LAWA

LAWA was founded in 1987 by Latin American women who came as political refugees to the United Kingdom. For more than 30 years, LAWA has worked tirelessly to make this world a place where women and children are free from violence and oppression and can achieve their right to self-determination.

LAWA offer holistic and intersectional services ranging from two emergency refuge homes, advice and support, crèche, English classes, counselling, a Change Maker empowerment program, a housing policy project (WAHA) and children and young people services.

LAWA core mission is working together with Latin American and other black and minorities women and children to end violence and achieve self-determination. They pursue their mission by putting into practice the ethics and values ​​of sorority rooted in both intersectional feminism and community feminism. Based on the traditions of black feminism, we recognize the role played by intersectional identities in people’s lives. Therefore, we base LAWA’s work on an intersectional approach, to support women through our services, while recognising their right to self-determination.

In the same way, we integrate our ethics and practices in Latin American community feminism, which originated with indigenous women in Bolivia and Guatemala. This means that our feminist practice is built within the community through collective, rather than individual, approaches to change, and using popular creative methodologies that are accessible to all. It is from this communitarian and decolonial feminist position that, as Latin American women, we recognise our history and struggle against on-going colonialist-patriarchal forms of violence and oppression.

You can donate toward LAWA's causes through pledger and your donation will go toward housing, education and counselling project for minorities.