Women Watch Afrika, Inc

Women Watch Afrika, Inc., is an Atlanta-based, international, nonprofit organization working to eliminate discrimination against and health disparities among women and girls. Its mission is “to promote the improved quality of life, health and well-being of African refugees and immigrants.” The organization advocates for self-sufficiency, independence and empowerment, while supporting the social and economic development of underserved refugee and immigrant women from 23 African nations.

Women Watch Afrika provides outreach assistance, re-adjustment programs and referral services. It has programs to accomplish its goals in health advocacy, civic engagement, environmental and economic justice, and youth empowerment. There are two health initiatives as described below.

The Preventative Health and Civic Engagement Program has trained over 95 refugee women as preventive health advocates. They have reached almost 2,500 refugee and immigrant families by providing health education, promoting healthy behaviors and raising awareness of the dangers of female genital mutilation/cutting.

The Reproductive Justice Program provides cultural sensitivity training to health care providers who serve refugee women who have experienced genital mutilation. It also advocates against medical cesarean coercion practices.

Women Watch Afrika’s successes include:

• Becoming the first organization in Georgia to help a client gain “T visa” immigration status, which enables victims of severe human trafficking to temporarily remain in the U.S. Gaining special consultative status with the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council.

Advocating for the City of Clarkston to sign a non-detainer policy stating there would be no colluding with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and no detaining of refugees or immigrants without a proper judicial warrant.

Contributing to the 2016 passage of Clarkston’s indoor air ordinance and fighting against exposure to secondhand smoke.

During the 2018 state legislative session, Women Watch Afrika co-hosted two Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Days at the Capitol. Also, staff testified against Senate Bill 452 which, among other things, would have required local police to notify prosecutors when they learn a suspect is in the country illegally. (The bill did not pass.) In addition, the organization fought efforts to design noncitizens’ driver’s licenses in a “vertical” (i.e., portrait) format to make the lack of citizenship obvious.

For more information, call (404) 759-6419 or email womenwatchafrika@gmail.com.