By Alifya Sulemanji Age: 45 Country of Residence: United States I was looking forward to attending the second Sahiyo Activist Retreat as it is a great platform to meet more women who are standing up for the abandonment of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). I was happy to meet women from different parts of the United States. …
Continue reading The Sahiyo Activist Retreat gave me insight on how to talk about FGM/C
By AnonymousCountry of Residence: United StatesAge: 35 I knew that feeling of being surrounded by Bohra women, for two full days, chatting, laughing, crying and sharing experiences of what it means to be Bohra. That sense of community, that inspiration that came from hearing everyone’s stories, and that deep desire to want to make change …
Continue reading Why I feel Sahiyo’s Activist Retreat is a sacred space
By Anonymous Country of Residence: United States Age: 32 I felt a strong need to participate in the Sahiyo 2019 Activist Retreat because I hoped to heal from my experience of FGM/C and to gain perspective from other women who had been victims of khatna as well. For the first time in my life, I …
By Anonymous The Sahiyo U.S. Activist Retreat I attended in March of 2019 felt big to me. In the days after, I told people it blew me away, meaning that it occupied my thoughts as it was all I could talk about and think about for a while. There were parts of it that felt …
By Farzana Doctor Country of Residence: Canada Age: 48 When the first emails circulated about last month’s Sahiyo retreat in New York City, I wasn’t sure why I wanted to register, only that I knew I had to. I felt anxious the week leading up to the event and couldn’t pinpoint the reason why. During …
Continue reading My experience of healing by attending the 2019 Sahiyo Activist Retreat in the U.S.
By Anonymous Country of Residence: United States Age: 45 years old I often wondered what the two women closest to me thought about khatna. I wondered because I never really talked with my sister or my mom about it. Well, we talked, but not with much purpose. I thought they were against it, just like …
Continue reading My experience at the Sahiyo U.S. Activist Retreat made me reflect on my khatna
By Xenobia Country of Residence: India There are those who talk about change, and then there are those who do things and bring about the change. I would like to tell you about the time I decided to be a part of the Sahiyo’s Activist Retreat in Mumbai, and met such wonderful people who, in …
Continue reading Experiencing Sahiyo’s Activist Retreat in Mumbai
By Anonymous Country: United States Age: 34 To be honest, it was hard for me to make the decision to go to the Sahiyo Activist Retreat earlier this year. I grew up in the Dawoodi Bohra community in India, and having had my share of challenges with the community that involved threats to my family, …
Continue reading My inner healing at Sahiyo’s Activist Retreat in the U.S.
By Rashida Rangwala The practice of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) in the Bohra community has been a secret and taboo subject for generations. Even today with the education, media and public stories from the survivors who have undergone FGC, the Bohra community truly believes that the practice of FGC on 7-year-old girls is a religious …
By Alifya Sulemanji Sahiyo organized a retreat for FGM survivors and activists in January 2018. I attended the retreat because I am a survivor and I was interested in learning about different views, challenges and perspectives of other survivors and activists who were planning to attend as well. The retreat was very beneficial in many …
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