Voices to End FGM/C

The Courage to Speak: Severina reflects on the journey of sharing her FGM/C Story

By: Megan Seaver Severina Lemachokoti is an anti-FGM campaigner, a human rights defender and a gender rights activist from the Samburu community in Northern Kenya. She was interviewed by Sahiyo’s editorial coordinator, Sheena Vasani. In this interview, Severina reflects on her experience being a part of the first Voices to End FGC cohort and how […]

Digital Storytelling’s Role in Healing and Advocacy Against Female Genital Mutilation/ Cutting

The 12th International Digital Storytelling Conference (DST2025 and also known as the 1st International Conference on Social Technologies of Memory) took place in October and November 2025 with virtual and in-person events in São Paulo, Brazil. Sahiyo, Asian Women’s Shelter (AWS), and Silence Speaks co-presented a session that explored how participatory digital storytelling can advance […]

10 Years of Sahiyo: Spotlighting Voices to End FGM/C Alumni Renee Bergstrom

Finding My Voice, Cohort 1, 2018 In December 2025, Sahiyo will celebrate its 10th anniversary, and we’re hosting a campaign to mark the occasion! Starting in July and running through December, we will be highlighting each of our programs, reflecting on our accomplishments, and planning for the future. This month, we are highlighting Sahiyo’s Voices […]

Reflecting on “Storytelling as a Tool for Female Genital Mutilation/ Cutting (FGM/C) Survivor-Centered Change” at CSW 69

On March 18, 2025, Sahiyo co-hosted a powerful parallel session during the 69th Commission on the Status of Women titled “Storytelling as a Tool for FGM/C Survivor-Centered Change.” Organized in partnership with the Voices to End FGM/C program collaborators—Silence Speaks and the Asian Women’s Shelter—the event took place at the Church Center for the United […]

Join Sahiyo, the Asian Women’s Shelter, and Silence Speaks for a Parallel Event at the 69th Session of Commission on the Status of Women in New York

On March 18, 2025, Sahiyo, in collaboration with the Asian Women’s Shelter and Silence Speaks, will host a parallel event at the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) in New York City (NYC). The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is a global body committed to the protection, advancement, […]

Cave of Consciousness

Recently Sahiyo’s Editorial Assistant Megan Seaver sat down with 2022 Voices to End FGM/C Alum Ibtisam to discuss the screening of her Voices digital story at the 2024 Trauma-Informed Film Festival, Leeds, UK. Voices to End FGM/C is a collabortive project between Sahiyo and Silence Speaks mobilizing a critical mass of storytellers and activists from […]

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 […]