2023 marks the 50th anniversary of Nellie’s, and we’re extremely honoured to kick off this momentous year on an international stage. Just in time for International Women’s Day, Nellie’s has been selected to showcase our work at the 2023 NGO CSW67 Forum in New York City, an event that runs in parallel to the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Here’s what executive director Jyoti Singh has to say about this incredible opportunity:

For many years, Nellie’s has been known foremost as a crisis organization for women escaping violence, but it’s our efforts in teaching empowerment self-defense that will help us become a leader in stemming the flow of violence on a systemic level. On March 9, alongside the team at PAVE Prevention (Proactive Anti-Violence Education), we’ll be sharing how Nellie’s is working to deliver prevention programs that disrupt the cycle of violence.

What’s especially incredible about empowerment self-defense is the role it can also play in helping women achieve transformative justice. For so many women who have been victims of violence, it can be impossible to attain restorative justice through traditional methods, such as mediation. For women who literally cannot be in the same room with their offender because that person tried to kill them, how do you restore the harm? How do you restore that sense of peace?

This is where empowerment self-defense comes in. These training sessions don’t only teach you how to protect yourself from violence, but for women who have been victims of domestic violence, they also teach you how to reignite your soul and tap into the power inherently within you. This is the message that we want to give to the world at the United Nations: women have the power to heal from within, and they can achieve their own transformative justice.

I believe we’re going to change lives with this program. I believe we’re going to save lives with this program.

This amazing opportunity continues to grow out of the work we’ve been doing on empowerment self-defense and ending gender-based violence, including training our staff to run PAVE Prevention for women and Rock and Water (a world-renowned violence prevention program) for children and youth. It’s because of your generous support that we’re able to implement violence prevention programs for women and their children, and we’re excited to share how this approach is crucial in ending gender-based violence.

To be celebrating our 50th anniversary by sharing our work on a global stage — and on the day after International Women’s Day, no less — it all feels truly serendipitous. We’re immensely proud to be able to represent the women and children that we serve, our funders and donors, and all of our staff through this amazing opportunity. It’s thanks to your continued support that we are able to lead the change. Thank you for believing in us and the work that we do.