"Every woman's success should be an inspiration to another. We're strongest when we cheer each other on."
―Serena Williams
November 7th, 2022 |
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WoW invites you to attend our Celebration of Success event upcoming on December 3rd. At this event, we recognize the women that reach their goals of becoming independent, the event is free of charge and open to the public. As success looks different for everyone, we believe it is motivating for the community to see women celebrated and awarded for even the smallest step on the path toward self-reliance. Members of the local government and businesses help us to recognize our ladies, ensuring further ties between our new neighbors and their new home! If you would like to help volunteer at this event, please email our Volunteer Coordinator at madeline@womenofworld.org. |
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The month of October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. Domestic violence is any pattern of behaviors in a relationship that are used to gain power and control over an intimate partner. Behaviors can include coercion, physical abuse, manipulation, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and acts meant to frighten and intimidate. Domestic violence can affect anyone regardless of background, race, socioeconomic status, gender, and sexuality. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence: one in three Utah women has experienced domestic violence in some form. In Utah, 22.7% of homicides are related to domestic violence and 85.9% of those victims were women. To raise awareness of this important issue among our clients, WoW hosted a series of Domestic Violence Awareness workshops in our office. We were lucky to have a variety of community partners, such as South Valley Services and Amethyst Center for Healing, come and provide tips on what qualifies as a Domestic Violent relationship and how to stay safe in these situations. We are grateful for the many resources we have in the community that we can refer clients to. We encourage everyone to continue in this work to stop violence against women. |
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Happy Halloween from the WoW staff! |
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Women’s Realtor Council Gala Fundraiser |
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We were honored to be the charity recipient of the Women's Council of Realtors in Salt Lake fundraising gala. Members of our staff and board attended and represented WoW, Samira also spoke about our mission and various programs. All of the proceeds from this event will be donated to WoW! |
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This month our staff went and represented WoW in the annual DWS community resource fair for Service Providers. There are so many incredible resources in the Salt Lake area for our clients and we feel it is important to try and network with as many of them as we can. We acknowledge that WoW cannot meet every need and work hard to draw upon the other organizations that can help! We are grateful to participate in events like this so we can continue to find more opportunities to collaborate and find better ways to support our wonderful clients. |
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Crafting a Meaningful Life Podcast |
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Samira was invited to speak on Mary Craft's podcast in October to speak about Women of the World and our goals as an organization. We are grateful for Mary's support and for this incredible opportunity! Click on the link below to listen to the full podcast episode. |
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(Ep 247) The Gift Of Empowerment with Samira HarnishDisplacement from home and community is hard. So to empower women from all nations - no matter their status - to achieve independence, economic success, and a voice in their community is a powerful goal. It's also a gift. It's what Samira Harnish is doing in her community. |
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Women of the World was invited to attend the Silicon Slopes Summit event in Salt Lake City. Silicon Slopes Summit is one of the largest and most prominent annual business and tech events in the world. The Summit features keynote speakers, in-depth breakout sessions, entertainment, and one-of-a-kind networking opportunities. This year they invited WoW clients, along with other refugees, to attend this event for free. It was an amazing opportunity for our clients who were interested to have a front-row seat to network and learn about the world of technology in Utah. Thank you to our connections at Cotapaxi for extending this generous invitation to us! |
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Effecting Societal Change for Child Sexual Abuse |
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WoW was also privileged to attend Utah's Women in Leadership Seminar on Societal Change for Child Sexual Abuse hosted at Saprea. Unfortunately, child sexual abuse is a significant problem in the state of Utah. Nearly 13% of Utahns report being molested before the age of 18. The Utah Women & Leadership Project hosted this event and provides in depth research to inform Utah decision-makers and residents about this troubling trend so that changes can be made to better protect and support Utah’s children. We at WoW also support this mission and hope to do our part in preventing the abuse of children throughout our state. |
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Thanks to the generous donation of the O'Leary family WoW was finally able to put in a sign for the office. After 13 years of no signage, this was a momentous day signifying WoW's substantial growth over the last few years. We celebrate this accomplishment and are excited to continue this growth! |
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Members of WoW met with Reza Aslan, an Iranian activist and author at the World Trade Center in Salt Lake. We were able to discuss the situation in Iran and connect about what US citizens can do to help. From this powerful discussion, we learned that the best thing we can do is to draw attention and amplify our voices about the injustices happening in Iran. Raising awareness in our community can make a vital difference and we at WoW hope to provide support to our fellow women that are putting their lives on the line for freedom and justice. |
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Our Scholarship is still open until November 29th! This scholarship is designed to help forcibly displaced women achieve their educational goals by assisting in the removal of one of the biggest barriers to a degree or certificate--tuition. If you know anyone that fits the below qualifications, please let them know about this incredible opportunity. We are grateful for our generous donors that make this scholarship possible! |
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Scholarships | Women of the WorldDisplaced Women's Education Fund of Utah APPLY TO HELP FUND YOUR FUTURE... This scholarship is designed to help women achieve their educational goals by assisting in the removal one of the biggest barriers to a degree or certificate - the tuition. |
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We are lucky to have added Amina, a new intern, to our staff this month. Be sure to come by the office and say hello! |
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I came to Salt Lake City in 2016 from a refugee camp in Ethiopia. Settling in a new country when a new culture and climate was hard. I had to learn English quickly so that I could graduate high school and finally make my dream of going to college true. It wasn’t easy but I was able to learn English and graduated high school in 2019 and went to Salt Lake Community college. College presented its own challenges and being the first person in my family to go to college I was completely lost in the system. I went through a period of doubt and feeling hopeless. It was one of the hardest mental challenges of my life because I was struggling and I thought that I would never make it to college. However, I had no choice but to keep pushing. I used my experience living in a refugee camp to motivate me. My resilience paid off! Finally, I graduated from the community college and now I am attending the University of Utah pursuing a major in Social Work. My internship at Women of the World is a gateway to the work I want to do after graduating. I love working here and it gives me fulfillment because I get to interact with refugee women with whom I see myself in. I also see my mother in them and the women I knew growing up. There is nothing more fulfilling than seeing these women being empowered and giving them opportunities to make a difference for themselves and their families. |
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2023 Fashion Show Save the Date |
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By sponsoring Women of the World's Fashion Show & Gala Event, you are making a direct contribution to supporting forcibly displaced women in Salt Lake City, Utah. Every year we rely on the generosity of our local community members (individual, corporate, and foundation) to support us in this vital work. If you or your company is interested in becoming a sponsor for the upcoming show, please email our Development Director, megan@womenofworld.org. |
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Sincerely, Samira Harnish Founder & Executive Director |
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