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 — and meet the activists on the frontlines of the fight to build a better world.
At the age of 15, I was an optimistic young teenager in New York, inspired by the civil rights movement and dreaming about how I might contribute to creating a better world. Looking back, my ambitions at 15 laid the foundation for my entire career—a full 60 years of fighting for social and global justice. Just like me, every 15-year-old girl deserves a chance to pursue her dreams. Sadly, many girls never get those opportunities.
American Jewish World Service (AJWS) mourns the passing of our beloved founding donor, Larry Phillips—a visionary philanthropist who brought the dream of a Jewish organization dedicated to ending poverty and promoting human rights alive.
“The Time of Suffering”—what the Q’eqchi’ Mayans call the 30 plus years of conflict that ended in the mid 1990s—hit hard in Alta and Baja Vera Paz, two departments in north-central Guatemala that faced brutal massacres and violence. AJWS grantee Union of Peasant Organizations of Vera Paz (UVOC) works in this region.
We’re proud to share that AJWS grantee OFRANEH (The Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras, Organización Fraternal Negra Hondureña) is the international winner of the 2015 Food Sovereignty Prize! The Food Sovereignty Prize spotlights grassroots activists working for a more democratic food system. The honorees are recognized for promoting food sovereignty by raising public awareness, organizing on-the-ground action, …
Sandra Caled was born on a day believed to be special on the Mayan calendar: a day when strong leaders are born. That came as no surprise to me. Sandra, a Poqomchi’ Mayan woman from Guatemala, is one of the first women to be on the governing body of AJWS grantee UVOC, the Union of Peasant Organizations of Vera Paz.
