Hermanowski Family Foundation Initial Request Form<\/p>\n
Organization Name: Women for Afghan Women
\nLegal Name (if Different):
\nAlso Known As: WAW
\nMailing Address: 71-19 162nd St, Unit CF-D
\nCity: Fresh Meadows
\nState: New York
\nPostal Code: 11365
\nMain Phone: 718-591-2434
\nMain Fax:
\nOrganization Website: https:\/\/womenforafghanwomen.org\/
\nEmployer ID Number: 02-0539734
\nOrganization Tax Status: Nonprofit status 501(c)(3) <\/p>\n
Proposal Information<\/p>\n
Today’s Date: 3\/28\/2025
\nRequested Amount: 10,000<\/p>\n
Project Title: Culturally Responsive Counseling for Refugee Youth
\nProject Description:<\/p>\n
Women for Afghan Women\u2019s (WAW) Virginia Community Center (VACC), located in Alexandria, VA, provides essential services to immigrant and refugee women, youth, and families across the DMV region\u2014primarily Afghan newcomers who arrived following the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Many still face trauma, instability, and uncertain immigration statuses, requiring culturally responsive, linguistically appropriate, and trauma-informed support.
\nLed by Afghan immigrant women, WAW brings firsthand knowledge and deep cultural understanding to its work. In April 2024, in response to the acute mental health needs of Afghan youth, VACC launched a school-based mental health initiative in partnership with Alexandria City High School and Hammond Middle School. These students, aged 13 to 19, have fled violence and upheaval and now face new challenges in the U.S.\u2014cultural adjustment, language barriers, bullying, family tension, financial hardship, and academic pressure\u2014while still carrying the weight of past trauma.
\nVACC\u2019s Afghan Mental Health Counselor visits both schools twice a week, providing individual and group counseling, peer support, recreational activities, social service referrals, and cultural competency training for school staff. The Counselor\u2019s shared language and cultural background help create a safe space where students feel seen, heard, and supported. One student shared, \u201cI usually don\u2019t feel comfortable talking openly to anyone, but with you, I feel comfortable.\u201d
\nTo date, 67 students across Alexandria City High School and Hammond Middle School have benefited from this initiative. Early outcomes show improvements in attendance, academic performance, behavior, and emotional well-being.
\nWith support from the Hermanowski Family Foundation, WAW seeks to continue and expand this vital program to ensure Afghan refugee youth in Alexandria receive the mental health support they need to heal, thrive, and build hopeful futures. We welcome the opportunity to submit a full proposal.\n<\/p>\n
Total Project Budget: 60,000<\/p>\n
Other Funding
\nSources For The Project (Committed & Potential): Potential: L B Research And Education Foundation, Bloedorn Foundation, Community Foundation for Northern Virginia<\/p>\n
Project Duration: Launched in April 2024; currently active and designed as a long-term initiative to support Afghan refugee youth.
\nGeographical Area Served: Alexandria, Virginia
\nAge Group To Be Served: 13 to 19 years old<\/p>\n
Contact Information<\/p>\n
Contact Prefix (Mr,Mrs etc.): Ms.
\nContact First Name: Rigi
\nContact Last Name: Philip
\nContact Title: Development Manager
\nContact Phone: 718-591-2434
\nContact Email: rigi@womenforafghanwomen.org<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hermanowski Family Foundation Initial Request Form Organization Name: Women for Afghan Women Legal Name (if Different): Also Known As: WAW Mailing Address: 71-19 162nd St, Unit CF-D City: Fresh Meadows State: New York Postal Code: 11365 Main Phone: 718-591-2434 Main Fax: Organization Website: https:\/\/womenforafghanwomen.org\/ Employer ID Number: 02-0539734 Organization Tax Status: Nonprofit status 501(c)(3) Proposal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-grants"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/hermanowskifoundation.org\/members\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/hermanowskifoundation.org\/members\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/hermanowskifoundation.org\/members\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/hermanowskifoundation.org\/members\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/hermanowskifoundation.org\/members\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7979"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/hermanowskifoundation.org\/members\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7979\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7980,"href":"http:\/\/hermanowskifoundation.org\/members\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7979\/revisions\/7980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/hermanowskifoundation.org\/members\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/hermanowskifoundation.org\/members\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/hermanowskifoundation.org\/members\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}