Pamphlet in Arabic Wafa House - Sincere care for out families Contact Us Donations Media Events Blog Services About Us Free and Confidential Services 1-800-930-WAFA Wafa House logo - Sincere care for out families

Wafa House History

Wafa House, Inc established its office
and toll free Hotline in September 2004.
Wafa House provides services to victims
of Domestic Violence as well as education
to the community at large.

Wafa House is a domestic violence organization started by Dorria Fahmy
and Nawal Kahf. They realized the serious need
for such an establishment among the Muslim community.

The victims they came across were of Middle Eastern or South Asian
descent who did not feel comfortable going to a shelter
where their needs may or may not be met.

The most difficult issues at hand were the language barriers
and insensitivity to their religious needs.
Most of the victims were not able to articulate or express themselves in English.
These victims were looking for shelters where they would
be able to practice their daily religious routines,
such as praying five times a day, etc.
This requires a person to wash up or take a mini shower
prior to praying. Also, the Muslim victim requires special
dietary needs of Halal meats, slaughtered in a particular way.
While working full time at a local hospital, Sr. Dorria
realized that these victims felt reluctant to leave their abusers
in fear of being re-victimized by going to a place where they would
not be able to acclimate to the environment comprised of staff that
may not be sensitive to their needs. Despite the options Sr. Dorria
offered the victims, the majority would end up dropping the charges
against their abusers due to lack of support. At this point, the unique
idea of creating a program that caters to the needs of the Middle Eastern
and South Asian victim came into light.
 
Sr. Dorria Fahmy is a social worker, volunteer for the Passaic County Women's Center
in Paterson and a Domestic Violence Response Team (DVRT) member
for local police stations. Sr. Nawal Kahf also a social worker and domestic
violence counselor joined forces to lobby and advocate for the needs
of the abused women in the Islamic community. Along with the support
of the Islamic community and Sheikh Mohammad Qatanani of the Islamic
Center of Passaic County (ICPC), these two sisters initiated the
groundbreaking steps towards opening the doors of Wafa House in December 2004.
 
 
 
 

Wafa House; PO Box 2102; Clifton, NJ 07015-2102

Phone: 1-800-930-WAFA   Email: info @ wafahouse.org