Farrah Dalal Reflects on the 2026 Activist Retreat
By: Farrah Dalal I chose to participate in the Sahiyo Activists Retreat because I feel as a survivor and activist it is important to maintain connection to the networks of people doing the difficult work of affecting change in our community and around the world. There has been so much progress since my youth, and […]
Reflecting on my first Activists’ Retreat: Gender and FGC
By: Anonymous Prior to attending my first Activists’ Retreat this past February, I could tell you that being a survivor of female genital cutting (FGC) means something different to each person it’s been done to, but I think it would’ve lacked a certain authority and understanding. What stuck with me the most from this retreat […]
Reflecting on The Maryland Legislative Webinar
On February 25, 2026, the DMV Coalition to End FGM/C, a survivor-oriented and informed coalition focused on advocacy and advancing legislation in the D.C., Maryland, and Viginia or DMV area, hosted a powerful webinar highlighting Maryland’s current FGM/C landscape. Bringing together over 40 individuals from across the state—ranging from state department employees to university students […]
Reflections from London: Survivor-Experts on Healing, Solidarity, and the Future of the Anti-FGM/C Movement
By Renee Bergstrom In December 2025, Sahiyo and Dr. Leyla Hussein convened a small, in-person gathering of seven survivors and experts from Africa, Asia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The meeting created space to foster honest dialogue, promote healing in solidarity, and discuss how anti-racist narratives have impacted the FGM/C movement. Participants also […]
“The Weight of Silence” – What an Indian Dawoodi Bohra Discovered at an American FGM/C Retreat
By: Anonymous Twelve women of all ages sat patiently around neatly stacked piles of fuzzy, colorful craft sticks—black, brown, white, some even blood-red- but as the Sahiyo retreat progressed, the craft table appeared increasingly disorganized. I assume it was because of the intimate and uncomfortable conversations we were having. Most of the participants, including me, […]
Why I Came Back
By: Nur Bookwala Both sides of my family are Bohri. My Dad was raised Baha’i in a joint family with a Bohri matriarch – his grandmother. My mother was raised in a nuclear Bohri family in Bandra. My mom would convert to the Baha’i Faith in her late 20s when she moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. […]
DMV Coalition Hosts Powerful Webinar on Ending Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in the Region
By: Katie Bai On July 1st, 2025, the DMV Coalition to End FGM/C hosted an impactful webinar, titled “A History of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Washington D.C.,” that brought together over 40 attendees from across the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and beyond! The event was a powerful reminder of the strength and momentum behind […]
Beyond Advocacy: How the Sahiyo Retreat Deepened My Healing
By Lubaina Plumber I still remember the first time I attended a Sahiyo retreat. I walked into the retreat feeling uncertain, not quite knowing what to expect.But I left with a deep sense of connection—like I had just found a room full of people who spoke a language I had been struggling to translate for […]
You don’t know how much you need it until it’s over
By Umme Kulsoom Arif, Esq. I first attended a Sahiyo Activists’ Retreat in 2022, when virtual meetings were still the norm. Since then, I have been a member of the Activists’ Retreat planning committee, working on programming and logistics for in-person and virtual retreats alike. The 2025 Activists’ Retreat was my second in-person retreat. I’m not […]
Reflecting on the FGC 101 Training at the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault Conference
By: Jumai Olumo-Saidu Attending and presenting at the annual Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault (ICASA) conference in Springfield, Illinois, was a transformative experience. As a volunteer at Sahiyo and a second-year community psychology student at the National Louis University, I co-led an FGC 101 training session with Sahiyo’s Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator, Aries Nuno […]