About Us Celebrating 20 Years
In honor of our 20th anniversary, New York City's Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg proclaimed May 7, 2009, "Women's Refugee Commission Day." Our Voices of Courage 20th Anniversary Awards Luncheon — attended by 550 guests — took place that afternoon at Gotham Hall in New York City. Above, our honorees Mariatu Kamara and Dr. Shamail Azimi.
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Annual Luncheon Read about the 2009 Voices of Courage Awards. Save May 6, 2010 for this year's luncheon. |
Refugee Girls Book Download a copy of Refugee Girls: The Invisible Faces of War, and read more girls' stories. |
The Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children (now the Women's Refugee Commission) was founded in 1989 because of the vision and passion of some remarkable women.
In the 1980s, women board members of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) traveled to refugee settings all over the world. Wherever they went, they witnessed the same startling inequity: although 80 percent of all refugees and internally displaced people were women, children and young people, very little funding, programming or aid was being directed to their specific needs.
In 1989, IRC board member Catherine O'Neill called fellow board member and UNICEF ambassador Liv Ullmann; Susan Forbes Martin, a leader in refugee studies; and Susan Stark (Alberti), who was working in the IRC's New York office after three years of relief work in Thailand. With the blessing and support of the IRC-especially executive director Bob DeVecchi and chairman Leo Cherne-Catherine, Liv, Susan and Susan developed a mission statement and program agenda for the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children.
The name reflected an innovative central idea: A group of women in the U.S. would pool their passion, power and expertise to make sure that the voices of women refugees all over the world were heard by the individuals and institutions that could help them. This new organization would bring about change by reforming programming, inspiring donors and testifying before Congress.
The Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children's first board of directors introduced experienced refugee field workers to doctors, teachers, lawyers, public relations specialists and stay-at-home moms who were learning about refugees for the first time. These women paid their own way to visit refugee sites. They gathered information, drafted reports, met with donors and congressional leaders, wrote op-ed pieces and gave television and radio interviews. In a short time, they became passionate and effective refugee advocates.
Within a year, Mary Anne Schwalbe joined the team as the first executive director and gave form to the programming and outreach necessary to build credibility and support among other organizations working with refugees. Over the years, Mary Anne has attracted a huge following of supporters, donors and "cheerleaders" to the cause, in addition to countless interns, volunteers and staff, all of them influenced by her infectious enthusiasm and profound dedication.
The synergy of that first board led to early unprecedented and innovative achievements. The very first delegation, led by board member Dr. Cynthia Haq in 1989, visited Afghan refugee women in Pakistan. The women told the delegation they needed a program that they could develop and run themselves to serve the wide-ranging needs of refugee women in the camps. Upon its return to the U.S., the delegation found an organization (the IRC) and a donor (the National Endowment for Democracy) to support the Afghan women's requests. Soon afterwards, the Afghan Women's Social Service Center was founded, the first program run by and for Afghan refugee women in Pakistan. The Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children continued to flourish under the leadership of Mary Diaz, executive director from 1994 to 2004.
From that first mission on, the organization that became the "Women's Refugee Commission" has proved uniquely effective in drawing attention to the needs of refugee women, children and young people throughout the world. Now led by executive director Carolyn Makinson, it has produced groundbreaking reports on reproductive health care, education, livelihoods, refugee protection and the rights of asylum-seekers in the U.S. Its advocacy has led to dramatic improvements in the way services are delivered and programs are designed.
Though its name has changed and its program continues to evolve, the essential mission developed and nurtured by so many extraordinary women-and men-over these past 20 years remains the same: to ensure that the voices of refugee women are heard and to provide these women and their families with the best opportunities for safe, productive lives and a future without fear.
Throughout 2009, Women's Refugee Commission board members and commissioners hosted house and office parties to celebrate the organization's 20th Anniversary, spreading the word about our mission and work and raising funds to support our wide-reaching programs.
