Civil and Political Rights: Story Collection

two people with yellow wall behind them, looking at camera

Risking jailtime, young Thai activists forge ahead for democracy

Growing up in a conservative, deeply patriotic Thai family, Nutchanon Pairoj (Nut) dreamt of being…

group of people standing next to a tree

What “accompaniment” really means: A letter from our climate justice expert in Kenya

For more than a decade, I have been working in Kenya as one of AJWS’s…

group of about twenty people standing outside under some palm trees, with "Mujeres ALDEA" spelled out in front of them on the grass in large purple and yellow letters

A win for Indigenous rights in Mexico with a major constitutional reform

When Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, there were many different groups living on…

woman wearing a red striped shirt and red bandana standing up at the march, holding a wooden cross and red rose

The long, slow march for justice after a genocide in Guatemala

Essy is wearing a light blue collared shirt and gray vest. She is speaking to a group with a laptop on her lap. She is sitting in a chair outside, with grass behind her.

As Trump politicizes human rights support, we’re taking cues from Kenya

Right now, Kenya is reeling. The Trump administration’s overnight suspension of USAID funding is already…

man talking to camera

“Whoever holds a mic gets a charge”: Inside Thailand’s fight for free speech

What it means to fight for Indigenous people’s rights in Kenya

This letter was written by Loolasho, a coordinator at AJWS grantee partner Kenya Indigneous Youth…

A Nicaraguan journalist in exile speaks truth to power with a bold, new book

In 2018, Nicaragua’s citizens rose up against the repressive, authoritarian government of President Daniel Ortega,…

AJWS Grantee UNIR Fights Exploitative Gold Mining in Haiti by Building Bridges across Latin America

This activist collective is nurturing the future of African democracy

“We live in different African countries, but the challenges and the conditions of life are…

four people smiling at the camera with greenery behind them

After a brutal civil war, a nation of organic farmers is growing in El Salvador

On the edge of a field of banana trees outside the village of Linares, deep…

After an historic vote to legalize marriage equality in Thailand, two LGBTQI+ activists look to the future

Finding hope and dignity after a decade of statelessness in the Dominican Republic

This month, Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader won his re-election campaign, making headlines around the…

group of four people outside, three are wearing white hats. they are on the street in front of a yellow car

With a new progressive president, democracy is on the rise in Senegal

Hopeful doesn’t begin to describe the mood in Senegal right now, on the heels of…

After fleeing South Sudan, refugees begin again in Uganda — with the help of RICE West Nile

After Keji lost her parents to the violent, ongoing conflict in South Sudan, she and…

One barrio at a time, this AJWS grantee is transforming young people into community leaders in the Dominican Republic

“My neighborhood is known as the backyard — as in, the place where you throw…

“We can’t wait for change”: Congolese activists are fighting to ensure a free and fair election

Many young people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) can’t recall a memory of…

Transformed by grief: A mother searches for Mexico’s disappeared

María Herrera did not expect to be quoted in international newspapers, meet with the Pope…

Putting Black Women and Girls at the Center: Flor Ángel’s Fight

Activism is in Flor Ángel’s DNA. The 28-year-old Dominican activist works with AJWS grantee Mujeres…

When Indigenous Activists Are Unjustly Jailed, Frayba Fights Back

For generations, Indigenous communities within Chiapas — the southernmost region of Mexico — have enjoyed…

group of Indigenous Kenyans sitting together outside

Everything we have comes from this land: How an Indigenous Kenyan community is fighting for their future

It’s a relentlessly sunny day in Isiolo County, Kenya, and a few hundred villagers are…

people at a rally, carrying green banners, wearing medical masks

Village vs. Coal Mine: Defending a sacred forest in Thailand

In the verdant, mountainous Omkoi district of Thailand, the Indigenous Karen community is gripped in…

The Struggle to Simply Be Ourselves: Meet the Kenyan LGBTQI+ Activists Fighting Fear with Joy

In Kenya, LGBTQI+ people are constantly under threat — from police who extort and abuse…

These Women are Paving the Road to Justice in Senegal

The road to justice in Senegal is rarely a straight path. Especially for women.

The Search for her Missing Son and Closure for Hundreds of Families: Letty Hildalgo’s Story

People are abducted and often murdered by criminals or even with the participation of authorities.…

Unity is Our Strength: Inside Kenya’s Growing Movement of Indigenous Leaders

Myriad challenges plague Kenya’s Indigenous communities. The effects of climate change have hit them hard.

Hip-Hop in their DNA: How Senegalese Activists are Building a Movement with Their Music

Just after sunset on a Friday night in Pikine, Senegal — one of the poorest…

The Crisis in Haiti and the Source of Hope for a Peaceful, Democratic Future

Haiti is in crisis. After more than ten years of rule by a corrupt, violent,…

As We Are: Collaborative Portraits with Uganda’s Gulu Women with Disabilities Union

Know Your History, Master Your Future: How One Senegalese Activist is Mobilizing Youth By Illuminating his Community’s Forgotten Tragedy

In Thiaroye, Senegal—less than 10 miles from the country’s bustling, metropolitan capital of Dakar—a rusty…

Investing in a Democratic Future

With authoritarianism on the rise, for American Jewish World Service, investing in social movements led…