Thirty Years On: How Sakhi Builds Safe Spaces for Women

Four years ago, Amina*, a Bangladeshi immigrant living in Queens, discovered that her husband was leaving her and wanted a divorce. She didn’t know where to turn. She was a new arrival in New York City with limited English skills.

Amina had to deal with the dissolution of her marriage and the immigration process alone. Her immigration lawyer urged her to seek emotional support. She began scouring the Internet for resources for South Asian women in her area and found Sakhi, a New York City-based organization that has been supporting South Asian immigrant women with domestic violence, abandonment, and immigration issues. She decided to give them a call.

“I was so emotional at that time,” said Amina. “[They] told me ‘you don’t worry, we are here and we will help you.’”