Sahiyo's Silent Auction Donor Spotlight: Zehra Patwa

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.