EDISON, NJ: On Saturday, March 29, Manavi hosted its 23rd Annual Community Dinner at Akbar Restaurant in Edison, NJ. The dinner held in the spirit of commemorating Manavi's 23 years of continued commitment to ending violence against women, was a sold-out event. With nearly 330 attendees whose generosity helped raise an adequate amount of funds to sustain Ashiana - Manavi's safe home, the dinner was a huge success.

The evening featured guest speaker Bhairavi Desai, co-founder and Director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance. Desai's poignant speech touched the attendees as she reminisced about her work at Manavi and spoke about her experience of community organizing in labor movement. Shamita Das Dasgupta, one of the co-founders of Manavi's took the audience on a trip down memory lane as she spoke about her struggles and experience from the early years of Manavi. Dasgupta urged the guests to "speak out against violence against women" and "make violence against women only a memory."

Two survivors, who shared powerful stories of their difficult journeys of leaving their abusive partners and regaining self respect, touched the hearts of the audience, who listened intently. The evening's entertainment kicked off with an exquisite musical performance by Atma - the all-female South Asian music cappella group from the University of Pennsylvania. Fusing Eastern melodies with Western musical style, Atma entertained the guests with their energetic musical repertoire.

The event ended with dinner, followed by a bout of festive dancing. The evening reinforced the commitment of Manavi volunteers and supporters towards ending violence against women in the South Asian community as they pledged to continue on their journey to justice.