HISPANIC WOMENS ORGANIZATION OF ARKANSAS
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Mission Statement
To advance educational opportunities for Hispanic women and their families, to celebrate and teach others Hispanic cultures and to become active participants in the community.
About This Cause
The Hispanic Women’s Organization of Arkansas (HWOA) is a non-profit organization founded in July 1999 by a group of women, mostly Hispanic, concerned with the well-being of their families and their community. HWOA engages in activities that reflect our mission to advance educational opportunities for Hispanic women and their families, to celebrate and teach others about our cultures, and to become active participants in the community. HWOA started its scholarship program 24 years ago in order to expand opportunities for Hispanic students to attend and graduate from college and fill the void of bilingual and bicultural professionals. The first year, HWOA raised money to provide five $500 scholarships but only 3 students applied. When researching the reasons for such a low application rate, HWOA heard from a school counselor that she did not see college potential in the Latino students so she did not inform or encourage them to apply to colleges or for scholarships. In light of this information, HWOA found other ways to reach out to Latino students and to assure parents their children were college material. HWOA now receives hundreds of applications from across Arkansas and the program has provided financial assistance to 612 documented and undocumented students, many of whom have been the first in their families to attain education beyond high school. The program has been part of the transformational process for the recipients, their families and our communities. HWOA’s work promoting education is yielding results. The area’s infrastructure has been growing, and education and community interactions have increased. Education has impacted our communities for the better and has created a ripple effect that touches many aspects of our lives. HWOA is proud of the accomplishments of the students it has supported with the scholarship program. If we are serious about human rights, civil rights, and strengthening communities then we must invest in the education of immigrant youth since it has the best return on investment because we are empowering people. Legal status is an issue we all care about, but its value is limited without community integration or inclusive leadership that fosters healthy community interactions to sustain change and growth. The stories of past scholarship recipients tell us how education is allowing young Latino professionals to play key roles in the changing interactions and dynamics in the community. These stories show how educated immigrants from humble beginnings have the power to change minds and win hearts of conservative people in historically white communities and how undocumented status can be a transitional. HWOA is affiliated with local, state, and national organizations such as UnidosUS (formerly NCLR), whose mission is to reduce poverty and discrimination, and improve life opportunities for Hispanic Americans, and the Arkansas Public Policy Panel, a statewide organization dedicated to achieving social and economic justice. These connections make HWOA’s participation in local, state, and national affairs have more impact in our community and create channels of communication and understanding. Partnerships are seen as mutually beneficial. HWOA, a leading Hispanic community-based organization, provides other agencies and higher education institutions with the cultural insight and collaboration needed to effectively provide services to the Latino population in Arkansas. HWOA shares its experiences as a Latino organization in Arkansas a non-traditional Hispanic state.