Join us for Sahiyo’s 8th annual Activists Retreat
From July 26 – July 28th, 2024, Sahiyo U.S. will host its 8th annual Activists Retreat virtually via Zoom. Sahiyo hosts an annual Activist Retreats to bring anti-FGC activists together in a safe space and discuss the issue of female genital cutting, in an effort to collaboratively work towards ending the practice. Since 2018, over 85 people have participated in the retreat. Participants of the retreat are people speaking out against FGC — who work either publicly or anonymously — to raise community awareness about the need to end this harmful practice. Survivors, activists and anyone committed to ending FGC and interested in learning more about the issue is welcome to apply! More about the retreat: When: The virtual sessions will take place via Zoom on the following dates and times: Friday, July 26 – 5 to 6:30 pm PST/ 8 to 9:30 pm EST (1.5 hrs) Saturday, July 27 – 8 am to 1:00 pm PST/ 11 am to 4:00 pm EST (5 hrs) Sunday, July 28 – 8 am to 10:30 am PST/ 11 am to 1:30 pm EST (2.5 hrs) Who: The workshop is open to anyone residing in North America. Survivors of FGC, advocates working to end the practice and the general public interested in learning more about anti-FGC work are invited to attend. Previously relegated to South Asian populations only, this year the workshop will include members from Asian Pacific Islander communities as well as other groups. What: The 3-day retreat will include educational sessions on FGC and anti-FGC advocacy workshops, speaker presentations, self-care activities for activists and discussions to educate participants about FGC and how to better advocate to bring an end to this practice. The retreat will aim to achieve the following goals: Create a support system among activists working to empower their community to abandon FGC Develop a safe space for individuals to learn more about the issue of FGC Build individuals’ overall capacity to engage in activism, including sharing knowledge, resources, and networks Following the workshop, Sahiyo will support activists in their anti-FGC efforts and help them sustain post-retreat engagement as part of our ongoing education and advocacy work to end FGM/C. If you’re interested in taking part, please fill out Activists Retreat 2024 Interest Form by Saturday, June 1, 2024. We also invite you to visit our website to read reports from past retreats and learn more about the program. If you have any questions and would like more information about the retreat, please feel free to reach out to Samman at samman@sahiyo.org.
Pathways to Progress: Community Engagement in Ending Female Genital Cutting Reflection
On March 18th, Sahiyo in partnership with RTI International hosted a virtual community forum to discuss the role of community engagement in prevention efforts to raise awareness on FGM/C and support communities impacted by it. Speakers included Mariya Taher, Samman Masud, Wonder Guannu, and Breanne Lash. Throughout the webinar, speakers uplifted their organization’s examples of effective outreach and education through various engagement strategies with individuals and communities impacted by FGM/C. Overall, the session provided a platform for sharing diverse case studies and illustrating real-world examples of community engagement in this field. These discussions delved into the intricacies of building partnerships, mobilizing resources, influencing systems, and sustaining community and individual-level involvement to improve the well-being of those affected by FGM/C. During the webinar Sahiyo and RTI announced their to-be-released Survivor and Community Engagement Toolkit that aims to provide guidance on best practices for outreach to FGM/C-impacted communities. The information inside the toolkit is largely informed and guided by the insights of this webinar’s panelist, in addition, to other real-life examples shared by U.S.-based community organizations actively involved in combating FGM/C.