History
EWI founder Marga Fripp, a native of Romania, immigrated to the United States in 2001, leaving behind an award winning career in journalism and a successful non-profit organization she founded, The Association for the Promotion of Women Romania (APoWeR). After immigrating to the US in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, Marga became familiar with the plight of immigrant and refugee women and their families struggling to establish a new life, find work opportunities and integrate into the US economy and culture.
In 2002, she created Empowered Women International (EWI) to give voice to immigrant and refugee women, and marshal their cultural assets, skills and entrepreneurial spirit to generate economic opportunities and help women attain full civic participation in the United States.
Vision
EWI believes in a world in which immigrant and refugee women in the United States and around the world are treated with respect and dignity, and valued and rewarded fairly for their skills, talents and labor. We also believe in the extraordinary power of the arts as a unifying language of communication and multicultural understanding, and a vehicle of integration for newcomers.
Mission
Empowered Women International helps low-income immigrant and refugee women living in the Greater DC Metro area integrate, participate as new citizens and become self-sufficient by employing their creativity, skills, and entrepreneurial spirit to develop new career paths, start up businesses and spur entrepreneurship.
