This summer will be remembered for its unsparing heat, a reminder of the climate crisis unfolding before our eyes. So this month, we’re spotlighting an AJWS partner acting as caretaker of the earth — for the health of its community, and to create a more livable future for all of us. Read on to be transported to El Salvador, then keep scrolling for more stories of hope, resilience and change.
A nation of organic farmers is growing in El Salvador
Across El Salvador, AJWS partner Asociación de Lisiados de Guerra de El Salvador (ALGES) is training campesinos, or small-scale farmers, to adopt healthy, sustainable methods of agriculture. “As a campesino, the earth gives us life. She gives us everything we need to survive,” says community member José Santos Cruz Rosa. “So now, we must take care of her in return — to ensure her survival as well.” Meet the activists at the heart of this movement!
More Stories (and Photos) of Hope
- AJWS not only funds grassroots organizations around the world — we also support them to learn from each other, collaborate and build social movements that make a difference. In the Dominican Republic, eight of our partners recently gathered to listen, learn and unite in their fight for women’s rights and gender equality.
- Last month, we introduced you to Nook and Hua, two LGBTQI+ rights activists whose incredible work led to Thailand legalizing marriage equality. This month, their inspiring story was published in the Advocate!
- In rural Rajasthan, India, social norms dictate that girls marry early and raise a family. But our partner Alwar Mewat Institute of Education and Development (AMIED) is changing what’s possible for these young women: They’ve helped more than 15,000 girls reenroll in school. Girls like Najrana Khan (below), who says, “When my family pressures me to get married I say: ‘Right now, you invest in me. Let me study, let me get a good job, and I’ll return that investment tenfold.'”
Sometimes, the stories we bring you inspire hope but require action.
It’s been seven years since the Rohingya people — a Muslim minority community from Burma — endured a genocide at the hands of the Burmese military. More than 700,000 people were forced to flee to neighboring Bangladesh, where they now languish in the world’s largest refugee camp. Learn more in this gripping op-ed by our partner, survivor and activist Lucky Karim.
But you can help. Urge Congress to pass the Rohingya Genocide Accountability and Protection Act, which bolsters U.S. humanitarian aid and support for refugees and establishes a pathway to justice for this community of survivors. Click here and join us in this fight for justice.
See you next month.
Onward,
Your friends at AJWS
