The Vagina Monologues are a form of artistic activism that simultaneously educate, enrich, and entertain.
Written by New York playwright Eve Ensler, the monologues celebrate the diverse stories of women and girls. The V-day movement, of which the Monologues are a part, strives to empower women to find their collective voices and demand an end to the violence that affects one in three women in the US and around the world.
Last year over 5,800 V-Day benefits were held globally raising funds and awareness towards ending violence against women.
The V-Day movement has raised over $100 million and funded over 13,000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Kenya, South Dakota, Egypt, and Iraq.
One of the many projects is Assist-A-Sista, which was founded in 2012 by Nicolle and Manuela, both working mums with a passion to make a difference in the lives of others. Assist-A-Sista is a community-based volunteer organisation that works to help survivors (women and men) of domestic violence to rebuild and repair by bringing hope and restoring faith. We have built up our contact base to now be in a position to help support most of southeast Queensland.
Nicolle and Manuela reached out for support in their efforts to extend their operation southward from their home base around Brisbane and the Gold Coast. The result was a group of women decided who will put on a benefit showing of The Vagina Monologues with accompanying raffle and silent auction to raise funds for AAS this Friday at the A&I Hall in Bangalow.
The local production of the V-Logues is being directed by renowned surfer Lauren Hill. Lauren is excited about Friday’s performance and dedicated to helping the cause. ‘Assist-A-Sista is a powerful example of individuals seeing a group of people in need, and then acting on it,’ she said at last night’s dress rehearsal in Bangalow. ‘Nicolle and Manuela are so inspiring because they’ve taken it upon themselves to right an injustice they saw in their community, and within Australia more broadly.
‘They noticed the hardship of so many survivors of domestic abuse as they attempt to rebuild their lives outside of the cycle of violence. They started Assist-A-Sista to step in and create comfortable, nourishing homes for survivors of abusive situations, with all high-quality donated goods installed anonymously by an all-volunteer staff.’
For more information about V‑Day Byron Bay visit www.vdaybyronbay.com.au and, to find out about how you can get involved, visit the Assist-A-Sista website.
