Storytelling can heal. And in San Diego, it’s doing just that.
Just look at Ahaana, a San Diego Foundation, Lotus Fund-supported, nonprofit that uses storytelling, arts, and culture to promote visibility and emotional well-being in our growing South Asian and AANHPI (Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander) communities. By creating safe spaces for young people at risk, survivors of violence, widows, refugees, and youth, Ahaana fosters empathy and dignity while breaking cultural silences around mental health.
Through its Yoni ki Baat and MenOlogues program, Ahaana creates safe and supportive spaces for participants to share deeply personal stories through performance. These programs explore themes of identity, gender, family, healing, and lived experience, using storytelling and dialogue to spark connection and understanding. Yoni ki Baat, inspired by The Vagina Monologues, features personal monologues by women of South Asian origin that address sexuality, gender, bodies, and other topics often considered taboo. MenOlogues, created as a companion program, invites men to share similar personal monologues from their own lives. Together, these programs place all voices side by side to foster dialogue, empathy, and understanding of the importance of mental health and wellbeing within the South Asian community and beyond.
“This workshop was a super unique experience that I’m so grateful I got to participate in,” recalls a15-year-old girl named Sophie. “I got to learn how other people take care of their mental well-being as well as what events in their lives have shaped them. I learned how important storytelling is and how much of an impact it can have on other people.
“During the performance, I actually ended up crying on stage while talking about my grandparents, and that really showed me just how much I value them and their impact on my life,” she continued. “It made me grow as a person by revealing that I need to show my gratitude more to my loved ones.”
Added another participant, 19, who connected with Ahaana through events in his community and who said he came away feeling inspired: “I felt throughout the whole process that I was treated seriously and not viewed differently for my experiences. Additionally, being in the presence of two others with very moving stories helped me feel like I was not at all out of place… I felt very safe in front of the crowd present at the event, and as such, I was very ready to open up.”
The need for mental health and wellbeing is urgent. Suicide is the leading cause of death among AANHPI residents from 15 to 24 years old in California, and nearly one-third report challenges accessing care, according to SDF’s recent State of San Diego Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians & Pacific Islanders Report. San Diego County has the seventh largest AANHPI community in the nation, with the region’s AANHPI population increasing 20% since 2020. By 2030, most of the county’s foreign-born residents will be from Asia.
Through the Lotus Fund, SDF awarded Ahaana a $60,000 grant to expand its Yoni ki Baat and MenOlogues platforms and engage more youth in creative healing.
“Focusing on well-being while providing and destigmatizing access to mental and behavioral health services is critical to addressing this issue in our community alongside our nonprofit partners,” said Amenah Gulamhusein, SDF’s Assistant Vice President, Community Impact
A 24-year-old woman, who works in the mental health field and who took part in the workshop, agreed: “Putting in the work matters, and ultimately, we can feel connected to the universe again, no matter how many times we feel we are alone.” (age 24)
Creating a stronger and more compassionate San Diego is up to all of us. Join SDF and Ahaana in amplifying South Asian voices and mental health awareness by visiting the Lotus Fund webpage at SDFoundation.org.
