Our Team

Nuzhat Zaman is dedicated to advancing health equity and reproductive justice within marginalized populations, particularly South Asian and Muslim communities. She has worked with NAPAWF, Raksha Inc., and South Asian SOAR, leading initiatives that address systemic barriers to care and uplift marginalized voices. At NAPAWF, she conducted data analysis and research to support advocacy efforts on reproductive rights, economic justice, and immigrant rights for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. As a member of Raksha Inc.'s reproductive justice cohort, she collaborates on culturally responsive strategies to expand access to sexual and reproductive health education. She also spearheaded South Asian SOAR’s digital storytelling campaign, From Our Table to Yours: A Zine on Consent & Boundaries, amplifying survivor-centered narratives on bodily autonomy. In addition to her community-based advocacy, Nuzhat has extensive experience in training and technical assistance. At the CDC Foundation, she provided support to health departments nationwide, assisting in data modernization efforts and capacity-building initiatives focused on the opioid epidemic in the US. In her current role at ICF, she delivers technical assistance to grantees as part of the CDC’s largest HIV behavioral surveillance systems, ensuring high-quality data collection and analysis. Nuzhat is excited to continue leveraging her expertise in research, advocacy, and capacity building to drive meaningful, intersectional change Contact Nuzhat at nuzhat@sahiyo.org Mariya Taher has worked in gender-based violence for nearly fifteen years in the areas of teaching, research, policy, program development, and direct service. In 2018, Mariya received the Human Rights Storytellers Award from the Muslim American Leadership Alliance. In 2020, she was recognized as one of the six inaugural grant recipients for the Crave Foundation for Women. After starting a Change.org petition and gathering over 400,000 signatures, Mariya helped Massachusetts become the 39th state to pass legislation on FGC. Subsequently she supported other states to pass such laws including Washington. She also sits on the steering committee for the US End FGM/C Network. As of 2021, Mariya serves as an expert consultant for the Department Of Justice Addressing Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting technical assistance project. In 2023, she became a Valor LEAP Fellow. Prior to Sahiyo, Mariya held positions at Saheli, Support and Friendship for South Asian Women & Families, W.O.M.A.N., Inc., Asian Women's Shelter, San Francisco Dept on the Status of Women, and was a 2014 Women's Policy Institute Fellow through the Women's Foundation of California. Additionally, Mariya is an extensive writer and has contributed pieces to NPR, HuffPost, The Fair Observer, Brown Girl Magazine, Solstice Literary Magazine, The Express Tribune, The San Francisco Examiner, and more. She graduated with her MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University. She also holds a Master in Social Work from San Francisco State University and a B.A. from UC Santa Barbara in Religious Studies.