Sahiyo Donor Spotlight: Sarrah Hussain
Sarrah Hussain is currently a senior undergraduate student at Stanford University studying human biology and computer science. Her relationship with Sahiyo began with the Development Team, first as a Development Intern, then transitioning to Development Assistant, and finally, becoming Development Coordinator. For her undergraduate honors thesis, Sarrah is partnering with Sahiyo and Asian’s Women’s Shelter (AWS) to better understand support services for survivors of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). Why did you decide to donate to Sahiyo and what does it mean to you?I decided to donate to Sahiyo because I believe in their work! As a previous member of the Development Team at Sahiyo, I understand how impactful my donation can be to make Sahiyo’s work possible — I know my donation is truly making a difference to ensure the Sahiyo team can more actively work towards eliminating FGM/C. While an employee of Sahiyo, I feel like I was able to grow as a person and an activist, and I am thrilled that I am able to contribute back to the organization through my donation and my research (you can read more about it here). How did you first become involved with Sahiyo and how has your involvement evolved over time? I first heard about Sahiyo because I was actively looking to get involved with organizations working to eliminate FGM/C. I joined Sahiyo as a Development intern and over the course of about 2 years, I moved into the role of Development Assistant to Development Coordinator. Due to other commitments, I decided to move into a volunteer role over the past year, and am now excited to be working again with Sahiyo in a more active role as an undergraduate researcher working on my honors thesis. Why should others donate to Sahiyo?Others should donate to Sahiyo because their donation will be directly allocated towards efforts to eliminate FGM/C and will make a tangible impact in Sahiyo’s work. Sahiyo and the entire team leading the organization are amazing people—they are the reason I believe in the organization’s work and keep wanting to work with them over and over again!
Sahiyo Discusses: You Still Look the Same, a discussion with Farzana Doctor
In our latest Sahiyo Discusses event, which took place on September 21st, we were joined by Farzana Doctor, to discuss her newly released poetry book, You Still Look the Same. A profoundly moving collection of poems, Farzana explores multiple themes and includes a section on being a survivor of female genital cutting (FGC). At the event itself we listened to her poetry, which was subsequently followed by a discussion and questions for Farzana, focusing on methods for healing grief and trauma, alongside her process for writing such personal insights into her life. Farzana is a writer, activist and psychotherapist, currently volunteering with WeSpeakOut, a global group that works to end FGC in her community and also writes for Sahiyo’s Dear Maasi, a sex and relationships column on Sahiyo’s blog for FGC survivors. Evident in her ‘agony aunt’ style responses, as well as her poetry, Farzana is not afraid to shine light on difficult and painful topics: the pain of heart break and dating at middle-age, cultural and familial responses to her same sex relationship, and misogyny and racism that has followed her from childhood. Though heart-wrenching and emotionally stirring, Farzana’s voice also rings with humour and strength, holding the ability to switch between light-hearted anecdotes about online dating and a fiery condemnation of those who stand by and silently watch FGC take place. Sahiyo believes storytelling to be an important part of the work to end FGC, simultaneously uplifting survivors’ experiences to give them a voice while increasing awareness and conversations around the practice to end it. Farzana’s writing is a brilliant example of this, and we thank her for joining Sahiyo Discusses and giving us the opportunity to talk with her about her work and experiences. Thank you to everyone who came and donated. Follow these links if you are still interested in donating to Sahiyo or reading Farzana’s poetry collection.
Celebrating October 11th – International Day of the Girl Child
This October 11th marked the Tenth Annual Day of the Girl Child, a day created by the United Nations General Assembly to highlight girls’ empowerment and promotion of their rights as well as to address challenges to gender equity. To honor the occasion, Sahiyo collaborated with partner organizations in two events to raise awareness of the harms of female genital cutting (FGC) and the work our organization is involved in to support survivors and work towards prevention of FGC for future generations. FGM Taskforce of Greater Los Angeles – A moderated panel with advocates in honor of the International Day of the Girl Child and Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The event was hoted by the FGM Taskforce of Greater Los Angeles. Speakers included: Athia Carrim, Dr. Nina Smart, Mariya Taher, Dr. Brenda Kaye Ingram, Muluemebet Alemayehu. Voices to End FGM/C – A discussion-based event to uplift storytellers from the Voices to End FGM/C digital storytelling project and celebrate the 10th anniversary of the International Day of the Girl Child. The event was hosted by The World Bank, and sponsored by the GFLID FGM Legal Work Group Group, Sahiyo, and StoryCenter. Speakers included: Isabella Micali Drossos, Mariya Taher, Renee Bergstrom, Bayor Chantal, Amy Hill, Lou M.C. Granier. We are thankful for their collaboration and support, and look for future opportunities to work together to uplift girls’ empowerment! Read further to learn more about Sahiyo’s work to uplift girls everyday.