A future with
WAW is a grassroots organization empowering Afghan women and girls in both Afghanistan and the U.S. to realize their full potential and advocate for their rights.
Founded in Queens, New York in 2001, WAW has grown into an operation serving women and families globally.
Afghans in need of humanitarian assistance
years of continuous work, through every political crisis
Afghan and other vulnerable, Muslim immigrant and refugee women and their families supported annually
Culture, history, and life
WAW is a grassroots organization empowering Afghan women and girls in both Afghanistan and the U.S. to realize their full potential and advocate for their rights, while challenging societal norms to create lasting change and advance gender equality.
We accomplish our mission through:
Protection and Support
Providing protection services and humanitarian aid for vulnerable women, women-led households, and girls in Afghanistan through local programs and strategic partnerships
Rights Advocacy
Establishing cross-province programs in Afghanistan to advocate against gender-based violence and for reinstating women’s and girls’ rights throughout the country
Direct Services
Providing casework, legal support, and educational programs to Afghan and other vulnerable immigrant and refugee women survivors of gender-based violence in the United States
Community Education
Training community leaders and members about rights, gender-based violence, and culturally-appropriate ways to support Afghan and immigrant women survivors
Cultural Bridge-Building
Connecting public sector and law enforcement with Muslim communities by providing insight on cultural nuances facing Afghan and Muslim immigrant women survivors
The right help is accessible
All of WAW’s programs and services in Afghanistan & the United States are free of charge
One mission. Two countries.
Programs on the ground in Afghanistan and community centers in the United States, run by people who know the communities they serve.
Protection at national scale
Six protection programs run by locally hired Afghan staff, from children’s support to case management and mental health services.
- Children’s Support Center · fully WAW-funded
- Women’s Protection Programs · 5 regions
- Protection Case Management · UNHCR
- Mental Health & Psychosocial Support · UNHCR
Community roots in New York and Virginia
Community centers in Fresh Meadows, New York and Alexandria, Virginia serve Afghan immigrant and refugee families as they build new lives in the U.S.
- Case Management · housing, benefits, healthcare
- Legal Services · immigration and family law
- Mental Health Support · counseling and referrals
- Youth Leadership & Workshops · both centers
The work is harder than ever.
We are not going anywhere.
Since August 2021, 79 separate measures have restricted Afghan women and girls’ access to public life. Political crisis has not ended our work. WAW remains in Afghanistan, hiring locally and adapting so that women and children can still be reached safely.
How we work under restriction →The 2025 record
women and children served through Women’s Protection Programs
students learning in safe, renovated schools
children cared for at the Children’s Support Center
youth participating in leadership programs
clients supported with 6,184 cases of legal support
The 2025 Annual Report
The full record of a year of work, program by program.
From the field and the sector
Strengthening Our Voice: WAW Elected to ACBAR Steering Committee
We are proud to share that Women for Afghan Women’s (WAW) Afghanistan Country Director, Fareed-ud-Din NOORI, has been elected to the Steering Committee of the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief and…
Read the story →
Every WAW program is free for the women who use it
Donations are what make that possible: legal aid in Queens, case management in Kabul, a safe place for a child whose mother cannot care for her. Your gift goes to work on two continents.
WAW holds a 2026 Four-Star rating from Charity Navigator.