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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.

May 3, 2016 by Carolyn Ziv

Honoring Liberia’s Ebola Fighters: How one AJWS Grantee Empowered Communities to Protect Themselves from Ebola

Supported by AJWS since 2012, BAWODA unites and empowers women across Grand Bassa County to take greater control of their personal and family lives, assume local leadership positions and influence political decision-making. When Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf declared a national state of emergency due to Ebola on August 6, 2014, the group sprang to action to educate Grand Bassans about the virus.

April 25, 2016 by Angela Cave

A Year After the Nepal Earthquake: How a Community of Buddhist Nuns and Monks Bounced Back

Today is the first anniversary of the worst earthquake to hit Nepal in more than eight decades. The 7.8 magnitude temblor—which was followed by countless aftershocks and a second powerful 7.3 magnitude quake two weeks later—killed nearly 9,000 people, injured more than 22,000 and displaced more than 188,000 in the small South Asian nation already …

April 25, 2016 by Angela Cave

A Year After the Nepal Earthquake: How Local Organizations Supported by AJWS Are Creating Resilient Communities

AJWS is in it for the long haul in Nepal, where recovery from the April 25, 2015, earthquake has been slow, to say the least. AJWS and other international donors have collectively sent billions of dollars to the recovering country, which was already one of the poorest in the world before it hit headlines. But an unprepared and inefficient government, massive fuel shortages and political conflicts have complicated and delayed the delivery of aid and services.

Rebecca Nurse of Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, lost her husband to Ebola. BAWODA staff have been helping Rebecca cope with her grief.

April 22, 2016 by Carolyn Ziv

Honoring Liberia’s Ebola Fighters: Helping Liberians Cope with Ebola’s Psychological Scars

As the Liberia outbreak began to ebb in early 2015, AJWS recognized an emerging, urgent need to assist the thousands of people who have been deeply traumatized by Ebola—especially survivors and those who lost loved ones.

April 19, 2016 by Robert Bank

Remembering the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

Being a Jewish advocate for human rights is especially poignant for me on April 19th, the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. This was the largest act of Jewish resistance in the face of German-occupied Poland during World War II. The uprising began 73 years ago today when Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto decided to …