October 2001

• Throughout Domestic Violence Month, October 2001, Dwa Fanm organized activities, beginning with our "Immigration Seminar" featuring lawyers from the Immigrant Community Domestic Violence Project teaching the most important facts about the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and other immigration issues facing battered women. We also organized “Behind The Door”, A Domestic Violence Forum, breaking the silence - the first of its kind in the Haitian Community.



• Dwa Fanm launched "Citizenship Day" where members of the community were encouraged to sponsor and support surviving women and their children by covering the cost of their citizenship application before the fee went up in January 2002. That day, lawyers on site at Dwa Fanm helped immigrant women survivors of violence complete citizenship applications with the application fee paid for by generous community member contributions.



• Dwa Fanm offered the "Self Defense Seminar" in collaboration with the Brooklyn Women's Martial Arts Center. There, Haitian women and girls were empowered by learning self-defense skills to protect themselves or to stay alive in situations of attack and harassment.



• Dwa Fanm launched its first "Girls' Empowerment Day." Mothers were encouraged to teach young Haitian and American girls about the importance of self-esteem, self-confidence, health and sports, as well as the contributions of women from various cultures to our society and to the world. Girls learned about women heroes.

November 2001

Beginning with a radio discussion about International Day against Violence against Women, HAVH launched the first "16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence Campaign" in the Haitian community on November 25th, 2001. The 16 days included December 1, World AIDS Day; December 6, the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre, and December 10, International Human Rights Day. We engaged men and women in discussion groups. We also had a poetry contest and shared stories of survival and other events. The 16 days were a call for the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls.

December 2001

Dwa Fanm received a Union Square Award (see the website for the Union Square Award/2001 recipients). Dwa Fanm's work was also featured in local Haitian and American radio announcements and Brooklyn newspapers.