In 2009, WoW's founder and executive director, Samira Harnish, received a call in the middle of the night from one of her Congolese clients who had been attacked and mugged for wearing her traditional dress. The client was devastated, and Samira was outraged. This was not the community Women of the World knows Salt Lake to be - Samira believed our community was kinder and stronger than this kind of cruelty.

In 2010, Samira hosted our first Fashion Show & Cultural Gala.

She wanted all of our women to never be afraid of embracing and honoring their heritage. And she wanted Salt Lake to celebrate our diversity and to learn more about these remarkable women.

14 years later, our Fashion Show & Cultural Gala is our biggest fundraising event of the year. It is a wonderful opportunity to bridge our multiple communities. It offers a great educational & networking opportunity for Utahns and recognizes the bravery, courage & resilience of these women who have survived the unthinkable.

We believe all women can embrace who they are,

define their future, and change the world.

Women of the World is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that helps forcibly displaced women achieve self-reliance and economic success.

2024 Fashion Show and Cultural Gala