Day 16 - Zeinab Eyega

Born in Southern Sudan, Zeinab Eyega said that she was “born and raised in a refugee camp, and hopes not to die in a refugee camp.” From an early age, Eyega was confronted with traumatic cases of violent rapes and infanticide, which she recognized as a result of Sudanese government policies which were “disastrous to women.” After immigrating to the U.S., Eyega worked as a program director for the African Immigrant Program at the Research, Action and Information Network for Bodily Integrity of Women (RAINBO).

In 2004, Eyega founded the Sauti Yetu Center for African Women in New York City. ‘Sauti Yetu’ (‘Our Voices’ in Swahili) is an advocacy organization serving African immigrant women and their families in areas such as family violence prevention, education, reproductive health and women’s rights. The Center offers resources and educational materials on female circumcision and female genital-cutting (FC/FGC) to African immigrant communities as well as Western health professionals, and conducts cross-cultural competency trainings and capacity-building programs for African women.  In 2008 alone, Sauti Yetu, a small organization, helped 165 women who spoke 57 African languages to successfully access and work with social services agencies in New York City. Eyega has a long history of planning advocacy events and has been deeply involved in efforts to end atrocities in the Darfur region of her native Sudan, presently serving as a board member of the Save Darfur Coalition. We proudly recognize Zeinab Eyega for using her own wealth of experiences to help other African refugee and immigrant women in the United States, and for serving as an outspoken advocate to end the genocide in Darfur.

Are you interested in connecting with Sudanese diaspora groups in your area, or volunteering with a refugee assistance organization? Check out the list of organizations, organized by state, that we put together. Don’t see your city or state on the list? Contact (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to connect with a Save Darfur Grassroots Director familiar with your area.