WHO WE ARE
We The Women (WTW) is an independent, social-impact enterprise working globally with special focus on the well-being of women and the youth, with its headquarters in Munich, Germany.
While implementing custom-made & creative events, panel discussions, programs and workshops for different countries according to their needs, WTW in turn offers an international platform for dialogue while putting great emphasis on diversity, empowerment through education, sports, creativity & innovation.
WTW is committed to:
- Promoting a culture of peace & global justice.
- Empowering women and girls: Personal development of the individual.
- Contributing to a number of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Development co-operations.
- Storytelling through creative mediums.
- Strategically incorporating peace-building and personal development elements into grass root projects while advocating social responsibility.
- Systematic change of mindsets by opening spaces for dialogue.
- Raising awareness and support for significant social issues concerning co-existence and gender equality while emphasizing on empowering women and the youth.
OUR VISION
We The Women (WTW) envisions conscious societies based on a culture of peace, global justice & gender equality.
OUR MISSION
PROMOTE & IMPLEMENT
PROMOTE & IMPLEMENT
PROMOTE & IMPLEMENT
Strategically incorporating peace-building elements into grass root projects while advocating social responsibility.
CULTURE OF PEACE
PROMOTE & IMPLEMENT
PROMOTE & IMPLEMENT
Systematic change of mindsets: Providing upcoming generations with the mechanisms they need in order to create a gender-balanced and peaceful society.
GENDER EQUALITY
WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT
WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT
Providing the tools needed to empower individuals through platforms, which contribute towards remodeling the existing narrative on gender.
WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT
WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT
WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT
Raising awareness and support for challenging global issues concerning gender equality, while emphasizing on empowering women & girls.
OUR TEAM
Nahid Shahalimi
Nahid Shahalimi
Nahid Shahalimi
Laura Lechner
Nahid Shahalimi
Nahid Shahalimi
Senior Project Manager
Maria Popal
Nahid Shahalimi
Maria Popal
Senior Administrative Coordinator
Nahid Shahalimi
Founder & Managing Director
Nahid Shahalimi lives in Munich, Germany with her two daughters. Forced to leave Afghanistan in 1985, Nahid and her family moved to Canada where she was raised before shifting to Munich where she solidified her career as an author, a human rights activist, an international consultant on Gender, a former professional athlete, a filmmaker and one of the most prolific international artists in the art world today. Nahid’s passion in arts and humanitarianism began in her college & university days where she studied Fine Arts and Politics & South East Asian studies with a specialization in human rights. However, it was the witnessing of the destruction of her country under the Soviet occupation as a child that ignited within Nahid the passion to devote her life to promoting peace, tolerance, respect and acceptance. The synergy between her various personal and professional experiences are reflected in all that she does.
In the last four years Nahid has travelled across Afghanistan collecting inspiring stories of hope and courage from women who are great testaments of resilience, which she collated in her book, “Where courage bears the soul: We the women of Afghanistan”: Tales of courageous & inspiring Afghan women published in 2017 by Elisabeth Sandmann Publishing. This is continuation of a creative global series Nahid began in 2009 with “We The Women”: a collection of inspiring stories of courageous and resilient women from around the world told through 3 creative pillars involving portrait paintings, books and documentary films. “We the Women of Germany” was the first of this series and gained immense successes following its Portrait painting exhibitions that took place between 2009-2014, where 100% of its proceeds were donated to UNICEF’s projects in Afghanistan.
Nahid recently finished working on “We the Women of Afghanistan: a silent revolution” a multiple-award winning documentary film with it’s promotion tour which kicked off on 8th March 2018, with a special World Premier screening at the UN German Mission, the United Nations’ headquarters in New York City.
Nahid is also an avid philanthropist and donates proceeds of her paintings and creative global projects to humanitarian causes close to her heart. Her paintings auctioned at the prestigious “Pink Ribbon Ball” in 2009 and again in 2014 were donated to support the Breast Cancer Campaign England. In 2008, Nahid started the “Kinder malen für Kinder” (kids painting for kids) project which saw her showcase a collection of work done in collaboration with her daughter and dozens of other children at the Haus der Kunst Museum in Munich, and later auctioned the collection and donated all proceeds to UNICEF’s Polio Vaccine projects in Africa. In 2010, Shahalimi was given the honour of painting an interpretation of the most expensive Audrey Hepburn stamp, authorised by the Chair of Audrey Hepburn Society at US Fund for UNICEF and an Ambassador for EURORDIS, Sean Hepburn F. The painting was auctioned at the Adlon hotel in Berlin with all funds donated to AHCF and UNICEF International’s educational projects worldwide. In 2012, Nahid in collaboration with the German Football Association (DFB) was given exclusive access to the German national soccer team players and coaches, 2014 World Cup Winners, to paint portraits of the entire team for the “German Soccer for Life-2012” initiative, raise awareness & funds for UNICEF’s “Let Us Learn” Afghanistan & DFB foundation projects.
In addition, Nahid is the founder of the international campaign, “COEXIST – Stand up For Unity” which promotes unity through diversity. The campaign travels around the world raising awareness by gaining endorsements from renowned figures including His Holiness Dalai Lama and others.
Nahid actively supports and provides consultations to several international foundations. She is an active member of UNICEF Germany’s National Committee and she is the founder and chairwoman of Hope Foundation for Women and Children of Afghanistan (2007). And last but not least, Nahid consults and builds empowerment & sustainability programs/seminars for international institutions, which she offers in four languages: English, French, German, and Dari.