Jamie Diamond
AJWS Condemns Expansion of Global Gag Rule
The Trump administration’s radical expansion of restrictions on lifesaving foreign assistance will have devastating impacts around the world. Though the expansion was expected, its breadth fundamentally alters U.S. interaction with the rest of the world far beyond reproductive health. With this expansion, the U.S. continues its retreat from the family of nations and leaves marginalized …
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AJWS grantee contributes to monumental advancement for trans rights in Thailand
In June 2024, Thailand’s LGBTQI+ people achieved a massive human rights victory when the country legalized same sex marriage. But activists know there is still work to do. “Marriage equality opened more space for us to talk about trans rights,” AJWS partner Hua Boonyapisomparn (she/her) of the Foundation of Transgender Alliance for Human Rights (ThaiTGA), …
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AJWS decries global harm of U.S. retreat from international cooperation
American Jewish World Service (AJWS) denounces the reckless and abrupt withdrawal of the United States from dozens of international organizations that advance global stability, sustainability, democracy and economic growth and have long served as safeguards against abuse of the most vulnerable people on the planet. Inspired by the Jewish commitment to justice, AJWS supports grassroots …
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Girls in Uganda Learn to Take Up Space
At 12, Anzoa Sarah was struggling with her body image and self-esteem. Today, at 24, she’s a powerful women’s rights lawyer in Kampala, Uganda’s capitol city. What changed? As an adolescent, she was introduced to the Mentoring and Empowerment Programme for Young Women (MEMPROW), a feminist organization working to empower women and girls across Uganda …
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Indigenous Kenyan activists successfully fend off evictions from their ancestral lands
The Embobut forest in Kenya is misty during the rainy season, filled with fresh, sweet air and chirping birds, rich biodiversity and flowing rivers — a gorgeous, lush landscape. It’s also the ancestral home of the Indigenous Sengwer people, who have lived throughout the forest for generations, stewarding and safeguarding its natural resources — until …
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An Oasis for Queer Joy in the Dominican Republic
Esther grew up in Bonao, a conservative city in the Dominican Republic where discrimination against queer people is extremely common. While in university in Santo Domingo, the country’s capital city, she saw that resources for queer people were more abundant than at home. It was there that she realized that gathering spaces for queer activists …
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A win for Indigenous rights in Mexico with a major constitutional reform
When Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, there were many different groups living on its land: Indigenous Peoples, Afro-Mexicans descended from enslaved Africans, Spanish descendants, and Spaniards. To form a cohesive nation, they all became unified as Mexicans. But not all Mexicans have been treated equally. Under Spanish colonial rule, native peoples were expected …
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AJWS Statement on the Need to Extend Temporary Protected Status and Humanitarian Parole
AJWS applauds the Biden administration for extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for people from Ukraine, Venezuela, Sudan and El Salvador last week. But this extension is not enough. AJWS supports grassroots activists in Haiti and Nicaragua, where the human rights crises are dire—Haiti’s government has collapsed, with gangs violently ruling the country. In Nicaragua, the …
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Girls and Young Women Take the Lead on Climate Action in Rural Kenya
Ten-year old Magret lives in coastal Kenya, a rural region currently devastated by drought and famine, where many families have only enough food to eat one meal a day. The nearest reliable water source is an hour’s walk away from Magret’s home. And yet, despite her young age, Magret is making an outsized impact in …
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