Our History

It has been 20 years since the Afghan Women’s Organization (AWO) first opened its doors to address the needs of Afghan women living in Ontario. The AWO, which began as a one- person office, now employs 58 full and part time staff along with many dedicated volunteers.

AWO began by offering English training and settlement services for newly arrived Afghan women. Not only have we significantly expanded these particular services, but have also considerably broadened the scope of our projects and programs. Currently, the AWO’s various projects and programs are assisting hundreds of Afghan refugees immigrate to Canada; helping ease the settlement process for many new immigrants in Ontario; providing resources to find employment and training opportunities; offering psychological support; and creating individual and group counseling for families, seniors and youth.

During the last 20 years, the AWO staff and volunteers have worked hard at building a reputation of professionalism, courtesy, and enthusiasm in their program and service delivery. The AWO’s excellent track record for effectively identifying and addressing the needs and concerns of our clients is due to our staff’s conscientious and diligent approach toward the provision of our services.

This track record has helped the AWO develop mutually beneficial partnerships with various government and non-governmental bodies. We have worked with Citizenship & Immigration Canada, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, and various municipal, provincial and federal government departments, to provide cultural expertise, and to play a leading role in the development and implementation of services for the Afghan community in general, and Afghan women specifically.

We have also partnered with various non-governmental organizations over the years to provide the proper facilities, resources, information, and experience for our clients.

Although the scope of the AWO’s projects and programs has expanded to include broader concerns within the Afghan community, our commitment to ameliorating the lives of Afghan women and children in Ontario, as well as in Afghanistan and Pakistan, remains unchanged.

Since 1990, the Afghan Women’s Organization has garnered strong support among Afghan women in Canada, Afghanistan and throughout the Diaspora. The Afghan Women’s Organization is considered a trusted and dedicated leader and advocate for the promotion of women’s equal rights and human dignity. We will continue to work hard in our service delivery and look to a clear and determined future.

The AWO has also extended the scope of its projects to help Afghan women and children living in the poverty-stricken refugee camps of Pakistan, and the dangerous streets and villages of Afghanistan. In these locations, our organization has helped empower marginalized women by encouraging self-sufficiency, education, skills training, and greater participation in civil society. We have facilitated the creation of schools and an orphanage to provide care and assistance for marginalized Afghan children.

In the future we hope to greatly expand our projects and programs in Ontario as well as in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The AWO is well-aware of the dire needs and genuine concerns of Afghan women both in Ontario and overseas, and are well-prepared to respond.