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Copyright 2005 PAIRWN. All rights reserved.
PAIRWN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, grassroots organization.
Updated 01/22/07.
Meet PAIRWN
PAIRWN
is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, grassroots community service organization
dedicated to the well-being of immigrant and refugee women and their
families in Pennsylvania.
Our organization is led and managed by local immigrant and refugee women from diverse backgrounds. As such, PAIRWN is a collaborative project for self-empowerment between these women, their families and friends, and the broader immigrant and refugee communities of Pennsylvania.
As the first organization in Pennsylvania to focus directly on immigrant and refugee womens issues, PAIRWN has a crucial and ground-breaking mission. Our membersE diverse experiences and cultures form a rich resource from which we draw to reach our goals. Our current projects, including initiatives for women, youth, elderly, and the broader community, reflect this wealth in many ways.
Our
work is truly interdisciplinary, blending the fields of immigrant and
refugee issues, womens issues, government and public policy, foreign
languages and cultures, psychology and mental health, social work,
medicine and health care, folklore, religion, arts and craftwork,
journalism, advertising, business, accounting, website design, and much
more! Each week,
representatives from PAIRWN meet with people working in healthcare,
education, community service, business, and government, among other
fields, and accomplish tangible, relevant, and challenging goals.
From
2001 to 2006, our board focused on identifying and serving the needs of
immigrant and refugee women through resource referrals and face-to-face
support, creating bonds of trust and mutual communication between our
board, our members, and the broader community.
For the first four years, we had no official budget or grants to
support us, but relied on the generosity of volunteers who gave their
time as well as small financial donations.
Fiscal Year 2005-2006 saw our first official grant, which came in
from the Federal Office of Refugee Resettlement.
Our work is crucial to supplement the notable achievements in housing, employment, and health screenings completed in those first few years after arrival, as a successful placement often leaves many aspects of a healthy, stable, and fulfilling life unaddressed.
Access to continued translation and interpretation services, healthcare resources, ESL classes, transportation, and job training; continued work on immigration paperwork; opportunities to retain cultural heritage and share traditions with young children; resources for remedying experiences with discrimination, domestic violence, and sexual assault all these needs, among many others, go beyond the definition of an initial successful placement. Immigrant and refugee women can continue to struggle, to remain isolated by cultural, linguistic, and financial barriers for years after their arrival in the United States. Without our work, many of these women would struggle alone.