Promoting the psychosocial well-being
of underserved refugee and immigrant women
Who We Are
Founded in 2020, CRIW - the Collective for Refugee and Immigrant Women’s Wellbeing is a nonprofit that partners with underserved refugee women with limited power due to gender, ethnicity, poverty, education, language, culture and health disparities. With women themselves taking the lead, our programs offer safe and inclusive spaces to amplify their voices, build leadership and advocacy skills, reduce systemic and cultural barriers and serve as a catalyst for meaningful change through collective civic engagement.
Rather than adopt a one-size-fits-all approach, our aim is to provide specialized programming that honors women's unique culture, beliefs, strengths, aspirations and challenges and honors self-determination. Using a participatory approach, we work closely with community partners to understand and address the psychosocial determinants affecting their well-being to create local solutions that are practical, meaningful and sustainable. Initiatives support a more inclusive and just community, allowing refugee and immigrant women to flourish.
Our Focus
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Building collective power with preliterate Afghan women through leadership training and civic engagement.
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Using multiple artistic platforms, we reduced barriers to expression and provided preliterate Afghan women who are often unheard, to tell their stories.
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CRIW is committed to collaborating with individuals and organizations to support existing programs, collectively envision and create new, meaningful initiatives and celebrate community.
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Our Initiatives
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New & Noteworthy
June/2024 - Lucy Gellman/Arts Paper visits CRIW’s “Exhibit of Afghan Women’s Photographs & ‘Story Cloths’: Exploring Themes of Identity & Home” at the Kehler Liddell Gallery, running 5.23-6.23.24.
April/2024 - Cofounder Hossna Samadi was interviewed by NBC Connecticut/Telemundo for an episode of “Connecticut in Color”, where she talked about CRIW’s Expressive Arts Initiatives with Afghan women - a project generously funded by the City of New Haven Arts, Culture & Tourism with the support of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven. Airing date/time TBA.
April/2024 - CRIW celebrated National Volunteer Week with our amazing volunteers to recognize and celebrate the transformative impact of their service on refugee and immigrant women in our community.
