Today we’d like to introduce you to Samira Harnish. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Samira came from her native Iraq to America to study engineering. After getting her degree from Utah State, she worked for 17 years as an R&D engineer at the largest domestic manufacturer of semiconductor memory.
Samira founded Women of the World to fulfill a lifelong dream of helping women achieve self-sufficiency and her leadership has enabled WoW to become the preeminent women’s refugee service organization in Utah. Her leadership in the community resulted in her being tapped by the SLC Mayor for planning committee leadership in preparation for the 2019 United Nations Civil Society Conference, where she also spoke on making peaceful societies.
Samira has received local, national, and international recognition for her service and non-profit leadership including: The Enlightened 50 Award from the Utah Community Foundation, the 2014 Salt Lake City Human Rights Award, the 2016 Ruby Award from the Soroptomists of Utah, the 2017 Emerald Award for Excellence in Civic Engagement, the 2019 American Red Cross Global Citizenship Hero Award, and the 2021 Utah Business Magazine’s Business Woman of the Year. In 2018, she was awarded the America’s Region Nansen Award from the United Nations High Commission on Refugees in Geneva, Switzerland, she was chosen from over 450 international nominees. Samira serves as an Advisory Director for the Tanner Center for Human Rights.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I always want to help women to be self-confident and independent. When I was young girl in Iraq I notice my brothers got a great opportunity but not my sisters and I. I experienced inequality when one of my most important decisions—who to marry—was taken away from me. I was in an arranged marriage in my teens, forced to follow a man I just met; to a place, Logan, Utah, I did not know.
I came to America in 1979 as a wife and international student–studying engineering.
It wasn’t easy to find someone I can trust to tell my story & it was very hard to have friends because I came to the U.S. when the American hostages were in Iran & people thought I was Iranian. So, they were shouting at me to leave & go back to my country. I didn’t stop studying & taking my daughter to school with me because as an International Student I have to pay more than twice the tuition of an American so I couldn’t afford a babysitter.
I studied hard and eventually got my engineering degree and a job in the largest manufacturer of semiconductor memory in the U.S. Even as a Senior R&D Engineer, I saw more gender bias in the engineering firm I worked at.
So, all of my experiences, as a woman, immigrant, professional, and the needs of forcibly displaced women from all over the world caused me to start Women of the World.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Women Of the World is a nonprofit org in Utah, started on 2009 and since then we helped more than 2,000 women through our mission: “Empowering women from all nations to achieve independence, economic success, and a voice in the community.”
Our 3 programs that lead to self-reliance are :
1. Economic Empowerment
2. Community Development
3. Customized Service Advocacy and Capacity Building
Every woman is an individual & deserves boutique service. We want to recognize that each woman has a different definition of self-reliance, different capabilities, and different needs. We are all unique and so are they. We go out of our way to treat everyone as an individual.
Some highlights of our 2021 success:
• For every dollar invested in Women of the World, our ladies return $3.15 back to the community.
• Our clients’ revenue increased by over $1M on an annual basis from job placement and career development
• $43,000 in educational support and scholarships
• $230,000 in savings through customized service and advocacy
Women of the World has received international, national, and local recognition for service excellence and for building community.
In 2018, I received the Nansen Award for the Americas Region from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The Nansen Award is given in recognition of excellence in the service of refugees. This award and each of the regional awards is given each year by the UNHCR in Geneva, Switzerland.
In 2021, I was recognized by the Utah Business Magazine as a Women of the Year. This recognition underscores how important community relationships and development are to running a nonprofit.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
The essential quality that is most important to my success is authenticity. It is extremely important that our new neighbors know who they can trust and what can and cannot be done for them. I want to be very “grassroots,” getting things done for each individual who comes in, and helping people as individuals through whatever they are struggling with, never giving them a template answer, and never taking no for an answer.
Pricing:
- $2500 is the average Forcibly Displaced Women’s Scholarship
- $500 Enables a Case Manager to advocate for over $2,000 reduction in expenses
- $100 supports a forcibly displaced woman to get a job
- Any donation amount helps!
Contact Info:
- Website: womenofworld.org
- Instagram: @womenworldUT
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/womenofworld.org/
- Other: http://womenofworld.smugmug.com/
