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Press Releases

Below are links to previous press releases on Women for Women International's activities.

For U.S. Press Inquiries

Please contact Katie Castillo, Director of Communications, at Women for Women International (U.S.) at 202-521-9607 or kcastillo@womenforwomen.org if you would like more information on any of these activities.

For U.K./European Press Inquiries

Please contact Ilka Noggler at Women for Women International UK at +44 (0)207 922 7766 or inoggler@womenforwomen.org.

• December 11, 2012 - Washington D.C. –Women for Women International (WfWI) condemns the assassination of Najia Sediqi, the regional head of the Afghan Ministry for Women's Affairs for Laghman province.
• December 6, 2012 - Washington D.C. –Women for Women International mourns the loss of Aloisea Inyumba, the Rwandan Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, who led efforts to bring healing and justice to the people of Rwanda after the 1994 genocide.
• November 28, 2012 - Washington D.C. –Due to recent violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Women for Women International (WfWI) announced today it temporarily suspended program operations out our offices in Goma for the safety and security of our staff and the women in our program.
• November 5, 2012 - Washington D.C. –Women for Women International [WfWI] announced today that actress and humanitarian Lucy Liu will be the honored recipient of the organization's 2012 Champion of Peace Award. The award ceremony is the highlight of WfWI's Annual Gala, to take place at Lincoln Center in New York City on November 8th, 2012.
• July 9 - Washington D.C. –Today, Women for Women International (WfWI) recognizes the one-year anniversary since South Sudan declared independence from Sudan. As the world's newest country marks this historic milestone, WfWI is deeply concerned by the cross-border conflict with Sudan, an ongoing food crisis, and inter-communal violence, and calls for women to be included in all efforts to address these challenges.
• June 11 - Washington D.C. –Women for Women International (WfWI) announced today one of its supporters, 90-year-old Holocaust survivor Margit Meissner, will travel to Rwanda June 24th - 30th, to meet two women survivors of the 1994 genocide, one whom she has sponsored through WfWI's programs and the other whom she will sponsor in the upcoming year.
• May 8 - Washington D.C. –Women for Women International (WfWI) announced today it had joined forces with the renowned Space NK apothecary store to launch an exclusive perfume together, "IN PEACE." 10% of net profits from the sale of each bottle will go directly to Women for Women's sponsorship program which supports women survivors of war to enable them to rebuild their lives.
• April 27 - Washington D.C. –Women for Women International expressed deep concern at the growing violence between South Sudan and Sudan, which has affected the lives of countless civilians in both countries. WfWI President, Andrée Simon, said, "We are very concerned that the recent violence will continue to escalate, and that women will once again become direct targets of militaries and armed groups on both sides, as they were during Sudan's civil war."
• March 15 - Washington D.C. –Women for Women International announced today their continued support for the women of South Sudan, who have been deeply affected by ongoing violence and growing food insecurity, and for efforts to establish lasting peace in the war-torn region. Women for Women International's Executive Director of Global Programs, Karen Sherman, said, "Women are victims of violence but they are also drivers of change. Women need to be a part of efforts to address the violence as they play a crucial role in rebuilding life for their families and communities."
• March 7 - Chicago –Andaz and Women for Women International are proud to announce a new initiative rooted in Hyatt's corporate responsibility platform, Hyatt Thrive, which focuses on helping associates, their families, and neighbors in local communities thrive through economic development and investment, as well as education and personal advancement. This joint effort will include skills training and income for Iraqi women who will produce special laundry bags for all guestrooms at Andaz hotels around the world - a welcome addition to the other handcrafted products from emerging artisans featured at Andaz hotels.
• December, 2 - Washington, D.C. –Women for Women International, along with the Council on Foreign Relations, will be co-hosing the premiere of Angelina Jolie's new film, In the Land of Blood and Honey, in New York City on December 5. The film tells the story of two people caught on opposite sides of the brutal ethnic conflict that took place in Bosnia in the 1990s, and reminds the world of the atrocities women face in war and that we are a long way from stopping these atrocities.
• November, 14 - Washington, D.C. –Women for Women International Announces President Bill Clinton will recieve the 2011 Champion of Peace Award. ABC News Anchor Katie Couric and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg also attending the annual gala dinner.
• June, 27 - London –Landmark Women’s Opportunity Centre opens for women rebuilding their lives after the trauma of the Kosovan War. The Centre will be a safe, friendly haven for 1500 women a year, at the heart of their community. It will be filled with women learning new vocational and business skills and meeting to share experiences and develop friendships.
• June, 17 - Washington, D.C. –Women for Women International and Zainab Salbi announced today that the organization will begin a search for a new Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Salbi, the founder, current CEO and member of the Board of Directors, will take on a new leadership role with the organization.
• May, 5 - London –With Annie Lennox being given a Making a Difference Award , Sophie Ellis-Bextor performing and Pamela Stephenson MCing, Women for Women International UK’s Gala was bound to be a success. £828,870 was raised which will help traumatised women in war-torn areas.
• March, 7 - New York, NY –Women for Women International and Google Team Up to Present “Join Me on the Bridge”. Events in New York and San Francisco will commemorate the Centennial International Women’s Day.
• March, 2 - New York, NY – Women for Women International (WfWI) announced its second annual "Join me on the Bridge" event today. Join me on the Bridge brings women and men together in solidarity on bridges around the world, celebrating the achievements of generations of women before us while shining an international spotlight on the issues still facing women around the world.
• February, 28 - London – Women are set to make history on the 100 anniversary of International Women's Day by joining together on bridges across the world and calling for urgent action in Afghanistan; described as 'one of the worst countries in the world to be a woman.' This follows the success of the first Join Me on the Bridge campaign, launched be Women for Women International on March 8, 2010.
• November, 25 - London – A new research report by Women for Women International UK "Gender, Conflict and the Development Goals" finds that 'violence against women is the biggest threat to peace' and that countries in conflict are falling strikingly short on meeting UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG's) and UN (SCR) 1325 development and security goals. The report is being launched on the UN International Stop Violence Against Women Day on 25 November by our Programme Director for Nigeria, Ngozi Eze, at our Nigeria: Stronger Women, Stronger Nations event being held at Amnesty International in London.
• August 10 - Kabul - Afghanistan – U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry announced a major new initiative today aimed and empowering and employing Afghan women. The partnership between Women for Women International and kate spade new york, will further integrate women into society in Afghanistan. Making the announcement, Ambassador Eikenberry said, “This is a rare day here in Afghanistan to see our focus on American business and partnership with Afghanistan coming to fruition.”
• June, 30 - London – As the Democratic Republic of Congo celebrates 50 years of independence, a report finds Congolese women living in fear of growing violence from the militia and their own communities as rape is used as a weapon of war.
• January, 28 - Washington DC – Ahead of the London conference for international donors on Afghanistan Women for Women international calls for more efficient and inclusive development assistance targeting women at all levels of the economy and society
• November, 2 - Washington DC – HAND IN HAND: kate spade new york and Women for Women International announce partnership; marry design with Economic Empowerment
• September, 23 - New York, NY – Bloomberg Philanthropies, NoVo Foundation and Women for Women International Pledge Multimillion-Dollar Commitment to Critical Women’s Economic Empowerment Programs
• September, 11 - Pristina, Kosovo – Groundbreaking on Women’s Opportunity Center in Kosovo: A New Era of Support
• June, 4 - New York, NY – Women for Women International founder Zainab Salbi on President Obama’s Cairo Speech, Engaging the Muslim World
• May, 18 - Washington, DC – Women for Women International-Afghanistan Country Director Sweeta Noori returns from Afghanistan, urges members of Congress to support Afghan women.
• April, 23 - Washington, DC – Nicholas Kristof to lead discussions at a luncheon hosted by the New York Leadership circle on June 3, 2009 in New York City.
• February 14, 2009 - Austin, TX – Women for Women International's CEO Zainab Salbi and DRC Country Director Christine Karumba spoke at the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI-U) conference held in Austin, TX.
• February 3, 2009 - Washington, DC – Women for Women International's Africa country directors briefed House Foreign Affairs Committee staff on program efforts to combat pervasive rural poverty and the global food crisis by training socially-excluded women in Africa on profitable, market-based farming techniques. 
• December 9, 2008 - Rumbek/Washington, DC – Women only Agribusiness fights hunger and poverty in Sudan - Women for Women International Launches large-scale farming project.
• November 12, 2008 - Washington, DC – Amidst widespread violence and massive human suffering Women for Women International is preparing to respond to the needs of thousands of women who are threatened by the fighting and are in urgent need of assistance.
• October 28, 2008 - Washington, DC – With fighting between Congolese government troops and rebel forces intensifying, civilians and particularly women are again in grave danger of taking the brunt of the fighting.
• March, 2008 - Washington, DC – Zainab Salbi, founderof Women for Women International just returned from a trip to her native Iraq. Her experiences there reinforced the sentiments of more than1,500 Iraqi women captured in study findings released today by Women for Women International.
• November 19, 2007 – Women for Women International Congolese Country Director, Christine Karumba, Speaks Out About the Rape Epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• November 19, 2007 – Women for Women International Releases Groundbreaking Survey of Women in Kosovo “Stronger Women, Stronger Nations: Amplifying the Voices of Women in Kosovo”.
• March 8, 2007 – Women for Women International Releases Seminal Report on International Women's Day: Ending Violence Against Women in Eastern Congo: Preparing Men to Advocate for Women’s Rights.
• September 19, 2006 – The Other Side of War: Women's Stories of Survival and Hope Released.
• February 1, 2006 – Charity Navigator Awards Four Star Rating to Women for Women International.
• October 27, 2005 – Address to United Nations Security Council by Sweeta Noori , Afghanistan Country Director of Women for Women International
• July 5, 2005 – Amelia Earhart Pioneering Achievement Award goes to Ngozi Eze, Nigeria Country Director for Women For Women International.
• June 29, 2005 – Iraqis Want Women's Rights Secured In New Constitution.
• April 4, 2005 – Zainab Salbi Receives Sixth Annual Forbes Trailblazer Award.
• January 7, 2005 – First Post-War Survey of Iraqi Women Shows Women Want Legal Rights; Dispels Notions That Women Believe Tradition, Culture Should Limit Their Participation in Government.
• July 19, 2004 – Afghanistan Microcredit Program Distributes First $34,000 USD in Loans to Women.
• June 15, 2005 – Senators Clinton and Hagel Welcome Women for Women International Country Directors on Capitol Hill.
• Zainab Salbi, founderof Women for Women International, to Give Briefing on Current Status of Women in Iraq
• Zainab Salbi, founderof Women for Women International, to Testify Before Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittees