For so many of the activists that AJWS supports around the world, protecting the human rights of their communities can mean long, complex struggles requiring endurance and courage. These activists need to stay inspired and motivated amidst mounting challenges. Giving up is not an option — there is simply too much at stake. As Mexican …
Read More
After a five-year struggle, AJWS grantee Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Project (ProDESC) secured a major win in June when federal energy authorities in Mexico announced they had definitively cancelled a massive energy project slated to be built on the lands of an Indigenous community. The project — “Gunaa Sicarú” — was awarded to a …
Read More
“Our food is in the forest. Our medicine is in the forest. The forest takes care of us, and we protect it. The forest is our home.” Wilson Memusi, an elder of the Ogiek community in the Rift valley of Kenya, is describing his community’s deep connection to the Mau Forest—the land his ancestors have …
Read More
On May 19th, India’s Supreme Court made a historic step towards advancing the rights of sex workers and ensuring their protection under the law: It issued a set of directives that acknowledges sex work as a dignified profession and mandates freedom from violence for those who practice it. These new guidelines have the potential to …
Read More Here in the United States, it can feel like there is a new attack on our human rights every week — a new headline to make us doubt the strength of our own democracy. As we write this, Americans’ autonomy over their own bodies and reproductive choices is no longer guaranteed. Our ability to safely …
Read More
In May 2021, AJWS launched a crisis campaign in response to the profound humanitarian tragedy in India when COVID’s Delta variant collapsed its fragile healthcare system and claimed countless lives. Thanks to an outpouring of generosity from our donors, AJWS responded quickly to support over 80 local organizations and activists to meet the mounting needs …
Read More
Pooja Gurjar is a young woman from Rajasthan. She was married off at the age of 16 years and sent to her marital home. At her insistence, she returned to live in her parents’ house and is has continued her education. She recently completed MJAS’ Grassroots Journalism course and wants to build her career in …
Read More If 2021 has taught us anything, it may be that glimmers of light will always shine through the darkness. And when we help that light grow, it illuminates the world in ways we never expected. With Chanukah around the corner, we see these lights shining. They are the activists and advocates we support in 18 …
Read More As you know, this has been a summer of painful extremes. Brutal heat waves, fires and floods have swept the globe — clear effects of climate change. Surges of new variants of COVID-19 are making our hoped-for return to ‘normalcy’ more tentative than it seemed just months ago. And waves of political violence have torn …
Read More
