Ayaan’s Thanksgiving Message, Free Honor Violence Webinar and More
Dear AHA Foundation Supporter,
I will soon have the honor of sitting down to my second Thanksgiving dinner as an American citizen. At this time of contemplation and gratitude sharing, people and nations hurting from senseless terrorist acts will be on the front of the minds and deep in the hearts of the American people. I will give my thanks for the precious, hard-won rights and values that we hold here. Even in the US, the protections and values I hold so dear do not yet extend to all women and girls. This month, I reflect on the heartbreaking presence of harmful traditional practices in my adopted home.
One of our priorities at the AHA Foundation is the training of police officers, doctors, teachers and other professionals on how to identify and handle honor violence cases to ensure girls at risk are protected and not exposed to more harm. To further that effort, this month, survivor of and advocate against honor violence, Naila Amin, will lead a free, online training. All the details and the registration link are available in Honor Violence Training Saves Lives – Join Our Free Webinar. Would you help us spread the word about this important training?
This life-saving program is just one example of the critical work that would not be possible without friends like you. At the AHA Foundation, we are proud of and incredibly grateful to our network of allies committed to ending honor violence. A leader in this network is my friend Eric Schmidt, the Executive Chairman of Google, who has rallied the team by making a $100,000 donation and a challenge to each supporter to help us double that gift. To each of you who has already answered his call to action, thank you. For those of you who want to get involved, you have until December 31st to take Eric’s challenge.
This Thanksgiving season, as I hold a bit more tightly to my family and loved ones, I am grateful for each of you and the difference you make in lives of women and girls suffering from honor violence.
Thank you,
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Founder, The AHA Foundation