Empowering Survivors: Expand Sikh Family Center’s Urgent Action Fund for Helpline Callers

ALL donations are currently being matched! 

A small contribution now, can empower survivors for a lifetime. 

The statistics are staggering - 1 in 4 Sikh women and 1 in 10 Sikh men in the U.S. report facing the harsh realities of family violence in their homes.*

These survivors are our loved ones - our grandparents, parents, siblings, friends, children, grandchildren. Despite facing several barriers - emotional, physical, financial, and more – they are determined to break free from violence, end intergenerational trauma, and create a better future for themselves and their families, and thus the Sikh kaum.

Since 2009, Sikh Family Center has been standing with survivors of family violence using an empowerment approach. Our National U.S. Non-Emergency Helpline supports the physical and emotional wellbeing of the Sikh community, with a particular focus on gender justice.

This year (as of June 1), Sikh Family Center’s trained peer counselors spent over 240 hours on our Helpline supporting individuals and families. (This does not include training and support we have provided other orgs in working with survivors/issues of abuse).

Our trained, bilingual community volunteers (known as peer counselors) work alongside survivors, providing trauma-centered, culturally responsive, compassionate support over several months, working to address the complex, intersecting needs that arise in their journey to healing. Peer counselors also connect survivors with resources as survivors reclaim and rebuild their lives.

Here are a few examples of the types of calls Sikh Family Center has responded to:

• Connected a survivor with trusted community members for social support at gurdwara amid harmful community gossip.
• Funded final driving lessons for a survivor, enabling independence after years of restrictions.
• Facilitated connection with a local agency to support a survivor as they navigated court processes, including transportation to hearings and childcare during the hearings (custody court does not allow minor children inside, or unaccompanied outside).
• Assisted a survivor with changing her locks and acquiring home security systems.
• Advocated for legal representation for a survivor who presented as high-risk as per Sikh Family Center’s Danger Assessment tool for Sikh woman.
• Paid final application fees for an immigrant survivor facing loss of status/deportation.
• Volunteers delivered phone data cards for a young mom facing severe isolation, including no access to phone and internet.
• Facilitated police escort to a survivors’ home after family that was abusing her acquired a weapon.
• Paid for groceries for a survivor abandoned without any access to money.
• Assisted a survivor with legal resources after she herself was wrongfully arrested by the police (not as uncommon, unfortunately, as people might think!).

For many people, the lack of access to immediate financial resources becomes a major obstacle to their next day of safety, non-violence, and a possible journey towards health, love and respect. Our Urgent Action Fund addresses this gap, providing critical safety needs during the most dangerous times for survivors, such as separation and post-separation. These include support for food, clothing, temporary housing, prepaid phones and more.

  

Sikh Family Center is partnering with Dasvandh Network to grow our Urgent Action Fund so that survivors feel less stress about immediate urgent needs that could compromise their safety and wellbeing. A small amount of support now, can help buy them the time to empower themselves for ever after!

You have the power to transform lives. Please donate to support survivors and their families. Your generous support, no matter the amount, provides direct relief to survivors.

Guided by the spirit of Sikhi, let us unite our collective strength against gender-based violence. Together, we can envision a future where every family thrives in peace, love and equality.

*Data from Sikh Family Center’s U.S. Based 2017 Survey