8 Awe-Inspiring Women Founders To Applaud On World Refugee Day

Malala is a household name, but do you know these eight women serving refugees? Learn more about their awe-inspiring work in honor of World Refugee Day, observed around the globe on June 20.

1. Tawakkol Karman

Founder of Women Journalists Without Chains

They were practicing recipes for months and created a Serbian style bagel
 

BIZLife 
07:42 Belgrade, 11/06/2018

Simonetta Sommaruga, head of the Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police, was a guest of NGO Atina and our social enterprise Bagel Bejgl shop during her visit to Belgrade.

On October 2, 2017, the second Social Innovators Conference was held in Skopje, hosted by Social Impact Lab and Association Public. This Conference was inspired by the idea that social innovation can bring positive inspiration and transformation to a community. Many important actors from the region participated in the panel discussion, including State Secretary of the Republic of Slovenia, Tadej Slapnik, and the president of Global Social Entrepreneurship Network (GSEN) Krisztina Tora.

On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, US ambassador in Belgrade, Kyle Scott, organized a reception at the residence, and delivered awards to those who most contributed to combating gender-based violence. In addition to Marijana Savic, director of NGO Atina, the awards were also received by Zorana Mihajlovic, MP and Chairperson of the Coordination Body for Gender Equality, Slobodanka Boba Macanovic from NGO Autonomous Women's Center, Mitar Djuraskovic from the Ministry of Interior, and Dragoslava Barzut from NGO Da se zna.

Sharon Gesthuizen, a member of the Dutch Parliament and the Socialist Party, met with the representatives of NGO Atina during the SCI visit to Serbia. The meeting was held in a positive atmosphere and resulted in a fruitful discussion about the refugee crisis, as well as the situation in Netherlands regarding national policies and integration.

Atina and Bagel Bejgl gained new allies in the fight for an equal society, Alona Fisher-Kamm, Ambassador of the State of Israel to the Republic of Serbia, and Rina Bar-Tal, President of the Israel Women's Network.

They visited Atina and Bagel Bejgl shop on Friday, June 30, 2017. The meeting was held in a pleasant atmosphere, with the exchange and understanding of the position of women, and things that must be done to achieve gender equality, but also to provide equal opportunities for all the women in society.

At the panel “Assisting and protecting Human Trafficking Survivors in the context of armed conflict, refugees and mixed migration flows: lessons learned on the ground” where the representative of Atina, Marijana Savic, took part, speakers were also Nadia Murad, UNODC Goodwill Ambassador for Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking. Speakers were as well Yury Fedotov, UNODC Chief, and Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Representative of the Board of Trustees, UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children.

23 May 2017 - "I am so happy to hear that some of the girls kidnapped from their school in Chibok, Nigeria, were released," UNODC Goodwill Ambassador for Human Trafficking, Nadia Murad, told a packed meeting hall during the Crime Commission on 22 May.

During the session “European Open Space to analyze, strategize, and (re)claim rights of female Refugees and Migrants” a report was made about the ways in which the position of woman refugees and migrants can be improved. This particular report provides in-depth view of the discussion, and serves as a good starting point in contemplating strategies on how to improve the policies and practices facing female migrants and refugees, as well as to identify ways of working together among women’s rights organizations and women migrants and refugees associations.