Women's Initiative for Self Empowerment (W.I.S.E.)

WISE Mission: Empowering immigrant women and girls to succeed

Women's Initiative for Self Empowerment (WISE) is a 501 (3)(c) multicultural women-led nonprofit organization started in 1995 by and for immigrant women to help them adjust to their new lives in Minnesota. Since it inception, WISE has broaden its mission and purpose from providing services to creating leadership development opportunities for immigrant and refugee women and girls. Members of WISE include Asian, African and Latina immigrant and refugee women and girls from all countries, cultures and socio-economic backgrounds.

WISE’s programs address both personal and societal factors that affect the empowerment of women and girls. All of WISE’s programs highlight leadership development and capacity building in order to empower immigrant and refugee women and girls who, in turn, become involved and create solutions in their lives and in their communities. These programs provide the base from which emerge social and systemic changes, collaboration and synergy among organizations and communities, and public awareness to the challenges facing immigrant and refugee women and girls It is WISE’s core value that women's empowerment, the rights of women and girls to identify their needs and to participate in solving problems that affect them, will provide long term personal leadership growth that will impact social and systems changes.