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 …
Read More
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 …
Read More
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 …
Read More
Between May and June, 2024, heavy monsoon rains bombarded the communities on the island nation of Sri Lanka and caused severe flooding and mudslides. The country, already experiencing a severe economic crisis, was pushed to the verge of calamity. The disaster was most dramatic in Southern Sri Lanka, where farming and fishing communities were left …
Read More
Today is a day of mourning for our democracy, for freedoms secured through great sacrifice, and for human rights around the globe. At American Jewish World Service (AJWS), we grieve for our collective future and for the health and safety of more than 500 human rights organizations we support in Africa, Asia, Latin America and …
Read More
As many members of the AJWS community prepare for Rosh Hashanah, we pause and reflect on the year about to end. We recognize the unimaginable pain of so many people in Israel, Gaza and the Middle East, reverberating around the world as pervasive violence continues. Even in the most entrenched conflicts, we believe that people …
Read More
In the shade of a mango tree in northern Uganda in 2004, Pamela Angwech started Gulu Women’s Economic Development and Globalization (GWED-G). From its humble beginning, her organization has grown into the largest grassroots human rights group in the region despite immense challenges. The region is still reeling from the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) war, …
Read More
Like so many trans men that today form the community of HT El Salvador, Shane Mejía Iraheta grew up feeling like he didn’t fit — into society, in his own body and even in his family. He had a grandfather who respected him and sheltered him from his family’s disapproval. But when Shane’s grandfather died …
Read More
After Keji lost her parents to the violent, ongoing conflict in South Sudan, she and her siblings fled to Arua, Uganda — a city near the border that has become a major hub for refugees looking for a better life. But Keji and her brothers and sisters needed help rebuilding their lives after losing everything. …
Read More