By Tasneem Raja, Executive Director, Daya
HOUSTON: Thirty years ago, seven first-generation South Asian women in Houston had the courage to name something our community rarely spoke about: abuse was happening in our homes. Survivors were living with violence surrounded by expectations about marriage, family, and reputation. And when they sought help, there were few places they could be understood.
They believed our community could do better, so they created a volunteer helpline and called it Daya – meaning compassion. Over three decades, it grew into a staff-run organization and trusted source of culturally responsive, survivor-centered care in Houston.
Today, Daya is there for survivors during some of the most uncertain moments of their lives. A call to our helpline may lead to safety planning, an advocate helping secure housing, legal support in court, a counselor helping them heal, or economic assistance as they rebuild independence.
Our services include crisis intervention, safety planning, licensed counseling, legal advocacy, housing and financial assistance, economic empowerment, and specialized case management for survivors of both domestic and sexual violence.
Our South Asian roots remain an essential part of who we are. They teach us that effective interventions must understand the entire person – their language, culture, family, faith, experiences, and community. But abuse has no single face, culture, or gender. Today, our culturally responsive services welcome survivors from every walk of life. In 2025, 45% of those we served were from outside the South Asian community, with services provided in 23 languages. Last year, 683 survivors and families turned to Daya – over twice the 286 we served in 2016.
Supporting survivors is one side of Daya’s mission. The other is preventing violence before it happens. Through outreach and education, we bring conversations about domestic and sexual violence into community spaces, train professionals to respond to abuse, and challenge the stigma and silence that allow it to remain hidden. In 2025, Daya engaged 38,620 people across 110 events.
The generosity of our community makes it possible for Daya to respond. A donated dollar can become safe housing, counseling, legal advocacy, transportation, and groceries. Your dollars are also an investment in the people who make this work possible – highly trained, trauma-informed professionals providing specialized services during some of the most difficult moments of a survivor’s life.
On September 18, we will celebrate this remarkable legacy at Daya’s 30th Anniversary Gala at the Sugar Land Marriott, featuring our special guest internationally best-selling author Alka Joshi. It will be a celebration of our founders, survivors, and every staff member, volunteer, donor, partner and community member who helped transform a volunteer helpline into the organization Daya is today.
Thirty years ago, seven women planted roots because they believed survivors deserved more. Today, every survivor who finds support, and every community conversation that challenges silence and stigma, moves us closer to breaking the cycle of abuse.
We invite you to join the 30-year celebrations and learn more at dayahouston.org.
