Activists Retreat Reflection: A shift that was needed
By Amena Ali This was my second time participating in the Activists Retreat, and my first Retreat on the planning committee. I thoroughly enjoyed this year, and especially the shift from last year compared to this year. Last year was very focused on people relating to each other in sympathy, and this year it was […]
Activists Retreat Reflection: Umme’s experience
By Umme Kulsoom Arif When I was first invited to join the 2022 Sahiyo Activists Retreat I was… terrified. I almost didn’t sign up. I wanted to be an activist and I wanted to do more with Sahiyo, but I was scared of both.. Being both non-binary and a survivor of FGM/C, I always thought […]
PRESS RELEASE: Dozens of Survivors of Female Genital Cutting Share Stories on New ‘Voices To End FGM/C’ Website
July 31, 2022 – After five years of supporting survivors of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in sharing their stories, Sahiyo and StoryCenter announce the launch of a new website dedicated to highlighting this underrecognized human rights violation. “As a survivor of female genital cutting, I have experienced the frustration of being reduced to a statistic: one […]
Sahiyo and StoryCenter Release Eight NEW ‘Voices to End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting’ Stories created by Survivors and Advocates
“Witnessing others be vulnerable and open in telling their stories helped to validate my experience. I was able to pull scattered thoughts and memories into a clear and concise picture.” ~Zahra, Voices Storyteller With 200 million people having undergone female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) worldwide, many stories are waiting to be heard. As one of Sahiyo’s […]
Stories of survival, strength, solidarity and sisterhood
By Nevin Sulthan I am a survivor of female genital mutilation (FGM), and I have met many others from my community who have undergone the same violation. Even though there are many survivors of FGM, the community hardly acknowledges its existence. The digital storytelling workshop Voices To End FGM created a platform for sharing and […]
Willing To Learn
By Anonymous Attending the digital storytelling workshop was an opportunity that came by and seemed interesting. After the first meeting and learning more about the Voices To End FGM/C program, I was even more intrigued. I wanted to be able to create a story that people would feel deeply and find some sort of hope […]
Sahiyo volunteer spotlight: Social media intern Olachi Nwagwu
Olachi is a UW-Madison graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications. She is an aspiring entrepreneur and content creator who is passionate about sustainability and community design based thinking. Olachi believes strongly that social media should be used as a tool to help overlooked people in society go from being “invisible” to “visible”. She admires […]
Sahiyo wins grant from Peace Development Fund
Sahiyo U.S. would like to thank our friends at the Peace Development Fund for a core support grant award of $5,000.00. The Peace Development Fund supports organizations who are working to shift power, build a movement, dismantle oppression, and create new structures. This grant, from their Community Organizing Grants Fund, is made possible by hundreds […]
The Connecticut Coalition to End FGM/C speaks with the Hartford Times
Within the U.S., there are currently 10 states without any laws in place to protect girls from Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C); Connecticut is one of those states. Since 2021, the Connecticut Coalition to End FGM/C has been working to build holistic solutions for supporting survivors and preventing future generations of girls from experiencing FGM/C in […]
Training Social Workers to be more responsive to survivors of FGC
On June 23rd, Caitlin LeMay, LCSW of the US End FGM/C Network, and Mariya Taher, MSW, MFA of Sahiyo, parterned to provide a workshop on Female Genital Cutting (FGC) for social workers through Boston College Continuing Education. The workshop provided an introductory foundation for understanding what FGC is, including prevalence in the U.S. and globally, […]