For nearly the whole month of November, Sahiyo's co-founder and U.S. Executive Director Mariya Taher was in Panama with the Noma Collective, a community of remote working professionals. On November 10th, she hosted a workshop for the community to help raise awareness on the topic of female genital cutting (FGC), which many individuals were unaware of. The workshop provided an overview of storytelling’s impact in forming connections and creating social change, specifically in how Sahiyo uses storytelling as an intervention to support survivors of FGC. Participants were also given a general overview of FGC, the forms of FGC and their impacts, and the reasons and justifications given for the continuation of the harmful practice. At the end of the workshop, participants were given a chance to practice storytelling techniques used in Sahiyo programs through writing prompts and exercises, which focused on turning their travel experiences into meaningful stories.
To learn more about Sahiyo's community education and outreach program, visit our website.