The AJWS community has a lot to say about what's happening in the world. Read our insights about the struggle for justice and human rights around the globe.
“There’s a stigma in society that we’re a curse,” says 26-year-old Feronika, a transgender woman in Palu, Indonesia. “But we’re perfect the way we are. We have two hands just like everyone else, and we’ll use them to improve our society. If people think we’re a curse, we’ll be a blessing in return.” For Feronika, this …Read More
In early November 2020, Hurricane Eta tore through Guatemala’s Caribbean coast and on to the north-central region of Ixcán, leaving many communities that AJWS supports in tatters. Just two weeks later — communities still reeling from the carnage of Hurricane Eta — disaster struck again when Hurricane Iota slammed into the same areas, leading to even more catastrophic damage. Now, a year after this series of destructive natural …Read More
As we enter the second winter holiday season in our changed world, I’m thankful for the solace and strength reading has given me. Books have been steady companions throughout the pandemic—sometimes nourishing and comforting me, and sometimes reigniting my lifelong passion for justice. On this holiday of giving thanks, and with Chanukah and other holidays …Read More
Around the world, rural and Indigenous communities are working to repair the world — with food. The challenges they face are immense: industrial development, commercial farming and accelerating climate change are all damaging the land that these communities have farmed for generations. But AJWS is supporting activist organizations to fight back. These activists are working with their communities to build “food sovereignty,” or the …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
The headlines in Haiti are bleak. After years of increasing political corruption under former President Jovenel Moïse and skyrocketing gang violence, including kidnappings and outright massacres of civilians, the country faced a new onslaught of crises in the summer of 2021. In July, Moïse was assassinated in his home, disintegrating what was left of Haiti’s …Read More