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There are more than 60,000 Asian-Americans in the Central Texas area and the community continues to grow rapidly. In order to serve local Asian-Americans, one nonprofit is addressing the vital needs of this growing population.
Over the past decade, SAHELI has worked to raise awareness about domestic violence and available resources for victims within the Asian community. SAHELI represents six words that define its services: Support, Advocate, Heal, Empower, Listen and Inform. It was founded in 1992 as an informal support group for Asian women living in the Austin area. Through their discussions, the women realized a need for an organization focused on family violence among Asian immigrants.
Today, SAHELI works directly with Asian clients by advocating for them within the social services system, which can be a seemingly insurmountable challenge to many.
Research shows that it takes a victim of domestic violence an average of seven times to leave an abusive situation. However, for SAHELI clients, there is a prolonged average due to cultural aspects within the Asian culture. These include the effects on the extended family and community.
“Once the decision has been made to leave the situation, our clients show determination and commitment to their decision. It is important to realize that leaving an abusive situation is not an instant reaction for most survivors,” development manager Jenny Walberg says.
SAHELI welcomes all Asian women who have suffered domestic abuse or neglect. “Because domestic violence is such a taboo subject, we have found the most productive way to educate and reach the different Asian communities is through our Community Education program, which takes into consideration the unique community dynamics that may not be present in a lot of western cultures,” Walberg said.
“For instance, family honor and shame plays a huge role in the way a victim of violence seeks help. There is a desperate need not to dishonor the family name and maintain harmony within their family and greater community. Talking about domestic violence violates these tenets.”
“However, we have found a way to create dialogue about domestic violence through side issues such as healthy family communication, immigrant stresses and raising children in a new country. Our focus is to educate about domestic violence within a context that resonates within the Asian community,” Walberg says.
And since SAHELI serves a specific culture, many new to the ‘American way,’ Walberg adds, “Unlike other nonprofits advocating against domestic violence, we have this extra layer of challenges to address. SAHELI is unique because we provide culturally-specific programs and we do not believe in the ‘one-size-fits-all’ model of services. We try to address extremely complex subject matters such as immigrant stresses, language issues, institutional barriers, cultural perceptions of domestic violence and entrenched gender roles. Many of our clients are unaware of what mainstream culture is and how to exist within the mainstream community.”
One client who completed her journey to a better life, said, “When you are alone, troubled, hopeless and distressed, just knowing that there is someone to help you, listen to you, guide you, even when you have no family or friends around, is the biggest gift I could have.”
To celebrate the life-changing work of SAHELI in the Asian community, the non-profit is helping host the Keep Austin Spicy event on March 28th from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Fiesta Gardens on Lady Bird Lake. Proceeds from the Asian fest of “delicious flavors, diverse cultures and unique talents that keep Austin our favorite place in the world,” will directly benefit the organization.
More Info
Keep Austin Spicy
March 28th – 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Fiesta Gardens
www.keepaustinspicy.com