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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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, …
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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 …
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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. …
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An unyielding value of American Jewish World Service is the sanctity of human life. It propels our human rights mission in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and it guides our hearts. The nightmare that continues in Israel and Gaza has caused enormous pain to all members of our community, our Jewish community, our …
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