event, we'll celebrate women's voices with comedy, video spotlights, stories, and entertainment. We’re incredibly grateful to all of our generous sponsors and supporters who have contributed some wonderful auction items. To uplift their work and thank them, we’re highlighting a few and why they support Sahiyo as a part of larger series. And if you, too, would like to contribute in some way,  click here to donate auction items, money, or sponsor the event.

Yesterday, we profiled Zehra Patwa. Today, we’d like to introduce our second donor: Kaneez Madraswalla. Kaneez is Sahiyo’s U.S. Advisory Board Member and a trained lawyer. She works as the Vice-President of Compliance at QBE North America, where she also co-leads the QBE Women’s Initiative Network. Kaneez believes that participating in volunteer work allows individuals to contribute meaningfully to their communities while fostering personal growth, empathy, and empowers women to support and uplift each other, and is passionate about embodying this in her involvement with Sahiyo and other activism.

When and how did your involvement with Sahiyo first begin?  

I first became aware of Sahiyo and its mission through my conversations with a Board member, Zehra Patwa, almost ten years ago.

Why did you decide to become a donor for Sahiyo’s Silent Auction? What does giving to Sahiyo mean to you? 

As a newly inducted Board member, I wanted to make an impact by raising awareness of the issue and normalizing conversations surrounding the mission of Sahiyo.

Giving to Sahiyo represents a commitment to ending a harmful practice, supporting survivors, empowering women and girls, and advocating for positive change in communities affected by FGC – especially the Dawoodi Bohra community, of which I am a member.

What did you donate or contribute? 

I am hosting a watch party at my home with an expected attendance of 30 people.

How would you like to see your donation help Sahiyo grow? 

While I understand the money raised will help Sahiyo programming and outreach, I am most excited about raising awareness of this issue and introducing others to Sahiyo and its work.

Why do you think others should donate to Sahiyo?  

One of the things I look for when I donate to an organization, other than its mission, is to see the direct impact my contribution has and what it means to the organization. Sahiyo is a small, grassroots organization where every dollar counts. It is spearheaded by folks who are so very passionate about Sahiyo's mission and are deeply committed to making a difference!

Related:

• Read about our other inspiring supporters in our Silent Auction Donor Spotlight 2024 series
• Sahiyo welcomes Kaneez Madraswalla as new U.S. Advisory Board Member

 Sahiyo U.S. will host its second annual Women's Day Celebration & Silent Auction with the goal of raising $15,000 in support of our work to end female genital cutting. The auction will open on Wednesday, March 6th, 2024 and close on Sunday, March 10th, 2024. During this five-day fundraising event, we'll celebrate women's voices with comedy, video spotlights, stories, and entertainment. We’re incredibly grateful to all of our generous sponsors and supporters who have contributed some wonderful auction items. To uplift their work and thank them, we’re highlighting a few and why they support Sahiyo. And if you, too, would like to contribute in some way,  click here to donate auction items, money, or sponsor the event.

Today, we’re profiling Zehra Patwa, who serves on Sahiyo’s U.S. Advisory Board. She is also the co-founder of WeSpeakOut, an organization that advocates for Bohra women and their rights. WeSpeakOut is particularly focused on ending FGM/C in the Bohra community and banning it altogether.

When and how did your involvement with Sahiyo first begin?

After I found out that khatna (FGC) was happening in my community, my cousin put me in touch with a WhatsApp group of several Bohra women [in 2015], which included the founders of Sahiyo as well as the future founder of WeSpeakOut.

I was intrigued because I had never heard anybody talk about the practice like this. All the conversations I'd previously had about cutting with female members of my family were like, “It just happens. You just do it and you just move on with your life.” But in this WhatsApp group, people were talking about how to stop this generations-old practice. 

It was really refreshing to be with a group of Bohra women who were not going to take it any longer and were like, “we're not going to let this happen to our daughters. We're not going to let it happen to any girls.” Typically, Bohra people are quite compliant – we tend to be peaceful and don’t want to rock the boat. We're afraid of what people might think, so the conversations in this group were very powerful.

So, that’s how it all started, and now I’m on the Advisory Board! Mariya [Taher] has been an incredible inspiration. She has really helped me develop as an activist, and the Activist Retreat in particular has helped me. I think the retreat has been one of the highlights for me personally in my activism, so, that's why we need the auction to keep these programs going.

Why did you decide to become a donor for Sahiyo’s Women’s Day Celebration and Silent Auction again? What does giving to Sahiyo mean to you?  

I have been connected with Sahiyo since close to its inception and I've seen what an impact it's made, and continues to make. Sahiyo as an organization has become so well-organized and expansive in its reach, and through its work, many people are recognizing that FGC is a practice that happens right here in the US.

The more impactful Sahiyo becomes, the fewer girls get cut and the more girls are protected.

I know many people have benefited from Sahiyo’s programs, survivors and activists alike. As activists, we very often keep on, burn out, rest, and then do it all over again, but Sahiyo and programs like the Activist Retreat have allowed us to carry on and not get burned out. It’s really important to know that there is support out there as that keeps these important conversations going. 

What did you donate or contribute this year?

I’m hosting a watch party again this year and my two artist friends are working on pieces for the auction. They both donated pieces last year, both of which were very popular so I'm excited to see what they come up with this year! 

How would you like to see your donations help Sahiyo grow? 

I'd like to see Sahiyo become an independent nonprofit.  I think by being an independent nonprofit, we'll be able to do so much more in terms of certain grants and certain programs that we can apply to. Being a fiscally sponsored nonprofit limits us a little bit and I think we've grown to a point where we're really ready to become independent. I think we're in a really good place and that will then extend our reach even more and allow us to have that kind of wider exposure, which would lead to greater social change.

Why do you think others should donate to Sahiyo? 

Everyone should donate to Sahiyo because it is doing such good work that impacts so many people.

I think the impact is even greater than we recognize because this practice is such an underground issue. It's not something people openly talk about, but I've had people pull me aside to tell me, “I can't say anything publicly, but I really support the work you do.” And that's really powerful.

So I think there are a lot more people impacted by the work than we even know and I think that will really help to eliminate the practice down the road. By supporting Sahiyo, more people can be reached and even if people don’t admit in public that they won't cut their daughters, if they decide to stop the practice in their families, this harmful traditional practice will eventually die out.

Related:

• Zehra Patwa on Sahiyo and the Coalition to End FGM/C’s recent panel discussion with Connecticut legislators – and why it was a positive step forward
• I don't remember my khatna. But it feels like a violation
• Read about our other inspiring supporters in our Silent Auction Donor Spotlight 2024 series