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Meet Our Team
Dania Darwish
Co-founder and Executive Director
(she/her/hers) is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Asiyah Women's Center.
Dania has held roles and leadership positions at Amnesty International, UN Women, the Muslim American Society, the Office of U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and the New York Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Prior to her employment at the Asiyah Women’s Center. Darwish completed missions in Greece, Turkey and Lebanon to expand medical and dental care to over 10,000 refugees in over 35 refugee camps. Darwish completed her B.A. in Political Psychology, Business, and International Relations at the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies and her MSc in Human Rights at the University College London.
Arianna El Haloui
Programs Manager
(she/her) Arianna is the Programs Manager at the Asiyah Women's Center. She manages all programming and events which include Rahma: the reproductive justice initiative, Financial Empowerment Workshops, ESL Classes, DV Prevention Workshops, and Community Aid Programs. She completed her degree at Pace University with a BA in Communication Studies with a concentration on Intercultural Communications and a minor in Latino/a/x Studies. Prior to her role at AWC, she worked as a Community Organizer in her community working on improving working conditions for Mexican and Central American Refugees and Indigenous Communities. It has always been a goal of hers to work to provide advocacy and care to people in BIPOC communities. This year, she hopes to expand programming to aid as many communities in need here in New York City.
Vineha Ramesh
Social Worker
(she/they) Vineha is the Social Worker at Asiyah Women's Center and an experienced advocate for survivors of violence in the AMEMSA, BIPOC, and other marginalized communities. In her role, she embraces a trauma-informed, strengths-based approach that centers clients' resilience and their unique experiences as we support them through their healing journeys. She firmly believes in the transformative power of community and is committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and empowering environment for all who come to our shelter. Vineha completed her BA in Psychology at the University of California, Davis and her M.S in Social Work at Columbia University.
Sarah Shalan
Advocacy Coordinator
(she/her) Sarah is the Advocacy Coordinator at the Asiyah Women's Center. She graduated from CUNY Hunter College with a BA in Psychology/Human Rights. She is passionately pursing her MA in Human Rights Studies as a student at Columbia University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. She has dedicated herself to advocating for the rights of marginalized and vulnerable communities through her involvement in human rights student organizations during her time as an undergrad student. Sarah's career interests are deeply rooted in the field of human rights research, with a specific focus on gender based violence affecting MENA (Middle East and North Africa) women and the MENA region as a whole. Sarah brings these passions and expertise to her role at AWC through her commitment to our community and clients.
Ratha Ali
Community Organizer
