Get involved with the next cohort of the Voices to End FGM/C project!
Since 2015, Sahiyo has provided various storytelling platforms for women and community members from all over the world to share their experiences of female genital cutting (FGC), in hopes of preventing this harmful practice from occurring to the next generation of girls. Now, we’re excited to announce our 2021 Voices to End FGM/C digital storytelling […]
Why human rights education, including FGC, is crucial for American classrooms
By Hunter Kessous Throughout high school, whenever I would tell people about my future goals to help survivors of female genital cutting (FGC), nine times out of ten the response would be, “What is FGC?” This is a question I never minded. As a human rights advocate, I’ve always taken the opportunity to educate my […]
Utilizing Participatory Storytelling to Educate – A session at APHA 2019
On Nov 4, 2019, Sahiyo’s co-founder Mariya Taher took part in a round-table session at the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) Annual Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to discuss the Voices to End FGM/C project. Participants were able to view a sample of the digital stories created by survivors. They were also able to learn how […]
Sahiyo Stories screened at Academy of Communications in Healthcare Workshop
By Renee Bergstrom, EdD On January 30, 2019, I presented the workshop: Patient Engagement through Brief Focused Videos featuring the Sahiyo Stories at the Academy of Communication in Healthcare (ACH) Winter Course in Scottsdale, Arizona. ACH endeavors to promote empathy and better communication among health care providers, patients and families. I prepared throughout my adult […]
‘I Hope my Story Helps other Women’: A Reflection on the Sahiyo Stories Workshop
By Maryah HaideryLast December I participated in a Sahiyo activist retreat where I learned the unique power that storytelling has to teach, stimulate, and inspire audiences while offering the storyteller a sense of empowerment and catharsis. That’s why I was excited to reunite with some of the brave women I met on that retreat for a three-day storytelling […]
World Bank Group hosts an informative workshop on FGM/C
On September 13, the World Bank Group hosted an informative workshop titled, “Emotional and Psychological Impact of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting.” Experts and activists shared their research, experiences, and approaches used to address FGM/C. The workshop also focused on a discussion around meeting the psychosocial needs of those affected by FGM/C. Speakers included Leyla Hussein (keynote […]
Sahiyo Storycenter Workshop: The Power of Storytelling
By Zehra PatwaShame. Deceit. Confusion. On the first day, sitting around a large table in a light-filled room in the StoryCenter workshop space in Berkeley, California, these words were repeated over and over again by each woman sharing her story of being cut as a young girl. And in most cases, the story was disturbingly similar: a […]
WeSpeakOut spearheads two-day workshop on ending FGC in India
In a unique event bringing together activists working to end Female Genital Cutting and various stakeholders from civil society organisations, WeSpeakOut organised a two-day symposium at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai on August 1 and 2. The symposium, titled “Strategy-building Workshop on FGM/C in India”, was organised in partnership with TISS, […]
Khatna Isn’t Black Or White, Just Like My Story
By AnonymousCountry of Residence: United StatesFemale Genital Cutting/Mutilation in the Bohra community is not black and white, just like how survivors and non-survivors’ stories are not black and white. This idea resonated the most with me during the Sahiyo Stories workshop held in Berkeley, California at the beginning of May. Sahiyo Stories allowed me to explore the […]
Why I Chose to Tell My Story About Female Genital Mutilation at the Sahiyo Stories’ Workshop
By Renee Bergstrom, EdDI chose to tell my story of FGM because I am aware that being silenced is a universal issue for those who have experienced it. When I read my story the first day at the StoryCenter, I was surprised that my voice cracked with emotion. Our sisterhood developed quickly from the strength of […]