Sahiyo’s International Women’s Day Celebration & Silent Auction Donor Spotlight: Zehra Patwa
Starting March 8th, International Women’s Day, Sahiyo U.S. will be hosting a virtual silent auction to raise funds and awareness for our programs and services to end female genital cutting (FGC). The auction will open on Wednesday, March 8th, 9am PST/ 12pm EST and close on Sunday, March 12th, 6pm PST/ 9pm EST. We have some amazing sponsors and auction items have been provided by our supporters., To uplift and thank them for their contribution, we’re highlighting who they are and why they support Sahiyo. When and how did your involvement with Sahiyo first begin? Back in 2015, I was invited to join a WhatsApp group of women around the world who were starting to talk about khatna or female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in the Bohra community. This mighty group of women included the founders of Sahiyo. I had recently learned that khatna was taking place within my community and had also learned that I had been cut as a 7-year old girl. I was still working on accepting that my community perpetrated this harmful traditional practice, but hearing what other women had experienced further reinforced the impact of this practice and spurred me to speak out publicly about khatna. Since then I have been connected to Sahiyo in various ways, as a partner with WeSpeakOut, a retreat organizer, a volunteer, and now, as Vice-Chair of the Advisory Board. Why did you decide to become a donor for Sahiyo’s Inaugural Women’s Day Celebration and Silent Auction? What does giving to Sahiyo mean to you? When Sahiyo came up with the idea of a Silent Auction AND a Comedy Show, I was hooked! It’s such a fun way to do good in the world and I know how hard the staff at Sahiyo has worked to make this event outstanding. This International Women’s Day event is an indication that many people feel passionate about human rights and are willing to do what it takes to ensure girls are safe from harm. I want to see Sahiyo thrive and continue to do its important work to reach as many people as possible. Supporting Sahiyo is very personal to me. Sahiyo’s founders, staff, and volunteers have taught me so many skills to help process my experience of khatna and to help me find my voice so that I can spread awareness and educate others on the risks of the practice. I love to support the amazing work Sahiyo does so that others can benefit from their programs as I have. What did you donate? Two of my friends, who are artists, commissioned pieces for the auction. I’m so excited to share their work with a larger audience! You can now preview Kiran Zaman’s Kiran Zaman’s We Don’t Bow Our Heads, an original mixed media artwork piece derived from the Urdu poem, “We Sinful Women,” by Kishwar Naheed, online. How would you like to see your donation help Sahiyo grow? Sahiyo does so many important things but one thing that I find to be critical is empowering and amplifying the voices of those impacted by FGM/C. One of my favorite Sahiyo programs is the Voices workshop which brings diverse voices together and helps those impacted by FGM/C to share their stories and experiences. I saw, first hand, how impactful this sharing can be when my Voices video was first promoted in 2018. Not only did I benefit personally from telling my story, but I also gained new friends and learned that my story had helped others who were in the same boat as me. Why do you think others should donate to Sahiyo? I would highly encourage supporting Sahiyo as everyone involved in the organization is 100% committed to the mission and is laser focused in ensuring their work is done sensitively and respectfully. If your goal is to positively impact the lives of countless women and girls, you can do no better than to donate to Sahiyo so that they can continue to grow their range of programs to expand that impact even further. Ending FGM/C is the ultimate goal and supporting Sahiyo’s programs will bring us closer to that goal.
Sahiyo’s Inaugural International Women’s Day Celebration & Silent Auction
Dates: Wednesday, March 08 – Sunday, March 12, 2023 Website Link: https://sahiyo.org/get-involved/events/sahiyo-silent-auction.html Item Donation Link: https://forms.gle/b7cHAALDU8QemtSi6 Sahiyo is planning our first ever virtual silent auction fundraising event to raise $15K in support of our work to end female genital cutting (FGC). The auction will open on Wednesday, March 8, 2023 and close on Sunday, March 12, 2023. During this 5-day event, we will celebrate women’s voices with video spotlights, stories, and entertainment. Do you have an item you’d like to donate or would you like to participate in our program? We are looking for silent auction items to help raise funds to end female genital cutting as well as some incredible women to celebrate during the event including artists, poets, authors, singers, activists, etc. If you are interested in joining us for this celebration, please contact michelle@sahiyo.org to sign up.
Each One, Reach Bhaiyo
In honor of International Women’s Day on March 8th, Sahiyo will officially launch our new campaign “Each One, Reach Bhaiyo”. During this campaign, Sahiyo will encourage staff, volunteers, and community members to reach out to and educate at least one male-identifying person in their life about female genital cutting (FGC) and encourage them to join the Bhaiyo program. Through this campaign we hope to involve men in the important work of protecting women and girls. We know that just one conversation can spark a global change towards preventing the human rights violation that is FGC amongst future generations. This International Women’s Day, and throughout women’s history month, let’s stand up for women and girls. Leading up to the campaign, we will be sharing materials to educate and guide people on having effective conversations with men about FGC. If you are struggling to start a conversation with the men in your life about this topic, be on the lookout for our materials in the coming weeks. How to Participate: To participate in our campaign, share or post a picture of yourself with a placard saying that you have reached out to someone with the hashtag #EachOneReachBhaiyo. Our Programs Coordinator, Catherine, has done an example below: You can download the template here. We have also drafted a list of questions if people wish to respond to them in blogs or in their submissions! Why did you want to reach out to another man in your life to discuss FGM/C? What was his reaction? Was he aware of FGM/C? What advice would you give to others trying to reach out to the men in their lives? We will begin posting these submissions in March to help raise awareness about the need for crucial conversations with men about this issue. Each one, Reach Bhaiyo! Please send your submissions to programscoordinator@sahiyo.com or text them on Whatsapp to +1 202 754 2563