Archive for the "V-Day" Category
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Join us today and be part of the one billion who are rising for justice on 14 February 2014!
SIGN UP at the NEW onebillionrising.org >
ONE BILLION RISING FOR JUSTICE is a call to women, men, and youth around the world to gather safely on 14 February 2014 outside places where they are entitled to justice court houses, police stations, government offices, school administration buildings, work places, sites of environmental injustice, military courts, embassies, places of worship, homes, or simply public gathering places where women deserve to feel safe but too often do not.
SIGN UP to RISE, RELEASE, and DANCE to end violence against women and girls! >
LEARN more about ONE BILLION RISING FOR JUSTICE >
WATCH the new short film “RISING” by V-Day & Tony Stroebel, featuring global event footage from One Billion Rising 2013 >
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What does justice look like? Over the coming months, One Billion Rising Global Coordinators and activists will be answering that question in our new blog series “My Vision Of Justice.”
In the first installment we hear from Mbali Khumalo, one of the V-Girls South Africa founding members, and Pakistan Regional Coordinator Nighat Rizvi.
“JUST US” by Mbali Khumalo >
“MY VISION OF JUSTICE” by Nighat Rizvi >
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Valerie Trierweiler, the French President’s Companion, visits City of Joy
On Monday, June 8, 2013, Valerie Trierweiler, the French President’s Companion, visited the City of Joy in Bukavu, DRC, along with Yamina Benguigui, French Secretary of Foreign Affairs in Charge of French Speaking Countries, to both honor Dr. Denis Mukwege for his commitment to treating rape survivors of the conflicts in the DRC, and to share a meal with with City of Joy residents.
She wished to do so in order to celebrate her womanhood with them and express her love and compassion.
Caption: Yamina Benguigui, Christine Schuler Deschryver, Valerie Trierweiler at City of Joy, Bukavu. Credit: City of Joy.
Like all guests at the City of Joy, Mses. Trierweiler and Benguigui were not allowed to use their cameras. ”By virtue of the respect of women’s dignity and rights, when guests come to City of Joy they should not behave as though they were in a zoo,” said the Director of City of Joy, Christine Schuler Deschryver. “City of Joy is a shelter and a sane environment for women to be free.”
“Women come exhausted, they are put in an engine of transformation for six months, and they go back to their communities after their lives have become new,” added City of Joy Program Manager, Mama Bachu. In addition to therapy gatherings, which is the basis of all the activities, “women also receive trainings for their empowerment so that they can become economically independent and know their rights so as to effectively lead their communities to peace.”
Jane (who was Jeanne before her emotional healing at City of Joy) was also given the floor to speak about the genesis of City of Joy, to show how she became a new creature, how she is helping other women to make strides forward, and to sustain hope in the process of connecting with what was separated. Jane concluded her short speech with the following lines: “we have been treated by Doctors and I have personally had more surgeries, but we still need peace and freedom, we are tired to be assaulted and subjected to inhuman acts.”
Caption: Yasmin Benguigui dances with residents at City of Joy. Credit: City of Joy.
After the meal, Ms. Trierweiler spoke. She spoke of how happy and impressed she is by the work being done at City of Joy to make the impossible become possible. She added that she has been an eyewitness to the reality on the ground and promised to keep in touch with the Director of City of Joy.
In signing the guests’ book, Ms. Trierweiler. wrote the following lines (which have been translated into English by V-Day):
“In spite of sufferings, in spite of acts of barbarity, City of Joy gives back hope and gaiety. Congrats to the whole team and thanks for your welcome.”
Ms. Benguigui wrote:
“Thanks for your confidence. This place is a place of freedom. It opens the voice. I think about this statement of Mandela which I dedicate to City of Joy today:
“What people do for us without us, they do it against us.”
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About City of Joy: Conceived, created and developed by the women on the ground, the City of Joy in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo supports women survivors of sexual violence to heal and provides them with opportunities to develop their leadership through innovative programming.City of Joy provides up to 180 women a year with an opportunity to benefit from: group therapy; storytelling; dance; theater; self-defense; comprehensive sexuality education (covering HIV/AIDS, family planning); ecology and horticulture; and economic empowerment.
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As part of the 8 July launch of the new ONE BILLION RISING FOR JUSTICE campaign, V-Day is debuting a new short film called “Rising,” by South African filmmaker Tony Stroebel (“One Billion Rising,” “The Man Prayer,” “Break The Chain”). The film features global event footage from One Billion Rising 2013 and calls up the new campaign for justice.
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We celebrate independence by highlighting amazing girls who take it upon themselves to create change in the world through art. Do It V (DIV) is a weekly column featuring talented V-Girls around the globe who are inspired to make art, fashion, technology and other DIY projects in the name of activism and philanthropy. If you’re interested in featuring your creativity, submit a blog post.
By Maya Penn, V-Girl
Hi! My name is Maya Penn. I’m a 13 year old artist, animator, designer, philanthropist, environmentalist, and girls rights activist. I am the CEO of Maya’s Ideas, a company I started in 2008 when I was just 8 years old. I create handmade artisan crafted eco-friendly accessories and clothing. 10-20% of my profits go to local and global charities and environmental organizations. My items are sold all over the world to Denmark, Italy, Australia, Canada, and more. A lot of people ask me, why is you’re business eco-friendly? I did some research and found out about how some dyes in clothing or the process of even making the items was harmful to the people and the planet by generating a great amount of toxic waste. I thought: how can helping the environment tie into my business? I immediately knew Maya’s Ideas had to be eco-friendly.
Me and the beautiful Eve Ensler!
I’ve been drawing since I could hold a crayon and I’ve been making flip books since I was 3 years old. Animation has always been my first love. I love to use creativity to give back and encourage other girls to find their voice and what they’re passionate about. What I love about art whether it’s through painting, acting, dancing, or music is that you can tell a story and a spark a movement through the creative spirit that is art. Art comes in many forms and it’s a way we can express ourselves. When I went to V-DAY I brought my friends and family and it was a life-changing and empowering experience. I truly learned the power of art. All around me there was poetry, dance, and music. One Billion Rising is an artistic movement, it’s activism through art.
When I was about 4 years old my dad showed me how to take apart a computer and put it back together again and that really started my love for technology. I built my first website myself in HTML and I’m learning Python and JavaScript and I’m really hands on in all aspects of my business. I also love to write and post on my blog.
I was so honored to meet Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Muhammad Yunus!
I work with lots of other cool organizations too. I’m part of the Ian Somerhalder Foundation’s Kids/Youth division, I’m also a member of The Pollination Project’s Youth Grantmaking Advisory Board. I was panelist at the economic empowerment summit that was being presented by the National Center for Civil and Human Rights for teen age girls. I’m a contributing writer for Live Thrive.org, and I’m a frequent speaker for Girls Inc. of Atlanta. I’ve also done a TEDx Talk about being a young entrepreneur with a sustainable business. I’m really passionate about V-Girls and I can’t wait to connect, grow, and unleash creativity with other awesome girls and women all over the world! 
Some blueberries from my organic garden that I started about 4 years ago.
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On Tuesday, June 25 in NYC, join V-Day and The 11th Hour Project as we discuss City of Joy, a revolutionary community for women survivors of gender violence in Bukavu, DRC, and V-World, a sustainable farm where women will turn their pain to power to planting.
This special conversation will feature Christine Schuler Deschryver (Director, City of Joy and V-Day Congo), Eve Ensler (Founder, V-Day and Tony Award winning Playwright), and Wendy Schmidt (Founder, The 11th Hour Project), moderated by V-Day Board Member and Paley Center CEO Pat Mitchell. The evening will include an introduction by V-Day Board Member and The 11th Hour Project President Amy Rao and a reading by V-Day Board Member Thandie Newton.
CITY OF JOY: The Story of Women Turning Pain to Power to Planting
Tuesday, June 25
7:00-8:30pm
Doors open at 6:00pm
The Paley Center for Media
25 W. 52nd St, NYC
RSVP is REQUIRED* >
TICKETS ARE LIMITED. SEATS ARE ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED BASIS. ENTRY TO THE MAIN THEATER IS NOT GUARANTEED, THERE WILL BE AN OVERFLOW ROOM FOR ALL OTHER ATTENDEES.
* Because we want to accommodate as many people as possible, please only RSVP if you are definitely attending. Demand is high and seating is limited.
To put your name on the waiting list, email megan@vday.org with your name and number of seats requested.
NOT IN NYC? WATCH the panel online at vday.org/livestream
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Your V-Gift will be put to work to end violence against women and girls, addressing the most critical issues facing women around the world.
CLICK HERE to give this V-Gift >
V-Day distributes funds to grassroots, national and international organizations and programs that work to stop violence against women and girls. Violence against women affects one in three women in the U.S. and the world, your tax deductible donation of $25, $50, $100, $500, or more will help V-Day end violence against women!
CLICK HERE to give this V-Gift >
To send a V-Card on the donate page, check the box next to “Donate on behalf of a loved one?” labeled “Yes, I would like to send a V-Day e-card” and fill in the rest of the information to finish designing your gift.
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We are pleased to present you with the next piece in our ongoing series of V-Men columns, curated by Mark Matousek. This is Rob Okun’s second contribution to this series, his first piece, The Vagina Monologues: A Wake Up Call For Men?, having been one of the first V-Men columns featured on vday.org. Rob Okun’s new book, Voice Male: The Untold Story of the Profeminist Men’s Movement will be published this fall. He is editor of Voice Male magazine.
READ Male Student Athletes: Newest Profeminist Allies? >
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Umoja Now, a Burundian based nonprofit that focuses on achieving gender equality, and ending sexual and gender based violence, will be hosting the first ever One Billion Fathers Rising (OBFR) events this Father’s Day in both Burundi and Western Massachusetts, the location of their head office. OBFR is an event by, for, and about men working to end violence and abuse.
Fathers Rising In Burundi
For more information on our Burundi Fathers Rising event, and to get involved, please see their Facebook event page >
Fathers Rising In Western Mass
Join Umoja Now on the steps of First Churches of Northampton at 1PM for an afternoon of speech, poetry, and musical and theatrical performances, and consider bringing a comfy chair. For more information check out their Facebook page >
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Umoja Now, a Burundian based nonprofit that focuses on achieving gender equality, and ending sexual and gender based violence, will be hosting the first ever One Billion Fathers Rising (OBFR) events this Father’s Day in both Burundi and Western Massachusetts, the location of their head office. OBFR is an event by, for, and about men working to end violence and abuse.
Fathers Rising In Burundi
For more information on our Burundi Fathers Rising event, and to get involved, please see their Facebook event page >
Fathers Rising In Western Mass
Join Umoja Now on the steps of First Churches of Northampton at 1PM for an afternoon of speech, poetry, and musical and theatrical performances, and consider bringing a comfy chair. For more information check out their Facebook page >
