Tayieba Rahemin
What's your cause? Women Empowerment
Tell us more. What have you been doing to help the cause so far?
I created a platform for women to voice their stories about their struggles, wins, fights and traumas; to make them feel heard and empowered because women are often forced to keep quiet and are discouraged to speak up for themselves. It leads them to succumb to fear, [to live] by society's poor judgments; and thus, suffer from injustice and helplessness. I want more girls to speak up because it is important and it can encourage other women to stand up for themselves too. It can save and improve the lives of many and it is a big step towards women empowerment, and more importantly, will help to make a change.
Tell us about yourself. What's your background? How did you become involved in your cause? What inspired you to begin living for change?
I am an 18-year-old, living in Bangladesh, who does not want any female to suffer in silence. I am urging women to speak up when they are being wronged. I had thought about [starting this] for years but I never gave it a shot because I was not confident, thought too much about other people's negative views, and often ended up telling myself that I couldn’t do it because I didn't believe in myself.
A dream of years, combined with a lot of personal experiences with many survivors and many women who faced injustice but chose to stay quiet, I decided that 2020 was the year of change. There were too many stories being unheard, too many women silently suffering, too many women who had lost their voices and were on the verge of giving up. Hence, I finally created Unstitched Women's Tapestry, as a means of change and a means of empowerment.
What have you been doing to spread the word and/or to help so far?
I shared my work with my family, friends and in my own social media and that's how the word spread. Although it has just begun, I believe that Unstitched Women's Tapestry has a long way to go.
How and when will you judge success? What’s your endpoint?
I will judge my success if helping women voice their stories helps them to change their lives for the better, which is already happening. If helping at least one woman encourages two more to do the same, that is also what I consider to be a success because together, we are all taking a step towards change. My endpoint is turning it into a women empowerment organization in the future and helping more women to overcome their struggles, helping them recognize their rights and encouraging them to talk freely because they have the right to do so.
Complete this sentence: "I am #LivingForChange because..."
The world needs more women who can speak up for themselves and can stand up against what is wrong.
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