Sheena Vasani joined Sahiyo as its Editorial Coordinator in January 2024. She is a journalist with over a decade of experience working for major media outlets, startups, and charities. A strong believer in the power of the written word to enact social change and heal, she has gone viral multiple times for her work on South Asian mental health issues.
When and how did you first get involved with Sahiyo?
I actually stumbled upon Sahiyo years ago while launching a mental health section as an activist writing for a South Asian publication called Brown Girl Magazine. Mariya had contributed a poignant blog about FGC that touched me deeply, so I started following Sahiyo on social media. And then as the years went, a series of events led me to pursue other passions in tech journalism. And then one day, like five billion years later, I saw a job listing for the position. It was perfect timing, because I’d just been thinking how much I wanted to involve myself more with feminist initiatives again, and so of course I immediately jumped on the opportunity. Like, literally! It was a Saturday and I was about to hop into the shower, but instead jumped back in bed and started working on my application (don’t worry, I eventually showered).
What does your work with Sahiyo include?
So many things! My work involves interviewing survivors and allies as well as writing and editing blog posts, but it also includes outreach, brainstorming ideas, and other related tasks. I’m also currently working on formulating a larger, data-driven strategy for the editorial team so we can make even more impact!
How has your involvement with Sahiyo impacted your life?
It’s only been four months but it has been transformative, honestly. I’ve not experienced FGC/M, but I do know what it’s like to experience trauma and suffer in silence because of South Asian cultural norms rooted in sexism. I can empathize with that sense of shame and stigma as well as that sense of isolation.
Through each meeting I have, every person I virtually meet, and every story I read, I feel like I heal a little more and become a better person. So many of the individuals I've interviewed leave me with a sense of awe and inspire me, as well, including the ones who are just starting their healing journeys. Despite their pain, they’re not just trying to survive – they’re trying to thrive. Each has gone through the depths of hell and yet have risen from the ashes, lighting up and changing the world with that fire. It’s so moving to witness, and there have been times when it’s reignited a similar flame within me when I’ve felt low.
What’s beautiful, too, is that my work with Sahiyo has sparked some really great conversations about gender-based violence in South Asian communities with my Mom, who I am a caregiver for as she has Parkinson’s Disease. Like a lot of South Asians, my parents were brought up in East Africa. My Mom knew girls who had gone through FGC, but it was just one of the many forms of gender-based violence going on in her community during that time (think like, late 40s, early 50s – so end of World War 2 and around when the British just left India, so very, very different times!). So she never got the space to talk about how that impacted her, and she didn’t even know what the official, modern term was for it until I started this job. She knows what it is now, though, and it’s inspired a little sense of activism in her too. My Mom has endured a lot as a quiet Indian housewife from more traditional times that’s left a lot of scars, so it’s beautiful watching her get angry as hell about FGC, challenge outdated beliefs, and ultimately heal herself – and the South Asian culture, to an extent – as we have these discussions.