Sexual Health and Rights: Story Collection
We support women, girls and LGBTQI+ people, as they organize to end discrimination, stop violence and live with dignity, safety and health.
AJWS grantee contributes to monumental advancement for trans rights in Thailand
In June 2024, Thailand’s LGBTQI+ people achieved a massive human rights victory when the country…
A new horizon, finally in view: How one Guatemalan woman broke the cycle of violence
When Ana Elizabeth Pop Jor was growing up outside Chisec in rural, northern Guatemala, violence…
Fighting for — and winning — protection under the law: Landmark progress for LGBTQI+ Kenyans
In June 2019, Shieys Chepkosgei was arrested in Eldoret, Kenya, and charged with impersonating a…
Celebrating 10 Years of Neges Mawon – and Generations of Haitian Resilience
Girls in Uganda Learn to Take Up Space
At 12, Anzoa Sarah was struggling with her body image and self-esteem. Today, at 24,…
Kenya’s Indigenous Women’s Council celebrates its first decade
From Despair to Dignity: Supporting Migrant and Refugee Sex Workers in Uganda
On the streets skirting refugee camps across Uganda, sex workers eke out a living on the…
A place to breathe again: How an AJWS partner in Kenya restores hope to young mothers
As I stepped into one of the safe spaces created by Lean on Me Foundation…
Marking forty years of feminist grantmaking
For 40 years, AJWS has been advocating for global justice and equality, and women’s rights…
Against All Odds: The Legal Warriors Defending Uganda’s LGBTQI+ Community
Since the passage of the Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) in 2023, the ability of LGBTQI+…
The Stakes are High in the Pan-African Fight for Safe Abortions
In Kenya, just talking openly about abortion can be dangerous. But for the activists with…
“Somos Pájaras”: Radical Joy and Belonging in the Dominican Republic
In the Dominican Republic, “las pájaras” is a pejorative slang for women attracted to other…
More Than a Promise: COLESDOM’s Fight for Intersex Rights
The first time someone from Comunidad de Liderazgos y Espacios Inclusivos Dominicana (COLESDOM) knocked on…
How we fight fundamentalist “family values” movements in Africa — and how you can, too
To the unwavering American donors and AJWS community members, I’m writing you from my home…
Women to the front: Gender equality in the fight for Indigenous land in Guatemala
For nearly two decades, AJWS grantee the Association of Communities for the Development, Defense of…
“Love yourself as much as you can”: The journey of a Thai LGBTQI+ rights defender
Methawee Pannon (Sai) grew up in Khon Kaen, Thailand, understanding exactly what was expected of…
An Oasis for Queer Joy in the Dominican Republic
Esther grew up in Bonao, a conservative city in the Dominican Republic where discrimination against…
Just Married! A letter from a newly-wed gay Thai activist
Around the world this month, LGBTQI+ communities and our allies will celebrate the progress we’ve…
“I felt a power rising in me”: A young woman in India claims her independence
Anima Mondal was in eighth grade when her parents announced they’d found a man to…
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…
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…
The First Woman Engineer in Mewat: This AJWS Partner is Smashing Indian Gender Norms
Today, 25-year-old Shabnam Khan is a minor celebrity in Mewat — a rural region of…
Facing online blackmail and sexual harassment, Indian women’s rights activists refuse to cower
Santoshi is the youngest of seven siblings in a family where none of her older…
In El Salvador, the LGBTQI+ community refuses to be erased
Karla Guevara has seen major progress for LGBTQI+ rights in her lifetime. Fifteen years ago,…
In India, this AJWS partner is rewriting the lie that boys don’t cry
Life beyond survival: How activists are transforming homeless shelters for women and LGBTQI+ people in India
Losing shelter can be one of the most traumatic experiences of a person’s life. There’s…
Girls and Young Women Take the Lead on Climate Action in Rural Kenya
Ten-year old Magret lives in coastal Kenya, a rural region currently devastated by drought and…
After devastating monsoon, Sri Lankan activists bridge ethnic divides to help girls return to school
Between May and June, 2024, heavy monsoon rains bombarded the communities on the island nation…
“Nothing more human than art”: Revealing untold history in the Dominican Republic
“You won’t see our history in schoolbooks,” says Michelle Ricardo, standing in the shade of…
Three Women, Endless Impact: Thoughtshop Foundation empowers young leaders to tear down India’s patriarchy
“We always start with a question — that’s where everything begins,” says Himalini Varma,…
In the Dominican Republic, a revolutionary gathering for girls’ rights
Girls and young women across much of Latin America and the Caribbean face more challenges…
In Uganda, one organization is transforming men into champions for women’s rights
In the shade of a mango tree in northern Uganda in 2004, Pamela Angwech started…
After an historic vote to legalize marriage equality in Thailand, two LGBTQI+ activists look to the future
“Why change for someone else when I know I am shining?”: Changing LGBTQI+ norms in India
Like most Indians, Ritwik “Ritu” Chakravarty was raised with a strict notion of traditional gender…
Celebrating Pride in Thailand! Join AJWS grantees in the streets of Bangkok
On June 1, on the eve of Thailand passing an historic law to legalize marriage…
Meet Masafu, Who’s Defending Queer Kenyans’ Rights in Court
Masafu Okwara is a lawyer and activist in Kenya who has devoted her life to…
A different future: One mother’s fight for her daughters’ education in India
In Medabas village in rural Mewat, India, no girl had ever finished high school —…
Learning through playing: Thoughtshop Foundation is sparking life-changing conversations in India
Thoughtshop Foundation — a longtime AJWS grantee based in Kolkata — uses a unique approach…
Invisible No More: Inside El Salvador’s growing movement for trans men’s rights
At 51-years-old, Villy Rivera speaks with cautious optimism about his ongoing fight for the rights…
This is Me: Traditional dance in the Dominican Republic is helping girls reclaim their identity
Teresa Mercedes Emilia, 19, says she was blessed to grow up surrounded by strong women…
How hand-stitched dolls are changing Black women’s lives in the Dominican Republic
In the slums of Nairobi, Positive Young Women Voices are rising
Lucy Wanjiku Njenga always believed she was meant for something more than the life she…
Activists Up Close: Meet Samreen, Who’s Empowering Women in India to Find Work and Follow Their Dreams
Samreen grew up Lucknow, India, in a household where her mother wasn’t allowed to do…
“The queerest space in Nairobi”: LGBTQI+ activists create safe space in Kenya
For years, I spent the High Holidays in Fire Island. Beginning in the mid-1920s, this…
Flipping the Script: Young Feminist Leaders Tell Funders What They Need at the Women Deliver Conference
Showing Up for Women and Girls: Shyleen’s Fight
Shyleen recalls the moment that sparked her activism. A woman was giving birth in her…
Smashing the Patriarchy: Richa’s Fight
Growing up in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, Richa was taught the do’s and don’ts of being…
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…
Alpa’s Journey: Becoming a rickshaw driver and challenging gender roles in India
For most of her life, 20-year-old Meriya Alpa Ramjibhai grew up doing what was expected…
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.
Learning about technology, learning about themselves: Women build their own lives in India
Sadbhavana Trust’s Leadership, Gender and Technology program combines leadership training with digital and technical skills…
Activists Up Close: Meet Pisey, who’s Leading the Movement for Marriage Equality in Cambodia
Ly Pisey grew up in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where LGBTQI+ people are alienated and pushed…
Activists Up Close: Meet Mercy, a Girls Boxing Coach and Mentor in Kenya
Mercy Musila Musikali grew up in Nairobi, Kenya, like so many girls in her community:…
Claiming a Seat at the Table: The Feminization of Politics in Senegal
In the corner office of a municipal building in Dakar, Senegal, Adama Mbengue sits behind…
Kicking Harassment off the Bus: Indian Bus Drivers Learn to Stand Up for Female Passengers
Sanjay Jagtap has spent the past 25 years of his life as a public bus…
As We Are: Collaborative Portraits with Uganda’s Gulu Women with Disabilities Union
India’s Supreme Court Issues New Guidelines for Sex Workers’ Rights
On May 19th, India’s Supreme Court made a historic step towards advancing the rights of…
A community of solidarity, support and Pride
In honor of Pride Month, AJWS asked LGBTQI+ activists around the world what Pride means…
The Fight for Safe Abortions in Kenya
In Kenya, seven women die every single day from complications related to unsafe abortions —…
The Kenyan Organization Raising Funds and Fighting LGTBQI+ Stigma with a Poultry Breeding Program
Photos courtesy of EMAC Empowering Marginalized Communities (EMAC), an AJWS grantee partner in Kenya, has…
Reproductive rights are human rights
This Mother’s Day feels like the time for action rather than celebration. On Monday, Politico…
Creating their own path: building a gender-equal family and a more just world
In the bustling metropolis of Bangalore, India—home to over 13 million people and known as…
These Activists Won’t Let the Pandemic Destroy Young Peoples’ Futures
The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare in alarming ways how unprepared the world has been…
“No One Else is Helping”: Women and LGBTQI+ Legal Aids are Fighting for Survivor Justice in Indonesia
“There’s a stigma in society that we’re a curse,” says 26-year-old Feronika, a transgender woman…