With women.
For women.
For women.
We support women who are threatened by war and violence. To that end, we work with partner organizations in regions affected by war and crisis that offer shelters and psychosocial services to women. Through these collaborations, we deliberately strengthen local structures and expertise and create local jobs. Solidarity and empowerment are two important tenets of our work: we work directly with women to encourage their autonomy and self-determination, and we advocate for their ability to autonomously represent their own best interests.
Women, crises, and violence
Migration and conflict impact women differently than men, and women’s unique concerns are often overlooked. In situations of conflict, women are usually the ones who are responsible for feeding their families and who actively advocate for peace and conflict resolution. At the same time, women living through situations of armed conflict are at particularly high risk of experiencing wartime sexual violence, sexual exploitation, domestic violence, and other forms of violence. This violence usually occurs covertly and carries serious consequences for the victims and for society as a whole. AMICA fights for women’s autonomy and for gender equality. Based on the UN Resolution 1325 (» learn more) we insist that war and peace processes be considered through the lens of gender.
Our approach
We work directly with civic women’s organizations and women’s rights activists in regions affected by war and crisis. Together with our partners, we work to establish stable and longstanding support systems for women who are threatened by war and violence. In doing so, we strengthen both the local civic society and on-site professional specialists who offer urgently needed shelters and psychosocial counseling services for women. In collaboration with our partner organizations, our holistic approach addresses three interconnected levels of action:
1. Empowerment on the individual level:
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- We provide psychological, legal, medical, and economic services to women and girls in regions affected by crisis and war (including psychosocial counseling).
2. Support of civic organizations:
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- We support and guide the development of stable, independent, and well-connected women’s organizations with the goal of fostering women’s civic engagement.
- We provide trainings, knowledge, and know-how on the stabilization of these structures and networks.
3. Transformation at the structural level:
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- We advocate for transformation towards gender equality by supporting peacebuilding and gender equality policies at the societal and political level.
- We offer social education and prevention work about violence against women and wartime sexual violence, as well as their causes, consequences, and potential countermeasures.
What we stand for
Speech for the Göttingen Peace Prize
Photo: Stiftung Dr. Roland Röhl (Peter Heller)
Courage, empowerment, solidarity: in her speech at the presentation of the Göttingen Peace Prize, Dr. Gabriele Michel comments on these three central ideas, providing a glimpse into our work and our vision.
Where we’re from
1993: How it all began
Photo: AMICA e.V:
AMICA was founded in Freiburg in 1993, during the war in former Yugoslavia. Originally founded as a humanitarian aid organization, AMICA today is an internationally active non-governmental organization.
Our partners
Network & collaborations
Photo: MiNZ&KUNST
AMICA is part of numerous networks and coalitions. We make our expertise from international collaborations accessible at home and participate in debates on women’s policy.