Host: Sydney Grusbeck Guest: Samira Harnish, Founder & CEO, Women of the World Featured: Elizabeth Ngaba and her daughter Charlene

Elizabeth fled the Central African Republic with her family, surviving three months in the forest before reaching a refugee camp in Chad, where she spent seven years. She arrived in the United States in 2009, first settling briefly in Rhode Island before relocating to Utah.

In this episode, Elizabeth shares how Women of the World helped her recover critical immigration documents — including her green card — after her wallet was lost. WoW also connected her with Salt Lake County aging services so she could be paid as a caregiver for her elderly mother, and assisted the family with housing, employment, and the path to U.S. citizenship.

Her daughter Charlene, who grew up in the Chad refugee camp from age 13, graduated from West High School in 2015 and is pursuing nursing education. Elizabeth and Charlene both express hope that WoW's model of women helping women could extend to Central Africa and beyond.

Learn more: womenofworld.org Donate: womenofworld.org/donate Connect: facebook.com/womenofworld.org

Episode Summary: In the second episode, the team recaps a deeply moving Mother's Day celebration at the Leonardo Museum, shares news of growing volunteer support, and welcomes their first in-depth guest — Diane, a young civil engineering graduate from Burkina Faso whose story of political activism, survival, and resilience embodies the courage at the heart of Women of the World's mission.

Topics Covered:

Mothers of the World at the Leonardo — The team reflects on WoW's sixth annual Mother's Day celebration, held at the Leonardo Museum, where the Mothers of the World art installation by 25 artists was unveiled for over 120 guests. Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams and his wife Julie attended. Samira spoke about the extraordinary sacrifice refugee mothers make — leaving everything behind to start over for their children. For women from countries like Burma and Somalia where Mother's Day isn't observed, this was a first-ever celebration of motherhood.

Volunteer Growth Update — Following the LDS Church's "I Was a Stranger" initiative, WoW's volunteer base surged to over 80 — up from a typical five to seven per year. Samira was also featured in an interview with Bold Global, discussing the impact of this wave of support.

Guest Story: Diane from Burkina Faso — Diane came to the U.S. on a student visa four years ago, learned English from scratch, and earned her degree in civil engineering. She shares her story of growing up under a 27-year dictatorship, her political activism as a student, and the violence she survived — including female genital mutilation as a child and rape by military forces during a 2011 student demonstration. Despite her father cutting off contact after she refused an arranged marriage, Diane chose her own husband and her own path. At the time of recording, she was awaiting a June 3rd asylum hearing. Diane was also writing a book — a fictionalized memoir in French about a young woman's experience with FGM and sexual violence, intended for readers in her home country to break the silence around these issues. She describes Women of the World as the first place she felt at home, saying Samira makes women feel they can still dream.

WoW Fashion Show — Diane participated in a recent WoW fashion show wearing traditional clothing from Burkina Faso, with photos available on the Women of the World Facebook page.

Links & Resources:

1. Women of the World: womenoftheworld.org
2. Donate: womenoftheworld.org/donate
3. Facebook: facebook.com/womenoftheworld.org
4. Available on iTunes, Stitcher, and SoundCloud

Content Note: This episode includes discussion of female genital mutilation, sexual violence, and political persecution.

Women of the World Podcast — Episode 1 Release Date: April 26, 2016 Hosts: Mary Dixon, with Samira Harnish and Sydney Grosbeck

Episode Summary: In the inaugural episode of the Women of the World Podcast, host Mary Dixon sits down with WoW founder Samira Harnish and team member Sydney Grosbeck to discuss a wave of new volunteerism, a powerful story of connection with a woman in crisis, and the journey of Leila — a Moroccan mother who earned her dental assistant certificate with WoW's support.

Topics Covered:

The "I Was a Stranger" Initiative — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints launched a new program encouraging members to support refugees through local organizations. Since the announcement, Women of the World saw volunteer numbers jump from roughly seven per year to 45 new volunteers in just two months. Samira shares what this outpouring of support means for refugee families navigating Islamophobia and isolation.

Samira Receives the Ruby Award — Samira was honored with the Ruby Award for Excellence in Women's Advocacy from the Soroptimist Club, a worldwide organization with 80,000 members across 132 countries. She also spoke on a panel at Utah Valley University's Peace and Justice Conference on the unique challenges facing refugee women.

"Stepping Back from the Ledge as Sisters" — Samira recounts a moving encounter with a Congolese mother who was brought to the WoW office by a stranger she met at the DI. The woman, in deep crisis with her two children, found an immediate sense of family and support through Samira's attentive listening and care.

Mothers of the World Art Installation — Sydney announces a special Mother's Day collaboration with the Leonardo Museum's Community Connections program, featuring the unveiling of a new art installation called Mothers of the Worldon Sunday, May 8, 2016.

Success Story: Leila — Originally from Morocco, Leila dreamed of becoming a dental assistant but feared failure. With encouragement from Samira and case manager Abby, she completed her studies, earned her certificate, and brought it straight to Women of the World to celebrate. The team was actively working to help her find employment at a local dental office.

New Website Launch — WoW debuted a redesigned website at womenoftheworld.org with improved navigation and mobile experience.

Links & Resources:

1. Women of the World: womenoftheworld.org
2. I Was a Stranger: iwasastranger.lds.org
3. The Leonardo Museum: 209 East 500 South, Salt Lake City, UT

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