Even in challenging times, AJWS’s grantees around the globe are building a better world. They are lifting communities out of poverty, challenging gender inequality, protecting land and water, forging peace and changing millions of lives. Together with them, we are repairing the world—tikkun olam.
Below, you’ll find stories of our grantees’ action and activism that give us great hope. These include a story about a young woman deciding her own future in India, a community in Senegal planting seeds of peace, and a court ruling in Kenya that protects the environment and the right of local peoples to their land.
You can also check out some recent news articles and opinion pieces that continue to inform our work to promote human rights and combat poverty in the developing world. We hope that these stories inspire you to keep up the momentum toward building a better world
A Woman Takes the Road Less Traveled in India
Three years after AJWS made a film about Khushi’s life, she’s gone from driving cabs to training a new generation of girls just beginning their careers. And she’s done it in India, where many girls are expected to marry and care for families, not lead independent lives. Watch the video and learn about what Khushi is up to now—prepare to be inspired!
Planting Seeds of Peace in Senegal
Women are finding a new path to peace in Casamance, Senegal, a region emerging from three decades of civil war. A ceasefire in 2014 brought displaced people back from exile to their home villages, where they’re now learning to coexist with neighbors who had different loyalties during the war. Learn about how AJWS grantee COPI is helping communities recover by planting “peace gardens”—sowing peace from the ground up.
Legal Win for the Environment over Industry
In April 2018, Kenya’s High Court ruled to slow the development of a mega-project that threatens to destroy land, lives and the environment. The government had been damaging thousands of miles of land and villages to make way for a massive transportation network to process and export fossil fuels that lie below the soil. But thanks to AJWS grantee Katiba Institute, the government now must pay millions in damages and commit to a new plan that protects the environment.
Women Stand Up against Gender-Based Violence in Nicaragua
Women, men and children took to the streets of Managua, Nicaragua, to protest a recent wave of violence against women. Watch this video to experience the power of their demonstration.
