Zainab Salbi tells TIME about the experiences that led her to found Women for Women International.
Copyright 2023 Shutterstock. No use without permission.ainab Salbi knows what it means to be a woman in a war zone. As a child growing up in Iraq in the ‘80s during the Iran-Iraq War,“Women fought back. Not with weapons, they fought back by keeping the essence of life going,” the 53-year-old humanitarian tells TIME, recalling how her mother would often perform puppet shows to keep her children distracted during raids.
Salbi left Iraq when she was 20 and moved to the U.S. When the Bosnian War broke out in 1992, Salbi knew she wanted to support survivors of gendered violence in the region. She co-founded Women for Women International the following year. Since then, the charity has invested in over half a million women in conflict zones across the globe as they rebuild their lives and communities. The initiative provides “sister-to-sister” connections between women, as well as economic support.
From the organization’s inception, Salbi made a promise to herself about the type of leader she wanted to be. Then 23, Salbi vowed that after two decades, she would pass the reins to someone else. “I didn’t want to be one of those founders who doesn’t know when to let go,” Salbi says. “I measure myself by consistency in my values. What's the point in criticizing dictators for not letting go of their power if, in my small world, I do not exercise that same letting go.
Salbi delivered on her promise 10 years ago, when she departed the organization she calls her only child, though gender equality remains a central theme in her work. Above all else, Salbi believes that inspiring women is the “secret sauce” to affect meaningful change, when paired with education and economic empowerment. In 2015, Salbi started what she describes as an “Oprah-esque” talk show called, which ran until 2016 on the TLC network in 22 countries across the Middle East and North Africa.
Most recently, Salbi has turned her hand to uplifting the female leaders working to address another critical issue—climate change. She co-founded Daughters for Earth in 2022, inspired, in part, by a near death experience in 2019 that led her to recuperate in the countryside. “I felt like Earth kept me alive,” she recalls.
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