About
Who we are
“It is the unbearable suffering and exploitation of vulnerable women around the world, that we chose to make a difference through Forgotten Women.” The Forgotten Women Team
We envision a world where every woman is given the opportunity to live a life free from humiliation, poverty and abuse. A world in which women are free to preserve their dignity, health, well-being and economic independence.
WHY FORGOTTEN WOMEN:
To envisage a world where vulnerable women have the opportunity to develop and protect their dignity
To transform the lives of vulnerable women through aid, opportunity and voice
We have various projects in Somalia, Malawi, Turkey Border, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Yemen and UK
To help women escape the poverty trap by providing opportunities to make women independent /// To protect the dignity and lives of vulnerable women in emergencies and poverty by delivering safe aid /// To be a global voice for those who have been silenced by advocating and spreading awareness of basic rights.
Forgotten Women is a charity run by women for women, a UK based organisation dedicated to helping women in crisis and emergencies, lifting them out of poverty and championing equality and rights for marginalised girls and women. The charity was set up after witnessing first-hand the ‘sex for aid’ violations and manipulation of women in vulnerable situations.
“Sex for aid and sexual exploitation should not and will not be tolerated. A part of our safe aid delivery is to provide loving arms of safety, assurance and emotional support these beautiful women they long for.” Sunny Bahia, Forgotten Women
The journey of Forgotten Women started in 2013 during the Syrian conflict, women were lured into transactional sex, abused, raped and as the bombs fell on the women of Aleppo they were miscarrying due to the fear and panic of the chaos of war. After much consultation we decided to build a women’s only hospital, a hospital that would be run by women. Unfortunately, the situation changed instantly in Aleppo and the project could no longer be delivered. We quickly realised that as much as the women of Syria needed help, women around the world were also yearning for assistance for basic humanness, aid and support without the threat and the pressure of having to compromise their dignity. It was a moral duty to stand up and make a change, this is the sole reason Forgotten Women came into existence. Registered in October 2016 and our first safe aid delivery was for the Syrian women of war on the border of Turkey and Syria.
Delivering safe aid to women by women for 7 years now. The three areas of work we focus on are:
- Safe Aid: Delivering emergency aid to women by women
- Transforming Lives: Changing the lives of women in poverty with business start-ups
- Advocacy: Being the voice for women
We believe that these three areas are where the vulnerability of a woman is magnified and by focusing our work around this, we can ultimately protect the dignity of a woman. Our journey has taken us to helping women in Somalia, Malawi, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, Gaza and the UK. We are here to deliver aid and help to hard-to-reach areas, provide opportunities so women don’t have to live in poverty or compromise their dignity. We envision a world where every woman is given the opportunity to live a life free from humiliation, poverty and abuse. A world in which women are free to preserve their dignity, health and well-being.