Company Description :

In 1993, Women for Women International was co-founded by a husband and wife, Amjad Atallah and Zainab Salbi, an Iraqi American who is herself a survivor of the Iran–Iraq War.

They were motivated to act after learning of the plight of women in rape camps during the Yugoslav Wars and the slow response of the international community.

In its first year, Women for Women International worked with eight women, distributing about $9,000 in direct aid. As the organization gained experience, its staff came to understand that financial assistance alone was not a sufficient response for women who had lost everything. Women survivors of war, especially those left widowed, also needed to cultivate an understanding of their rights and potential as women, develop marketable skills, and find a way to generate stable income.

From 2012 to 2014, WfWI was led by Afshan Khan, a long-time former executive with UNICEF who became WfWI’s first new CEO since founder Zainab Salbi stepped down to devote more time to her writing and lecturing.

Headquartered in Washington, DC, WfWI also has executive/fundraising offices in London, UK.