Mission
Inspired by the Jewish commitment to justice, American Jewish World Service (AJWS) works to realize human rights and end poverty in the developing world.
Our Commitment to Making a Difference
We combine the power of our grants to human rights advocates in developing countries with our efforts to persuade the United States government to adopt laws and policies that benefit people in the developing world.
Through our grants, AJWS provides financial support to 450 local advocacy organizations in 19 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean that are working to end poverty and advance the rights of some of the poorest and most oppressed people in the world. Unlike most funders, AJWS recognizes the central role of local people in solving the problems they experience. We trust local advocates to develop and carry out their own solutions to build more just societies.
In the United States, AJWS mobilizes its supporters to persuade the United States Congress and the President of the United States to adopt policies and laws that improve the lives of people in the developing world.
Our Community
While AJWS is a Jewish organization, the people and communities we support come from a wide array of religious and ethnic backgrounds and are united in promoting human rights in the world’s poorest countries. We work with communities and populations that are oppressed, neglected or persecuted, including women and girls, indigenous groups, LGBT people, and religious and ethnic minorities.
As a result, the AJWS community is a diverse network of people around the world, including people of all faiths, world views, ethnicities, genders and sexual orientations. It includes our grantees and their communities in developing countries; our board, donors, activists and staff; Jewish leaders and Members of Congress.
No matter who we are, the AJWS community is committed to making a difference by:
- Ending poverty and defending human dignity and rights
- Grasping that our historical experiences of oppression require us to stand up for the rights of others
- Pursuing the imperative to repair the world or tikkun olam
- Donating money to achieve justice or tzedakah
- Believing in the inherent dignity of every person or tzelem elohim
- Understanding that international human rights law is part of the global response to the Holocaust and promises a better world for all
- Furthering the work of earlier generations of Jewish activists for justice and equality
