Sahiyo releases seven new Voices to End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting videos created by survivors and advocates
“I’m so grateful for Sahiyo, and for the Voices to End FGM/C project for providing me with the platform to bring this story out of the darkness. Nearly two decades later, I am still healing and working on growing around my grief. Now, I think about who I want to be because this happened to […]
Reflecting on Sahiyo’s International Women’s Day Celebration & Silent Auction
Thank you to everyone who participated in Sahiyo’s inaugural International Women’s Day Celebration & Silent Auction! We are truly grateful for the show of support. With the help of our incredible donors and supporters, we raised over $14K. Our five-day celebration of women’s voices began on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, with a fun and interactive […]
Who are you, really?
By Umme I play a lot of video games. I watch even more video essays about video games. Written and recorded by people who’ve made careers out of literary analysis, these videos feel a bit like a virtual book club, joining with thousands of other viewers and commenters to play, analyze, and discuss our favorite […]
Full circle: A bridge from the political to the personal
BBy Lakshmi Anantnarayan I recently attended Sahiyo and Story Center’s Voices to End FGM/C Digital Storytelling workshop to share my experience as an anti-female genital mutilation (FGM) advocate. I certainly did not expect the process to be so enlightening and personally fulfilling! Though my work to end FGM goes back more than 20 years in the U.S., […]
Trusting Me
By Muna Osman Why did you want to attend the workshop and share your story? I first found out about the Voices workshop when I met with Mariya. The meeting was in a different setting; I had no idea about the workshop before she told me about what Sahiyo does with these stories. After that […]
Moving Forward
By Nazneen Vasi The topic of Khatna, also known as female genital cutting (FGC), has always been interesting. Within my family, there are those who are against it, and those who support it. It is clearly not a religious custom, but more cultural. How did it even become a part of our culture? And why […]
Reflecting on Being Seen
By Cate Cox Despite working at Sahiyo for nearly three years, it wasn’t until recently that I decided to participate in our popular ‘Voices to End FGM/C’ digital storytelling workshop. For so long I’ve been inspired by the strength and bravery of the storytellers I watched on my computer screen. I’ve used various Voices videos […]
My story doesn’t end here
By Farrah Dalal I could speak to a multitude of ways in which female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) has impacted my life and experiences. However, I choose to focus my first attempt at storytelling on my college years, rather than the actual physical trauma I endured. Here’s why: Many of us are cut as young children. […]
Washington State makes progress to end FGM/C
Washington State is one of the remaining ten U.S. states without any law that addresses and prohibits female genial mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). FGM/C is a human rights violation and form of child abuse and gender-based violence that involves removal of the female genitalia for non-medical purposes. This gap in state protection has left children in Washington […]
Reflecting on There’s an App For That?: Technological Innovation and Change Towards Ending Female Genital Cutting event
By Derrick Simiyu During this past March 8th, International Women’s Day, I was extremely excited to attend There’s an App For That? Technological Innovation and Change Towards Ending Female Genital Cutting, hosted by the Global Platform for Action to End FGM/C as a parallel event during the United Nations’ NGOCSW67. The webinar explored how technology, […]