The Refugee Women's Network

In 1995, a group of women created Refugee Women's Network (RWN) with a vision to empower refugee and immigrant women to be leaders in their communities. The founding women were refugees themselves and through their shared experiences, they knew that women's skills, courage, and experiences were not adequately supported by the resettlement process. RWN is currently governed by a majority of refugee and immigrant women who serve their communities as leaders and advocates, and believes that women can truly achieve independence once given the opportunity, belief, and tools to do so. The organization maintains its commitment to promoting leadership, independence, self-sufficiency, advocacy, and networking for refugee, asylee, and immigrant women. Since 1995, over 3,700 women representing 40 different ethnic groups and countries of origin have benefitted from RWN's programs: Life Skills and Leadership, and Microenterprise Development.