By Zahra Qaiyumi
In the process of creating a video as part of the Voices to End FGC project, I was able to pull scattered thoughts and memories into a clear and concise picture. The workshop allowed me to contemplate the different aspects of my experience as a survivor and helped me focus in on the common thread that ties it all together. In my video, I explore the cultural nuances of the community I grew up in, as well as the reclaiming of my body for myself. Aside from getting to tell my story in my own words, connecting with others who have had similar experiences and learning from their perspectives was powerful. Witnessing others be vulnerable and open in telling their stories helped to validate my experience and reaffirm my decision to both talk about my experience with FGC and use it as a tool to create social change.
Zahra Qaiyumi is a 4th year medical student at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. Zahra grew up in a community in which girls and women are impacted by FGM/C. She is interested in the role of health care providers in caring for those affected by the practice, and as such is involved with developing training for resident physicians on surgical care that improves quality of life and health outcomes in the most severe forms of FGM/C. She has also designed and implemented curriculum that introduces physicians in training to the cultural nuances surrounding FGM/C with the goal of increasing cultural humility. Zahra has been involved with Sahiyo since 2018, assisting on projects focused on community engagement as a tool to bring an end to FGM/C.