V-Day

Eve Ensler and V-Day

Eve Ensler, playwright, performer, and activist, is the author of THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES, a moving performance using humor and grace and is based on Ensler's interviews with more than 200 women. THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES celebrate women’s' sexuality and strength and have been translated into over 45 languages and performed in over 120 countries and the inspiration behind V-Day.

V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. V-Day is a catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. V-Day generates broader attention for the fight to stop violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sexual slavery.

Through V-Day campaigns, local volunteers and college students produce annual benefit performances of “The Vagina Monologues” to raise awareness and funds for anti-violence groups within their own communities. In 2008, over 3700 V-Day benefit events took place, produced by volunteer activists in the U.S. and around the world, educating millions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls. To date, the V-Day movement has raised over $50 million and educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it, crafted international educational, media and PSA campaigns, launched the Karama program in the Middle East, reopened shelters, and funded over 5000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Kenya, South Dakota, Egypt and Iraq. The ‘V’ in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina.

Photo taken while volunteering at the VDay in New Orleans this year. From left to right: Ann M. Veneman, UNICEF’s Executive Director; Christine Schuler Deschryver, DRC Women’s Rights Activist; Dr. Denis Mukwege, Director and Founder of the Panzi General Referral Hospital in Bukavu, South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo where he perfoms life-saving fistula surgeries on girls and women who have been brutally raped and mutilated in the Congolese war; Eve Ensler, Playwright, performer, activist and organizer of VDay to end violence against girls and women throughout the world. A partnership was created with VDay, UNICEF and Dr. Mukwege to build the City of Joy, a safe community for survivors of sexual violence healed at Panzi, the hospital which Dr. Mukwege founded.

There are many ways for you to become involved in this courageous effort to END violence against women and girls, visit V-Day for more information.