Mahnaz Eshetu

Refugee Women's Alliance is a multi-ethnic, community-based organization that provides comprehensive culturally and linguistically appropriate services to refugee and immigrant communities throughout King and Snohomish Counties. ReWA, formerly known as Southeast Asian Women's Alliance (SEWA), was founded in 1985 by a group of successfully resettled women who sought to provide newly arrived women with services not available from other agencies. From a small, informal alliance of concerned refugee women, ReWA has grown to become one of the largest non-profit refugee and immigrant service providers in the Puget Sound area. ReWA is guided in fulfilling its mission by its accomplished and dedicated Board of Directors, which is comprised of individuals from a variety of professional and cultural backgrounds. Its programs are developed to respond to the complex needs of refugee and immigrant women and their families with the primary goal of making a positive and long-lasting impact on their lives. Today, ReWA operates from 10 sites in King and Snohomish Counties, and is comprised of 140 staff members with the capability of speaking 37 different languages and dialects. Many of its staff are refugees or immigrants. They work together to deliver bilingual and bicultural services to help its clients gain English and job-related skills, find employment, maintain stability, and eventually thrive in their adoptive country. ReWA has a broad base of funding, including federal and local governments, United Way, private foundations, and corporations. From its inception, the success of ReWA has been due in large part to the contributions of individual donors who have given generously in support of ReWA's mission and service to the community.