Sambhali Trust UN Campaign - 'Orange the World'

In addition to attending workshops on gender equity and ending gender-based violence, women and girls in empowerment centers and boarding homes used arts, including making rangoli (intricate floor patterns) with marigolds, body art, and embroidery to express their opposition to violence.

Women, girls, and their male allies at Sambhali Trust participated in 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, an annual international campaign that begins on November 25th, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against women, and runs until December 19th, Human Rights Day.

The initiative was started in 1991 at the inaugural Women's Global Leadership Institute and is supported by the United Nation's campaign "UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence Against Women." The 2021 theme was "Orange the world: End violence against women now!"

Members of the Sambhali community — wearing orange in solidarity with women worldwide — participated in daily actions to learn about gender-based violence and educate others.

They gave voice to their feelings through a day of speeches and poetry readings and at a rally. And they planted marigolds for a future commitment to the safety of women and girls.

The campaign's goal is to raise awareness about gender-based violence, strengthen local efforts to oppose it, and pressure governments to act.