° Executive Director
° Board of Directors
° Advisors
° Staff



Zeinab Eyega, MSc,. Ms. Eyega is the Executive Director and Founder of Sauti Yetu (meaning Our Voices in Swahili). Sauti Yetu is an advocacy organization, seeking to empower women to exercise, advocate and protect their rights. It is based is NY and works on Sexual and Gender-based Violence. Previously, Ms. Eyega was a program director for The African Immigrant Program at Research, Action and Information Network for Bodily Integrity of Women (RAINBO). A program she started in 1995 through a pilot project that examined the needs of circumcised women and girls in New York City. Ms. Eyega, is from southern Sudan and received her BA from the School for International Training in Vermont and a graduate degree in Health Policy from the New School University. Her published work includes "Facts and Fiction Regarding Female Circumcision/Female Genital Mutilation: A Pilot Study in New York City". She has contributed to the development of Caring for Women with Circumcision: A Technical Manual for Health Care Providers and "Female Genital Mutilation: A Guide to Worldwide Laws and Policies". In addition to teaching and public speaking, Ms. Eyega has facilitated numerous cross-cultural competency workshops for health care providers and reproductive health promotion seminars for African immigrant and refugee communities throughout the United States.

Her areas of work include but are not limited to issues gender, race and ethnicity in the Afro-Arab border lands and women's protection and rights in conflict, post conflict regions of Africa. [back to top]

We will introduce our Board of Directors soon. [back to top]

We will introduce our Advisors soon. [back to top]

Tara Bethea, MA., Program Manager. Ms. Bethea is currently serves as program manager of Sauti Yetu Center for African Women (SYCAW). She joined SYCAW in June 2004 to assist with several new initiatives, including the development of the organization's website, quarterly electronic newsletter, research database, and a comprehensive communication strategy for 2005. A native of Seattle, Washington, Ms. Bethea received her B.A. from the University of Washington in Women's Studies with a focus on public policy. She also received a Master of Arts in International Affairs from New School University in New York City.

Her international experience includes study and internships in central and southern Africa. Ms. Bethea interned for the Reproductive Health Project at the Gender Advocacy Program (GAP), an independent, non-governmental advocacy and lobbying organization based in Cape Town, South Africa in 1999. At GAP, she participated in the development of a cervical cancer awareness campaign; conducted event evaluation and reporting for a first annual health fair, and prepared a submission treating gender bias in the National Health Bill for a portfolio committee of the South African parliament. [back to top]

Konjit Berhane, Program Coordinator at Sauti Yetu Center for African Women, Inc. Ms. Berhane joined the center early this year.  Since then, she has been responsible for coordinating Sauti Yetu%u2019s projects and women%u2019s rights and justice campaign. She speaks Amharic and is our resident translator and interpreter in health, legal and social services for the center%u2019s Amharic speaking clients. 

Ms.Berhane graduated, sum cum laude from the City College of New York (CUNY) with a degree in sociology.  While at college, she was the president of the Ethiopian Students Association in which I was actively involved in promoting the richness of Ethiopian culture and history to the City College of New York community. In addition to cultural events, the Association also raised funds to support Ethiopian AIDS orphans.

Ms. Berhane brings to the organization the richness of her experience as an immigrant, and an African woman with excellent academic skills. 

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