Zainab Salbi

At the age of 23, Zainab Salbi founded Women for Women International, a grassroots humanitarian and development organization dedicated to serving women survivors of wars by offering support, tools, and access to life-changing skills to move from crisis and poverty to stability and economic self-sufficiency. Under her leadership as the organization’s CEO (1993-2011), Women for Women International grew from helping 30 women upon its inception to more than 400,000 women in 8 conflict areas. It also distributed more than $100 million in direct aid and microcredit loans that impacted more than 1.7 million family members.

Zainab Salbi has authored several books including the bestseller "Between Two Worlds: Escape from Tyranny: Growing Up in the Shadow of Saddam" (with Laurie Becklund), and "The Other Side of War: Women’s Stories of Survival and Hope". Her works have been endorsed by prominent figures such as Alice Walker and Angelina Jolie. She is currently the editor at large at Women in the World in association with The New York Times, and continues to contribute to global discussions on women's issues. In addition to her literary achievements, Salbi launched The Nida’a Show in October 2015, a groundbreaking talk show dedicated to addressing and inspiring women in the Arab world. The show started with the historic first interview of Oprah Winfrey in the Arab world (Oprah had presented Salbi 10 times on her own show) and features women and men from all walks of life in addition to global and Arab celebrities. In November 2016, Salbi launched The Zainab Salbi Project, an original global series in collaboration with Huffington Post and AOL, where she travels the world shedding light on global issues through personal stories of individuals in areas of conflict.

Salbi is recognized for her significant contributions to social change and her efforts to bring international women’s issues to mainstream attention in the US. Her extensive experience includes hosting and creating several TV shows such as "#MeToo, Now What" on PBS (2018), and conducting influential interviews, including the one with Queen Rania on Women in the World regarding her role in the Middle East. Her work and influence have been acknowledged by various publications, including being named one of the “25 Women Changing The World” by People Magazine in 2016 and one of the “100 Leading Global Thinkers” by Foreign Policy Magazine.