Women for Women International mobilizes women to change their lives by bringing a holistic approach to addressing the unique needs of women in conflict and post-conflict environments.

We begin by working with women who may have lost everything in conflict and often have nowhere else to turn. Participation in Women for Women’s International one-year program launches women on a journey from victim to survivor to active citizen. They identify services to support graduates of the program as they continue to strive for greater social, economic and political participation in their communities. 

Women begin in the Sponsorship Program where direct financial aid from a sponsor helps them deal with the immediate effects of war and conflict such as lack of food, water, medicine and other necessities. Exchanging letters with sponsors provides women with an emotional lifeline and a chance to tell their stories —maybe for the first time. As their situations begin to stabilize, women begin building a foundation for their lives as survivors.

While continuing to receive sponsorship support, women embark on the next leg of the journey and participate in the Renewing Women’s Life Skills (ReneWLS) Program that provides them with rights awareness, leadership education and vocational and technical skills training. Women build upon existing skills and learn new ones in order to regain their strength, stability and stature on the path to becoming active citizens.

Women for Women International believes that establishing a means to earn a sustainable living is critical to being fully active in the life of a family, community and country. To help women transform their new skills into financial independence and sustainability, Women for Women International offer job skills training to strengthen women’s existing skills and to introduce new skills in traditional and non-traditional fields so women can access future employment opportunities.

Building on the skills training program, comprehensive business services is offered and designed to help women start and manage their own microenterprises. Women for Women International give them access to capital and operate microcredit programs in Afghanistan and Bosnia & Herzegovina with an overall repayment rate of 98%. The women are given access to markets by facilitating product sales through outside retailers. 


More info at www.womenforwomen.org