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About Sakhi

Sakhi's Staff

Direct Services Program Staff  

Sakhi’s two Domestic Violence Program Advocates respond to requests for assistance from survivors of violence. They provide ongoing support, services, resources (shelter, health, and legal referrals, etc.), accompaniments (to courts, police precincts, and law offices, etc.), and translation services within Sakhi's Domestic Violence program for both new callers and approximately 200 women on an ongoing basis. The Domestic Violence Program provides services in Bengali and Hindi.

Sakhi’s Economic Empowerment Coordinator assists survivors in their journeys to financial self-sufficiency: in addition to navigating access to public benefits, school/technical programs, grants, and job training and placement referrals, she coordinates Sakhi’s financial literacy workshops and yearly tax clinic, plans computer classes, enables individual sessions for skill development, and manages the Swarna Chalasani Economic Empowerment Fund. The Economic Empowerment Coordinator is fluent in Hindi and Punjabi.

Community Engagement and Support Staff  

Sarah Crist, Development Associate, joined Sakhi in November 2008. She will focus on fashioning and implementing a comprehensive program of annual individual giving – a pivotal aspect of ensuring the sustainability of Sakhi’s much-needed programs and services. Especially in the year ahead, Sakhi’s 20th anniversary, she will play a critical role in campaign execution, event planning, major gifts procurement, and volunteer development committee coordination. Sarah possesses a B.A. with a major in Telecommunications and a minor in Gender Studies from Indiana University. Her past positions have helped her develop valuable skills including event planning, donor stewardship, and securing corporate involvement in the non-profit sector. She can be reached at 212.714.9153 ext. 102 or sarah.crist@sakhi.org.

Shazia Muhammad, Operations Coordinator, joined Sakhi staff in July 2007. Shazia leads Sakhi’s day-to-day operations including our complex administrative, financial, program, technology, and human resources work. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science in 1997 from NYU and brings to us a significant background in the non-profit sector, especially in technology-related capacities.  This includes experience updating websites, supporting a help desk, and responding to inquiries. Shazia possesses conversational fluency in Punjabi and Urdu. She can be reached at 212.714.9153 ext. 110 or shazia.muhammad@sakhi.org.