Women for Afghan Women

Women for Afghan Women (WAW) is a grassroots, human rights organization. WAW is dedicated to securing and protecting the rights of disenfranchised Afghan women and girls in New York and Afghanistan, particularly their rights to develop their individual potential, to self-determination, and to be represented in all areas of life: political, social, cultural and economic. We advocate for women's rights and challenge the norms that underpin gender-based violence wherever opportunities arise to influence attitudes and bring about change. WAW was founded in NY in April 2001 by a group of women determined to advocate for Afghan women then living under brutal Taliban rule. While conducting research on their plight, WAW co-founders quickly learned that Afghan women living here were enduring similar abuses as their sisters at home. In 2003, WAW opened its Community Outreach Program in Queens, NY to serve the local Afghan population. This program has since evolved into the current NY Community Center and in 2013 served over 1,300 local community members through intensive case management and adult empowerment programs. In 2007, WAW launched its first Family Guidance Center in Kabul to support victims of human rights violations. Today, WAW operates 25 facilities in Afghanistan that provide safe shelter, legal aid, counseling and mediation support, education, and vocational training to thousands of Afghan women and children living in crisis every year.