Mrs. Dorria Fahmy, the agency’s Founder, was a volunteer for the Passaic County Women’s Center in Paterson and a Domestic Violence Response Team (DVRT) member for her local police precinct. While working full time at a local hospital, Sr. Fahmy realized that victims of Middle Eastern and South Asian descent 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. Language barriers and cultural insensitivity were the most challenging obstacles for victims. Most were not able to express themselves in English. They wanted to continue practicing their daily religious routines, such as praying five times a day and adhering to dietary needs. Shelters are not sensitive or conducive to Islamic religious and cultural needs. Despite the options Sr. Fahmy offered victims, the majority would end up dropping the charges against their abusers due to lack of support. 

​

Sr. Fahmy recruited her dear friend Sr. Nawal Kahf (Co-founder and current President of Wafa House), a domestic violence counselor, and began to lobby and advocate for the needs of abused women in the Muslim community. Thus, the unique idea of creating a program that caters to the needs of Middle Eastern and South Asian victims was born.