The American Jewish World Service (AJWS)
“[AJWS] strive[s] to end poverty and promote human rights in the developing world. This is no easy task, but we’ve got the knowledge, passion and innovation to make an enduring difference.” (https://ajws.org/what-we-do/)
Where AJWS Works
“From India to Haiti, Kenya to Cambodia, AJWS supports extraordinary leaders for social justice who are working to build a better world—locally, nationally and globally.” (https://ajws.org/where-we-work/)
“[AJWS is] a Jewish organization with a diverse community of supporters, including Jews of every background and people of all faiths, ethnicities, races, gender identities and sexual orientations. AJWS supporters share our core value that people confronting poverty and oppression deserve the resources they need to pursue their own visions of justice.” (https://ajws.org/who-we-are/resources/what-inspires-us/)
” [AJWS] combine[s] the power of our grants to human rights advocates in developing countries with our efforts to persuade the United States government to adopt laws and policies that benefit people in the developing world.
Through our grants, AJWS provides financial support to more than 500 local advocacy organizations in 19 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean that are working to end poverty and advance the rights of some of the poorest and most oppressed people in the world. Unlike most funders, AJWS recognizes the central role of local people in solving the problems they experience. We trust local advocates to develop and carry out their own solutions to build more just societies.
In the United States, AJWS mobilizes its supporters to persuade the United States Congress and the President of the United States to adopt policies and laws that improve the lives of people in the developing world.” (From https://ajws.org/who-we-are/)
WHY HUMAN RIGHTS?
“[AJWS] believe[s] that realizing human rights is the essential first step to building just societies. When people are empowered to pursue their own destinies and have a voice in shaping solutions to problems they experience, they are better equipped to overcome poverty, live with dignity and transform the lives of others…
[AJWS] strive[s] to overcome deep inequalities and injustices in society that are root causes of poverty and oppression. In addition to addressing immediate needs like food, jobs and healthcare, our grantees in the developing world advocate for people’s essential freedoms—like the right to live without violence, the right to have a say in the laws that govern society and the right to express one’s religion, culture, sexual orientation or gender identity.
While our grantees are defending these liberties and building movements to bring about lasting change in their countries, we’re ensuring that the U.S. government does all it can to advance the rights of millions of people worldwide.
All people are equally entitled to human rights, a concept that is central to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948, which was adopted by the United Nations in response to the Holocaust. This modern tenet shares much in common with the Jewish belief that all human beings are created in the Divine image—infinitely valuable and deserving of respect.”
AJWS: Strategies
“AJWS has a two-pronged strategy for building a more just and equitable world. We provide over $35 million annually to more than 500 social justice organizations in 19 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.
At the same time, we advocate for laws and policies in the United States that will improve the lives of millions of people around the world. We do this by leading campaigns for human rights and by building relationships with Jewish leaders, elected officials and other supporters of human rights to promote justice and equality in developing countries.
Our international grantmaking and U.S. advocacy focus on five central issues that we believe are key to securing human rights and ending poverty.” (https://ajws.org/what-we-do/)
[AJWS] KEY CONTRIBUTIONS
AJWS supports more than 500 social change organizations around the world…Some of the ways [AJWS has] made a difference:
CONTRIBUTIONS TO PROMOTING SEXUAL HEALTH AND RIGHTS
CONTRIBUTIONS TO PROMOTING CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS
CONTRIBUTIONS TO PROMOTING LAND AND WATER RIGHTS
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MEET NAW WAH
“We Women Can Do It”— Refugees Strive to Overcome Violence in Burma
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JULIENNE LUSENGE
Raising a voice for women amid the horrors of war
Democratic Republic of Congo
https://ajws.org/stories/30-at-30-celebrating-our-global-leaders-julienne-lusenge/
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CHILD MARRIAGE: EMERGING TRENDS IN NEWS MEDIA
Stop Child Slavery 