- Zainab Salbi
Zainab Salbi is an
Iraqi American writer ,activist and socialentrepreneur who is co-founder and president forWomen for Women International .Salbi was born in
Baghdad ,Iraq , and came to theUnited States at the age of 19, her experience with theIran–Iraq War sensitized her to the plight of women in war worldwide. She has written and spoken extensively on the use ofrape and other forms of violence against women during war. Her work has been featured in major media outlets including "The Oprah Winfrey Show " and the "Washington Post ". In1995 , PresidentBill Clinton honored Salbi at theWhite House for herhumanitarian work in Bosnia.In the early
1990 s, newlyweds Zainab Salbi andAmjad Atallah , a Palestinian-American, were deeply moved by the plight of the women of the formerYugoslavia , many forced into the now infamous rape and concentration camps. They wanted to volunteer to help, but were unable to locate an organization that addressed these injustices and egregious wrongs.In lieu of a honeymoon, Salbi and Atallah, launched an organization that created “sister-to-sister” connections between sponsors in the United States and women survivors of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. They were greeted with an overwhelming response; a woman survivor of the rape camps who had lost her husband and children during the war said, "I thought the world had forgotten us…."
They returned to the United States with a mission. With the continued support of other concerned individuals, they started
Women for Women International with a shoestring budget and a small team of dedicated volunteers. Since 1993, Women for Women International has supported women survivors of war inBosnia and Herzegovina ,Rwanda ,Kosovo ,Nigeria ,Colombia ,Afghanistan , Iraq,Democratic Republic of Congo andSudan . It has assisted more than 120,000 women, distributed more than $33 million in direct aid and microcredit loans, trained thousands of women in rights awareness, and helped thousands more to start their own small businesses.Awards
* In 1995, President Clinton honored Ms. Salbi at a White House ceremony for her humanitarian work.
* "Forbes " magazine gave her its 2005 Trailblazer Award.
* "Time" magazine calls Women for Women International “a lifeline for women in war-torn countries” and named Ms. Salbi “innovator of the month” for her pioneering work as philanthropist.
* In 2007, she was selected as a Young Global Leader by theWorld Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
* In 2006,Women for Women International received the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, the world’s largest humanitarian award.Author
* Between Two Worlds Escape from Tyranny: Growing up in the Shadow of SaddamIn 2005, Zainab Salbi published her memoir [http://www.womenforwomen.org/memoir.htm Between Two Worlds] . It describes her life growing up in Iraq under
Saddam Hussein 'sBaathist regime . Publishers Weekly calls Between Two Worlds "the most honest account of life within Saddam's circle so far. It's an enlightening revelation of how, by barely perceptible stages, decent people make accommodations in a horrific regime." Only 11 years old when her father was chosen to serve as Saddam Hussein's personal pilot, Zainab and her family were often forced to spend weekends with Saddam where he watched their every move. Her mother eventually sent Zainab to America for an arranged marriage, but the marriage that was intended to save her turned out to be another world of tyranny and abuse. Zainab started over. She forged a new identity as a champion of women survivors of war and foundedWomen for Women International .Women for Women International makes an excerpt from the book available online. [http://www.womenforwomen.org/memoir.htm#read Excerpt from the book]
* The Other Side of War: Women's Stories of Survival and HopeIn 2006, Zainab Salbi wrote [http://www.womenforwomen.org/tosowss.htm The Other Side of War: Women's Stories of Survival and Hope] . Published by National Geographic, Zainab Salbi takes readers into the heart of Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Sudan to hear the stories of women who daily reclaim the lives of their families and communities from the ashes of conflict.
"War is not a computer-generated missile striking a digital map. War is the color of earth as it explodes in our faces, the sound of child pleading, the smell of smoke and fear. Women survivors of war are not the single image portrayed on the television screen, but the glue that holds families and countries together. Perhaps by understanding women, and the other side of war...we will have more humility in our discussions of wars...perhaps it is time to listen to women's side of history."
External links
* [http://www.womenforwomen.org/ Official Women for Women International Site]
* [http://www.pbs.org/now/society/salbi.html Zainab Salbi interview on PBS]
* [http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/01/27/LV22520.DTL Zainab Salbi profile] by the San Francisco Chronicle
* [http://forum.wgbh.org/wgbh/forum.php?lecture_id=2002 Between Two Worlds] WGBH interview with Zainab Salbi about her memoir "Between Two Worlds"
* [http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/episodes/2007/06/19/segments/80783 WNYC Interview with Zainab Salbi] on the Brian Lehrer show
* [http://podcasts.ciweb.org/chautauqua-podcasts/2007/7/26/zainab-salbi.html Podcast with Zainab Salbi] by Chautauqua PodcastsVideo
* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=PD6BxE_nLrQ Women for Women International] Zainab Salbi narrates organization's overview
* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=R9oJXMFEcsM Zainab Salbi] accepting Conrad Hilton Award
* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=g78oC1jo7dI Zaina Salbi] closing remarks Conrad Hilton Award ceremony
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.