We Are Bananas for Aydin- URGENT APPEAL

Nabiha and Aydin at his birthday party.

This year, Thaakat Foundation launched a campaign called ‘Break the Silence‘- the goal being to bring awareness to the increasing instance of violence against women worldwide. As a pledge to this, we had vowed to find people and causes that we could empower- specifically women.

Recently we had the opportunity to cross paths with Nabiha Shaikh. Here is Nabiha’s story

“My name is Nabiha Shaikh, I have a four year old son named Aydin. Since he was born Aydin and I have been attending school at Baylor University. He’s a brilliant child, full of energy and spunk. He can talk about any and every subject as if he was a college grad himself. Four years ago when I had Aydin as a senior in High School, I would have never imagined achieving everything that I have thus far. With Aydin by my side I was able to receive an Air Force ROTC scholarship, become Vice President of my sorority, President of my school’s Model Arab League and work two jobs to build up my resume. I can’t say it was an easy journey. We left an abusive relationship behind and still have connections to it. Now, four years later, Aydin’s father wishes to gain full custody of him and I am left fighting a custody battle in my last semester of college. Having already racked up thousands of dollars of debt from lawyers fees I am in desperate need of financial assistance. The only hope I have of keeping my son with me is to get a lawyer that can represent me in court.”

We met Nabiha when we came across her fundraising page ” I’m Bananas for Aydin” on Facebook. For the last few months, Nabiha has been attempting to sell handmade loaves of banana bread to raise money to cover her monthly expenses as well as court fees.

These are Nabiha’s monthly expenses. If you would be willing to donate to cover any it would be SO APPRECIATED. If not, any amount is appreciated, there is no such thing as a small donation. [PLEASE DONATE HERE]

Rent:$466.00
Car Payment: $270.00
Car Insurrance: $150.00
Electricity: $100.00
Water: $50.00
Daycare: $250.00
Gas:$100.00
Food/Tolietries/Misc: $100

MORE IMPORTANTLY, if you know of a lawyer in the WACO, TX area that can help her, please contact us at thaakat@gmail.com immediately.

Nabiha plans to graduate in May and we need all the help we can get. If you would be willing to launch a crowdrise page to support her, well..that would be just awesome. Currently, we have reached just 7% of our donation goal and NEED all of the help we can get. Nabiha is graduating THIS month.

Our Guest Panel Speaks UP!

In honor of International Women’s Day we launched a contest for folks to nominate an exceptional woman who works hard to give back to our communities and/or goodwill. The top 3 nominees will receive a $100 contribution towards a charity of their choice and a Break the Silence shirt. Their story will also be featured on our blog.

We have 4 guest panelists who are currently judging the heartfelt nominations and can’t wait to reveal our winners!

We did however want to shed some light on our very humble panelists who wanted to eagerly help the cause. See below on why each of them feels its important to SPEAK UP against violence against women.

Lak Rana: Actor, Writer, Producer and Director. Recently featured in Grey’s Anatomy and Castle.

What Lak had to say about the campaign:
Lak was a huge supporter of our campaign from the moment we contacted him. Recently having taken a trip to India during the time of when news of the Delhi gang rape came to light, he felt disheartened and wanted to be a voice. “To end violence against women, we must first believe we can create change as individuals.  Every voice does matter.”

Albert Chan: Manager of Shelter Operations, New York Women’s Asian Center

What Albert had to say: Albert works day and out at NYWAC with the women and children who are affected most. He rises to the occaision to do whatever he can to bring a smile to their faces. Every year we work with Albert and his team to uplift the peace garden they have at the center’s backyard. NYWAC supports these women, whether it be standing with them at the steps of city hall to demand justice or to help them find a voice of courage. “Because domestic violence is viewed as a private family matter, some ethnic communities are often silent in response to abuse. This perception ends up condoning violence and discouraging women from speaking out or seeking escape. When some of the victims do try to seek help, they are often punished with blame, stigma and shame. With a shared understanding of the nuances of domestic violence in our culture, we are the advocates for the victims and this will send a clear message that violence against their mothers, sisters and daughters will not be tolerated. We will inform the survivors of their rights and the available assistance and encourage them to seek help.”

Paiy Hans: International Model and showstopper, to be taking the runway in Italy later this year.

What Paiy had to say about the campaign:
As a young girl I had once heard my father recite a verse from the Guru Granth Sahib, it said…
“From woman, man is born; within woman, man is conceived; to woman he is engaged and married. Woman becomes his friend; through woman, the future generations come. When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; to woman he is bound. So why call her bad or disrespect her? From her, kings are born. From woman, woman is born; without woman, there would be no one at all.— Guru Nanak,

“500 years later, We see women suffer, having two daughters of my own I set examples for them as a role model in women empowerment. I would like to see more respect for women considering the huge role they play from a Stay at home Mom, to a Soldier, Doctor, Explorer, a Hero, an Entrepreneur and so on.  Women struggle and suffer pain to ensure the continuation of the human race and have in the past decades proven to be tougher and courageous soldiers in all aspects of life. Women should be celebrated, respected, honored and commemorated.”

Abir Salim: Great thaakat friend and avid supporter of Break the Silence

What Abir had to say: Abir has been a huge supporter of our campaign since its launch. In the last year she’s donated luxurious pieces of her jewelry line REMIII to help us raise funds for Break the Silence. Abir has been a go to gal anytime we’ve needed her  advise on how to build this campaign from the ground up.

Nominate an Exceptional Woman Today!

International Women’s Day is annually held on March 8 to celebrate women’s achievements throughout history and across nations. It is also known as the United Nations (UN) Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace.

In honor of this day we are accepting nominations for an exceptional woman who works hard to give back to our communities and/or goodwill. The top 3 nominees will receive a $100 contribution towards a charity of their choice and a Break the Silence shirt. Their story will also be featured on our blog.

Thank you to our corporate contributors for helping to make this possible.

Please NOMINATE now through March 17, 2013!

Why Domestic Violence Victims Don’t Leave

I posed and answered this same question in a previous post, but Leslie Morgan Steiner does a far better job of addressing it in this TED talk. Take a look, take a listen, and find out how you can help Thaakat break the silence on domestic violence.

Introducing…the L.O.V.E. Campaign

If you’ve been reading the news at all lately, you’ve read about violence against women. The recent stories from India, horrific stories about rape and murder, have brought the issue to international attention. An article from the New York Times reports that between 25,000 and 100,000 women are killed over dowry disputes every year in India. Because many dowry murders are often reported as accidents, the actual numbers may be much higher.

Statistics about domestic abuse in America show that in the South Asian community, two out of five women experience partner violence compared to one out of three women in the world, and three million total per year in the United States.  Despite what this and the recent news reports imply, violence against women in the United States is not particular to South Asian cultures. Wafa House says the numbers are higher in South Asian and Middle Eastern communities because of any number of factors – such as the language barriers and cultural restraints that prevent victims from knowing where to turn to for help.

To narrow this gap, we at Thaakat are excited to announce our latest campaign under the Break the Silence umbrella. Today, we announce the L.O.V.E. Campaign(VIEW DONATE OPTIONS HERE)!

With L.O.V.E., we aim to bring awareness to the increasing instances of violence against women worldwide. This Valentine’s Day, donate to our campaign in honor of a loved one, perhaps someone who has overcome the trials and tribulations of domestic violence or someone who holds this issue close to his or her heart. Awareness campaigns like these not only bring sharper focus to the issue, but they bring us one step closer to gender equality worldwide.

To join our efforts you can help us spread the word or you can make a donation. We will then send you an email requesting the information of the woman you would like to honor with this donation. There are three different levels of donation:

1. For a donation of under $25, we will send an e-card to your loved one.

2. For a donation of $25-99 we will MAIL an actual card to the loved one.

3. For anything more we will mail a card AND a Break the Silence shirt to the loved one.

The proceeds of this fundraising initiative will directly benefit Wafa House, an organization founded by Dorria Fahmy and Nawal Kahf that is dedicated to strengthening the family unit. A majority of their work is dedicated towards assisting women and children victims of domestic violence. Wafa House provides a myriad of much-needed services such as a 24-hours toll-free hotline, social services, family counseling, and interpreter/translator assistance.

Thaakat Rutgers New Brunswick Presents: Saving Face

In less than two weeks’ time, Thaakat Rutgers New Brunswick is hosting a screening of the documentary “Saving Face”. The documentary chronicles the journey of Pakistani-British plastic surgeon Mohammad Jawad as he travels to Pakistan to help the survivors of acid violence. “Saving Face” was awarded the 2012 Academic Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject).

#BreaktheSilence

Domestic Violence 101

I expect that by now I’ve drilled #BreaktheSilence into your head well and good. You know #BreaktheSilence is the tag for Thaakat’s latest initiative, one that will help victims of domestic violence. But what do you really know about domestic violence?

I’m not psychic, but I know exactly what image just popped into your head – a battered, bruised woman. While that image certainly exemplifies domestic violence, the phrase “domestic violence” encompasses far more than just that single image. Domestic violence includes all abusive behaviors by one partner against another in an intimate relationship. Abuse can be physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, or verbal and the partners may be married or dating; heterosexual, gay, or lesbian; living together or separated.

In the United States, 85 percent of domestic violence victims are women. Every year about 1.5 million intimate partner rapes and physical assaults are committed against women and about 800,000 are committed against men. On the global scale, domestic violence is considered a worldwide epidemic where one in three women have experienced some form of abuse in their lifetime.

Oftentimes when people think about domestic violence, they don’t understand why the abused partner takes the abuse in silence, why he or she doesn’t just leave. But the situation is more complicated than that. The abuser has so completely taken over the victim’s life that the abused partner cannot just up and leave this relationship that has taken up such a huge space in his or her life. The victim has most likely been isolated from family and friends, the victim is completely dependent on his or her partner, and that makes leaving a bigger trial than the outsider would expect.

However, victims of domestic violence have several avenues of help available to them. They are not alone. Shelters can help the abused victim,  providing for assistance with legal representation, support groups, employment opportunities, and health services.

For more information, check out the following links:

http://www.domesticviolence.org/

http://www.dvrc-or.org/domestic

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/805546-overview#a0101

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/domestic_violence_abuse_help_treatment_prevention.htm

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs239/en/

Stop Domestic Violence

#BreaktheSilence

Break the Silence – a new Thaakat Initiative

 This campaign is an initiative of Thaakat Foundation to bring awareness to the increasing instances of violence against women worldwide. Statistics estimate that 1 in every 4 women will experience some form of violent abuse in her lifetime. Gender based violence has become such a problem that it is often referred to the silent epidemic in countries around the world. We at Thaakat have chosen to SPEAK UP. Through awareness and fundraising we hope to help women in need of urgent help locally as well as in communities worldwide.

In some countries the instance of gender violence is at 80-90%. Violence against women has become known as the “silent epidemic” or the “call for justice” for those suffering around the world. From human trafficking and rape to domestic violence and gender mutilation- the stories are filled with much despair and many times end in fatality.

Can you imagine this being YOUR life story? That of your mom? Your sister? Your friend?

This year, Thaakat Foundation will be launching an awareness campaign to encourage people to support these women who are suffering —who just want to know that they have someone behind them with a voice.

#BreaktheSilence

Nonprofit Spotlight: New York Asian Women’s Center

By: Hira T. Khan | Keeper of the Blog | Thaakat Foundation

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On April 22, our Rutgers New Brunswick chapter went out to the New York Asian Women’s Center (NYAWC) in Queens to share some love and spread some thaakat. This was one of their first outreach events, and it was an inspiring experience for the volunteers.

According to their Facebook page, NYAWC is the largest Pan-Asian domestic violence and human trafficking agency in the country. Every year, they help more than 600 women and 90 children. In terms of services, they offer counseling, safety planning, and shelter, as well as immigration relief, help attaining legal benefits, and children’s services.

At NYAWC, a small band of Thaakat volunteers worked together to plant a garden for these women and children who had plucked up the courage to leave abusive homes and start life anew.

“I felt a mix of emotions,” founding board member Ridah Mannan said. “One, I was in awe of how cute the kids were, still so full of life even though they were all facing their own battles. But then seeing the mothers made you sad because it made you think, ‘How could anyone be so ruthless as to abuse their own families?’”

Mannan graduated from the university last year, but she still makes time to participate in Thaakat events on campus. “Planting the garden,” she said, “so perfectly depicted that beautiful things can grow even in the darkest of corners.”