AJWS Blog

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.

Planting the seeds for reconciliation in Senegal

In a garden in Casamance, Senegal, sprouts poke hopefully out of the soil. They are the simple beginnings of carrots, onions and radishes. But they represent so much more than food. The women who planted and nurtured them are recovering from years of fear and violence. Casamance, the southwestern region of Senegal, has been ravaged …

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Taking the Road Less Traveled: Khushi’s Story

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. When I first met Khushi Prajapati, her story was already unusual. As a teenager, she’d worked as a maid to try to help her family make ends meet. It …

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“I’m Roaring Now”: Speaking Out Against Corruption in Guatemala

When Claudia Samayoa woke up on September 1st, 2018, everything had changed. The news from the day before was alarming: Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales had declared himself above the law, announcing his intention to shut down the powerful, UN-backed anti-corruption commission that’d been working in Guatemala since 2006. Armored vehicles patrolled Guatemala City. Thousands of …

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Crossing the Border: From Genesis to Guatemala

Just recently, the New York Times shared the tragic story of Donelda Pulex Castellanos, whose 6-year-old daughter was held in an immigration detention center for two months. Castellanos and her daughter were then reunited and abruptly deported back to their home in Santa Rosa de Lima, a poor rural municipality in Guatemala.[1] The article reminded …

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Historic Victory for LGBTQI+ Rights in India

I am elated today because our grantee partners in India have achieved an historic victory for LGBTQI+ rights. Earlier today, the Indian Supreme Court struck down a colonial-era law that criminalized consensual sex between same sex adults. As India is home to nearly one-fifth of the world’s population, this single ruling removes the threat of …

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