Women For Afghan Women

Afghan Women Rising

Press Releases & Statements

 
2022
2021-2020
2019
2018
2017
2016

August 15 | (New York, NY) WAW Statement on Events in Charlottesville WAW condemns the violence that took the life of Heather Heyer and injured others

May 19 | (New York, NY) Dynamic Human Rights Lawyer Joins WAW at Critical Juncture for Afghan Women  WAW hires attorney and policy specialist, Megan Corrado, as new Advocacy Manager at WAW’s Washington DC Office

April 20th | (New York, NY) Five Foundations Award $750,000 to Women for Afghan Women Philanthropic consortium including Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and The David and Lucile Packard Foundation invests in expanding WAW’s work.

January 17th | (New York, NY) WAW Taking 45 Clients to Women's March on Washington, D.C. WAW prepares clients for march in support of women’s rights

November 11 | (New York, NY) Statement on 2016 US Presidential Elections
WAW's Message to Supporters and to the People of the United States

September 22 | (New York, NY) | Lutheran Social Services of New York’s Immigration Legal Program and WAW Receive Grant to Fund Citizenship Instruction and Naturalization Application Services

September 19 | (New York, NY) | WAW Condemns recent attacks in the United States (New York, New Jersey, and Minnesota) WAW shifts resources to address the safety of the community and reaches out to local authorities and community leaders to work towards a long-term response to these times of crises.

June 22 | (New York, NY) | Afghan, LGBTQ, Muslim, and South Asian Communities' Town Hall Meeting in Response to Orlando Shooting WAW Organizes Public Town Hall Meeting with 12 Community Representatives to Discuss the Orlando Massacre

June 15 | (New York, NY) | WAW Stands in Solidarity with the LGBTQ Community in its Condemnation of the Mass Shooting in Orlando, Florida WAW calls for a Town Hall Meeting in NYC with community leaders and partners to address the Orlando Massacre

March 4 | (New York, NY) | WAW Featured in George W. Bush Institute's Publication, "We Are Afghan Women: Voices of Hope Book launch scheduled for International Women’s Day, March 8, 2016

Statement from Leadership of Women for Afghan Women on Events of March 30, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, (New York, NY) March 30, 2022

As members of the senior leadership and the Board of Directors of Women for Afghan Women (WAW), a US-based NGO, it is imperative that we clarify the legitimacy of the meeting in Kabul between two former board members and Taliban authorities. While we recognize the past leadership of the former board and staff members who attended this meeting, they do not represent WAW or our policies, and they are not authorized to make any contractual arrangements on behalf of the organization.

As a grassroots organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the rights of disenfranchised Afghan women and girls, Women for Afghan Women (WAW) has worked tirelessly since its founding in 2001 to provide life changing, community-based programs to thousands of Afghan women, children and families throughout Afghanistan and the United States.

Amidst unprecedented challenges to our work brought on by the political, economic, and humanitarian upheaval that has gripped Afghanistan since August 2021, WAW continues to do our best to support those who remain in Afghanistan and also Afghan refugees in the United States. The pressures and complexities of trying to continue services and support under a new regime have been extreme. Security issues have led to unlawful detentions, harassment and threats to WAW staff, facilities and resources.

Still, our dedicated team continues to do what they can to safely and securely provide as much support and assistance to Afghan women and girls as possible. We have helped thousands of women and girls across Afghanistan receive critical financial assistance so they can meet their basic needs, such as food, shelter, healthcare and education. And we have successfully helped hundreds of WAW staff, clients and their families evacuate the country to safety.

The WAW team in the United States has rapidly scaled up our operations and support for Afghan women and girls who have been evacuated, including work to help relocate and support transitions to new homes, as well as the opening of a new resource center in Virginia that will serve thousands of Afghan refugees who now live in the region.

As our work continues, we are partnering with other organizations working in Afghanistan to expand our reach and provide additional humanitarian support to more women, girls, and families in need, including the critical distribution of food and other healthcare goods. Like many other aid and development organizations, WAW continues to assess on a daily basis the best ways for our team to work in a way that holds true to our commitment to women and girls, while ensuring staff and clients are not put in harm’s way.

We want to recognize the contributions of WAW founder and former Board chairperson Sunita Viswanath and former Board person Masuda Sultan while also clarifying that they are no longer formally involved with WAW as an organization in the US or in Afghanistan. For further clarification, Mr. Seyed Moheb Haqiq is no longer WAW’s Afghanistan Country Director. We wish them the best in their future endeavors.

Thank you for your ongoing support as we stand together to serve Afghan women and girls.

For press related inquiries contact office@womenforafghanwomen.org

Women for Afghan Women (WAW) is a grassroots, non-profit organization dedicated to securing and protecting the rights of disenfranchised Afghan women and girls in Afghanistan and New York, particularly their rights to develop their individual potential, to self-determination, and to be represented in all areas of life: political, social, cultural, and economic. WAW advocates for women’s rights and challenges the norms that underpin gender-based violence wherever opportunities arise to influence attitudes and bring about change.