American Jewish World Service – AJWS

AJWS Asked for Public Comment on Lantos Human Rights Commission

AJWS Staff — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 13:26:29 +0000

This year, the United States has assumed the rotating Presidency of the Group of Twenty (G20), a summit championing economic cooperation among the world’s largest economies. On March 5, the House of Representative’s Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hosted a hearing to explore ways the Trump administration can “elevate human rights issues” during the G20 …

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A Lifelong Advocate for Human Rights Takes the Helm: Welcoming Tawanda Mutasah

Tanyanika Samuels — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 16:13:07 +0000

Long before it became his life’s work, the fight for human rights had already taken root in Tawanda Mutasah — a lesson first given by his mother, who taught him, “Every person matters. Take them all seriously.” Drawing on language from Genesis 1:27 — “God created humankind in the Divine image” — his mother’s plain-spoken …

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Stories of Hope: March 2026

AJWS Staff — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 16:00:58 +0000

On the AJWS storytelling team, we like to keep the spotlight on our grantee-partners. Staying true to our model of supporting grassroots leaders who know what needs to change, we share stories of problems and solutions that inspire us and coalesce into movements that make enduring human rights progress. But every once in a while, …

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Designing democracy: This artist creates the look of Thailand’s pro-democracy movement

Justin Jacobs — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 13:00:18 +0000

Good design stays with you, from viral social media infographics to bumper stickers. Pro-democracy activists in Thailand — fighting to establish essential freedoms — put this fact into practice. No one has done as much to create the look of this movement’s look as Patcha “Phar” Chaimongkolsub; the Bangkok graphic designer has catapulted her talent …

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Rising up to reclaim our power: A Purim reflection from Senegal

AJWS Staff — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:00:53 +0000

Hello to AJWS’s community in the United States — My name is Sokhna Djitte. I’m a 22-year-old student and a slam poet from Senegal — I recently performed as a finalist in a national competition held by Y’en a Marre, an AJWS partner organization. I’m writing to tell you how AJWS has profoundly impacted my …

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Women’s Probono Initiative is taking the patriarchy to court

Jamie Diamond — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 14:00:05 +0000

Stories of Hope: February 2026

AJWS Staff — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 14:00:45 +0000

With Valentine’s Day in just a few days, we’ve got love on our minds. The activists that you support through AJWS perform acts of love and kindness every day — defending human dignity, helping the oppressed, and building strong, tight-knit communities where people truly have each other’s backs. But we wanted to spotlight a story …

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Love born in the protests: The story of Pramote and Tai

Justin Jacobs — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 14:00:53 +0000

AJWS grantee Isaan Land Reform Network (ILRN) is the epitome of ‘grassroots’ — a coalition of 36 Thai communities of small-scale farmers, banded together to support each of their struggles for land rights. Thousands of farmers across Thailand have been forcibly evicted from their ancestral lands by the state or private corporations; ILRN gives them …

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The anti-dam movement goes global

Jenn Lavelle — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 17:16:42 +0000

While hydroelectric dams can seem like a clean and renewable energy source, they cause greenhouse gas emissions, destroy habitats and violate the human rights of the communities they displace. Too often, these projects are pushed forward without consultation with the communities that will be affected by them. AJWS’s partners work with communities threatened by proposed …

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AJWS Condemns Expansion of Global Gag Rule

Jamie Diamond — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 18:24:25 +0000

The Trump administration’s radical expansion of restrictions on lifesaving foreign assistance will have devastating impacts around the world. Though the expansion was expected, its breadth fundamentally alters U.S. interaction with the rest of the world far beyond reproductive health. With this expansion, the U.S. continues its retreat from the family of nations and leaves marginalized …

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