Programs in New York City

°Mission
°Strategies
°Core Values

Sauti Yetu Center for African Women (SYCAW) began as The African Immigrant Program at RAINBO (Research, Action and Information Network for Bodily Integrity of Women) in 1995. In 2004, in response to the violence that continues to dominate the lives of girls and women, Sauti Yetu became an independent non-profit organization.

YCAW's Mission Statement
Our ultimate goal is to empower women to utilize the socio-cultural, structural and institutional mechanisms of civil society to advocate for, exercise and protect their rights. SYCAW accomplishes this through: strengthening the capacities of women, community-based organizations working in the field of women%u2019s human rights, reproductive health; prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence, including practices, such as female circumcision/female genital cutting (FC/FGC).

Over the past 10 years, SYCAW has made a positive impact in African immigrant communities in New York City and across the United States. We have worked with a variety of stakeholders, including state and federal agencies, policy makers, service providers, and community-based organizations to address the practice of female circumcision/female genital cutting (FC/FGC) and improve the welfare of African immigrant communities.

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• Building human capacity and empowering women and local communities for sustained periods.

• Advocacy with governments and other stakeholders by bringing public attention to global challenges that otherwise might be neglected, such as the concerns of African immigrants in the USA, and other issues, such as {FC/FGC}, sexual and gender-based violence, affecting women in Africa in conflict and post conflict countries.

• Providing Reproductive Health, Women's Rights, technical assistance and capacity building women's groups.

• Awareness raising through a variety of forums and media about violence against women and girls, and developing strategies to support victims and survivors in the community.

• Developing culturally appropriate information, education, and training materials for service providers and immigrant communities, including women, girls, and men.

• Ensuring that women have access to information and services on their rights, reproductive health, including the health consequences of the practice of female circumcision/female genital cutting (FC/FGC).

• Educating the general public about Africans and in particular African women by providing analysis of emerging issues and experiences of immigrant African women in the USA. [Back to Top]

• A human rights perspective to ensure that women's rights are protected and that their voices are heard from the community level to the highest councils of governments and policy arenas.

• Participatory processes (including men, women, girls, and all stakeholders) in decision-making, planning, and implementation.

• Ensuring equity and equality of access to essential information and services.

• Using evidence-based approaches to bring about social change and justice. [Back to Top]