Please join the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable on Tuesday, January 12, 2021, at 3pm for a virtual conversation with Divya Chaturvedi and Rita Shah, the co-executive directors of Saheli. Divya and Rita will talk about Saheli’s work supporting domestic abuse survivors from South Asia, highlighting ways in which Saheli focuses on people’s unique cultural beliefs and backgrounds when offering programs and services.
The presentation will include: 1. A closer look at some of the specific cultural factors – such as acculturation stress, a limited support structure in the US, and limited English proficiency – that make it more difficult for people who have immigrated from South Asia to access support. 2. Some of the ways (and reasons why) Saheli focuses on economic empowerment, awareness of legal rights, reducing isolation, and fostering healthy relationships. 3. Suggestions on how friends, neighbors, and family members can best support people from South Asia who may be living with abuse.
Over the course of the year, the Roundtable will be presenting several programs in our Spotlight Series focusing on segments of our communities that face additional barriers when considering if and how to seek help or support.
We encourage everyone to join us on January 12 at 3:00 PM to hear and participate in this important conversation. Working together, we all have a role to play in creating more effective responses to domestic abuse across all of our communities. To receive a link to the program, please register here or through the Roundtable’s website: www.domesticviolenceroundtable.org
For questions, please email infodvrt@gmail.com.
Divya Chaturvedi is the Co-Executive Director at Saheli Inc. She brings more than 15+ years of global non-profit management experience passionately working on a range of gender issues from microfinance, domestic violence and gender research, to leadership development for women at a number of world’s leading international organizations and academic institutions like UNDP, UNIFEM, Ford Foundation, and Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). Divya has a long-term commitment to the cause of reducing domestic violence and working to address social issues that contribute to domestic violence. She has an MPA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA).
Rita Shah is Co-Executive Director at Saheli. She has been part of Saheli for last 24 years. Rita has a Master’s degree in Social Work, Leadership and Management from Simmons College. She doe family counseling, couples counseling and individual Counseling. She is President for Breakfast Rotary club in Burlington for 2020-2021. She was the past president of India Association of Greater Boston, and a Vice President of Indian American Forum on Political Education. She is the founder of non-profit 501C called Friends of Indian Senior Citizen Organization(FISCO) in 2010. FISCO serves needs of South Asian seniors with resources like housing, social security and Medicare.
