To our Sahiyo community,
As we move into this holiday season and feel winds of change bringing in the cold, we wish you and your loved ones both good health and new beginnings. In this newsletter, we are proud to share Dear Maasi's newest column on confronting the person responsible for your khatna (FGC). Sahiyo also eagerly announces the Healing as Activism Campaign, which will take place from November 25th to December 10th. This month, Sahiyo began our seventh Voices to End FGM/C workshop in collaboration with StoryCenter and Asian Women's Shelter, and presented to the Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Additionally, we share the details for an India-based research project on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of health care professionals regarding female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in urban and rural India, which is currently recruiting participants. Lastly, we spotlight volunteer Jessica Ladi Ibrahim Puri, who has been instrumental in Sahiyo's Critical Intersections research project. I feel very privileged to be a new member of the Sahiyo team and to learn from the powerful stories of survivors and allies, as well as their experience with FGM/C. I greatly admire those who use their voices to heal and help others with their healing, and look forward to supporting the empowerment of women and girls through this important work. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions info@sahiyo.org. Warmly, Alyson Maye Development Intern Learn more about Alyson’s work with Sahiyo. New Dear Maasi column: "Should I confront the person responsible for my khatna (FGM/C)?" Dear Maasi is a column about everything you wanted to know about sex and relationships but were afraid to ask! It’s a partnership between Sahiyo and WeSpeakOut, and is for all of us who have questions about khatna (FGM/C) and how it impacts our bodies, minds, sexualities and relationships. We welcome you to submit your anonymous questions. Dear Maasi, Over the last year, I’ve been thinking a lot about khatna (FGM/C) and confronting my mother about it. We’re not very close (emotionally or geographically), but I do visit a few times a year, and she’s a terrific grandmother to my kids. We’ve never talked about khatna, so I have no idea about her current stance on it. I’m nervous that raising the topic will strain our relationship. But to be honest, every time I see her, I have an urge to ask her about it and I have a feeling it could help my own healing. Should I do it? --Naz Read Maasi’s response here.