American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is an international development organization motivated by Judaism’s imperative to pursue justice. AJWS is dedicated to alleviating poverty, hunger and disease among the people of the developing world regardless of race, religion or nationality. Through grants to grassroots organizations, volunteer service, advocacy and education, AJWS fosters civil society, sustainable development and human rights for all people, while promoting the values and responsibilities of global citizenship within the Jewish community.

Darfur

AJWS is committed to helping the people of Darfur (learn more here) create a better future. Since 2004, AJWS has been supporting national and international organizations to provide humanitarian aid and development programs to those displaced by the violence in Darfur while simultaneously engaging in U.S.-based education and advocacy to end the crisis.

AJWS has raised more than $8.3 million for the Sudan Relief and Advocacy Fund to:

Humanitarian Aid

• Develop water sources, construct sanitation facilities, dispose of dead animals, and provide basic health care and other essential humanitarian services, including therapeutic feeding centers for thousands of malnourished children.
  Establish children’s center for vulnerable and orphaned children.
• Provide educational materials and activities for children in refugee camps and local host communities in Chad.
  Facilitate recreational and social activities in camps to improve the psychological and social wellbeing of children, youth and women, and build community leadership.
• Provide women’s reproductive health services; reduce HIV transmission; support local initiatives to respond to sexual and gender-based violence, including psychosocial support, advocacy, medical and legal services.
• Build civil society by identifying and training members of the displaced community to lead education and health care programs for women and children in the camps; support livelihood initiatives to reduce women’s dependency on aid.
• Support Sudanese-lead organizations to monitor and report on human rights violations in Darfur.

Advocacy

Recognizing that humanitarian aid is not enough, AJWS is engaged in a simultaneous education and advocacy campaign to put pressure on United States and world leaders to end the crisis in Sudan:

• AJWS provided the leadership for the establishment of the Save Darfur Coalition, a group of over 180 faith-based, humanitarian and human rights organizations whose mission is to raise public awareness and provide ways to take action.
• AJWS has been a leading organization in bringing together the voices of the faith community and currently chairs the DC-based Interfaith Sudan Working Group. The group recently hosted an Interfaith Sudan Prayer Breakfast on Capitol Hill and brought together faith leaders for a meeting with Director of the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Rev. Joshua DuBois, where they delivered a letter signed by over 1,500 clergy from across the country urging the administration to make peace in Sudan a priority.
• The AJWS Darfur Action Campaign continues to mobilize thousands of people to write letters, make phone calls, and join rallies demanding that Congress, President Obama and other world leaders act to stop the violence and build peace in Sudan.

Take Action with American Jewish World Service

You Can Help AJWS Tell Congress the Time is Now

Despite movement in the Darfur peace process, new reports of violence have emerged from the region. With national Sudanese elections scheduled in April and a vote on national unity coming up in January, the consequences of failure could be catastrophic. American Jewish World Service asks you to tell your member of Congress: it’s make-or-break time for Sudan, so we must now refocus efforts to forge a sustainable peace.

Take Action: You can send a letter to your representative telling them to refocus attention to Sudan through American Jewish World Service.

Divesting Yourself with a Message Through AJWS

AJWS is part of a national campaign encouraging mutual fund companies to make investments genocide-free. You can help by examining your personal investments, urging major financial institutions to divest from problematic companies or voting with your proxy ballot at shareholder meetings.

Take Action: You can send a message to mutual fund companies via the American Jewish World Service Web site.