What Not to Say
By; Samman Masud In this digital short film, “What Not to Say”, I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about the experiences and conversations I had with my community members around the time I gave birth to my two wonderful daughters. To some, these experiences would not necessarily qualify as microaggressions, nor are they typical […]
Not Who I Am
By; Lubaina Plumber Why did you want to attend the workshop and share your story? So, to me it was a natural next step when I was given the opportunity to be part of the Voices Workshop. I’ve worked in gender based violence my whole life and as a survivor myself it’s important to share my […]
Support
By The Anole Sister Being an Anole Sisters member, I am an FGM/C survivor. For the past four decades, I have lived with this experience. Since 2015, I have been advocating for and raising awareness about FGM/C along with other survivors, women, and girls at risk. However, I had never shared my story publicly until […]
Breaking the Silence
Why did you want to attend the workshop and share your story? I wanted to attend the workshop because I recognized it as a unique opportunity to share my journey with FGM/C, a silent struggle I had endured for years. The workshop offered a platform for me to break that silence, connect with others, and […]
My Story, My Voice
Why did you want to attend the workshop and share your story? I was interested in attending the workshop as it was the first one that I had come across that focused on survivors of FGM/C. I wanted to connect with other survivors and hear their stories, while also being able to share my own […]
Perseverance and Power
By Sinnah Bangura After I had my daughter, I was introduced to a support group with other survivors of FGC. I found a YouTube video where a survivor was speaking about her experience undergoing the practice and the impact it’s had on her life. It was at this point that I began to understand more about […]
To Speak
By Aisha Dorley I first came across the Voices to END FGM/C platform in the fall of 2022. The videos were so personal, vulnerable, and gripping. At the same time, they were educational in a way that no article or research paper could be. When I was presented with the opportunity to attend the workshop, I […]
On My Own Terms
Why did you want to attend the workshop and share your story? I’ve had the opportunity to talk about my experience with female genital mutilation (FGM) and the ways in which it has impacted my life and my community. However, finding a platform that allows me to take ownership of my story—and have autonomy and […]
I Am SORRY!
By Isatou Jeng For over a decade, I have used my voice and my story as a survivor of FGM/C to raise awareness around the issue. I started at a time when it was considered too “shameful” to share my personal experience as a survivor. I am glad that I shared my story regardless, though, as […]
My Journey to Advocacy
By Fadima Tall When I was invited to join the Sahiyo Voices to End FGM/C workshop, I was hesitant to accept. I had only been in the field of FGM/C advocacy for a few months and was still finding my footing as an advocate. I had always struggled with speaking about emotional topics, perhaps as a […]