Since their origins during the Bosnian war in 1993, Women for Women International has reached 531,498 marginalised women in 14 conflict-affected countries.

During 1992-1995, an estimated 50,000 Bosnian women were subjected to rape as a weapon of war. Thousands more witnessed the killing of loved ones and destruction of their homes, and were left struggling to provide and care for their families whilst dealing with severe trauma.

Survivors said that they felt invisible, that the world had forgotten about them, that no-one cared.  

After hearing these women’s stories, Zainab Salbi, an Iraqi-American humanitarian, entrepreneur and author, founded Women for Women International at the age of 23.