New York, NY; March 11, 2013— American Jewish World Service (AJWS), the leading Jewish organization working to promote human rights and end poverty in the developing world, has joined with Florida Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz to release a Passover commentary connecting the rights of women and girls with this holiday dedicated to celebrating freedom. Rep. …
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New York, NY; February 26, 2013— Ruth Messinger, president of the international development and human rights organization, American Jewish World Service (AJWS), today issued the following statement in response to reports that President Obama will propose new food aid reforms in his fiscal year 2014 budget: AJWS welcomes reports that the President will propose important …
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New York, NY; February 25, 2013— American Jewish World Service (AJWS) has appointed Jacqueline Hart, Ph.D., as its first Vice President for Strategic Learning, Research and Evaluation. In this newly created leadership position, Hart, a highly regarded researcher and evaluator of social justice work, will be responsible for leading the organization’s efforts to measure its …
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Burma is still not free. Shocked? We didn’t think so. You probably knew this well before the release of Freedom House’s 2013 report that lined up Burma shoulder-to-shoulder with other “Not Free” countries such as North Korea, Iraq and Iran. The resurgence of fighting in Kachin state between government forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), …
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Good news: A vote on Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill has been delayed once again. Despite a promise by the Ugandan speaker of parliament to deliver the bill as a “Christmas gift to the nation,” it was repeatedly downgraded on parliament’s agenda. Last Friday, parliament adjourned without taking action on the proposed legislation. It’s unclear whether the …
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The night before President Obama’s historic visit to Burma last month, Nge Nge—a Burmese woman from Rangoon—was so excited that she couldn’t sleep. In the morning, she was the first person to arrive at the University of Rangoon where Obama was scheduled to deliver his speech. Nge Nge had graduated from the University of Rangoon …
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December 12, 2012—American Jewish World Service (AJWS), Church World Service, Environmental Justice Initiative for Haiti, The Episcopal Church, Gender Action, Global Justice Clinic, Grassroots International, Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti, Other Worlds, Oxfam America, TransAfrica and Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, released the following statement in response to the launch of the Secretary-General’s “Initiative …
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New York, NY; November 28, 2012—Ruth Messinger, president of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), today issued the following statement about Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which may be voted upon by that country’s parliament in the coming days: Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill is an abhorrent violation of human rights against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and …
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As stories about the resurgence of Uganda’s anti-homosexuality bill inundate the blogosphere and international media, you could easily get the impression that Ugandans are rallying on the streets demanding the bill’s passage. In fact, the bill is not foremost on the average Ugandan’s mind. “They are thieves, stealing the money.” The young man shook his …
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New York, NY; November 15, 2012— Ruth Messinger, president of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), the leading Jewish organization focused on realizing human rights and ending poverty in the developing world, today issued the following statement on AJWS’s top rating in the first-ever index of LGBT inclusion policies and practices within North American Jewish communal …
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