United States
Vice President of Global Affairs and Senior Policy Advisor on Gender Equity to the President of the African-American Islamic Institute
Hijri Unknown-Present (AH); Common Era Unknown-Present (CE)
Ayisha R. Jeffries is Vice President of Global Affairs and Senior Policy Advisor on Gender Equity to the President of the African American Islamic Institute (AAII), a non-governmental international organization based in Senegal, West Africa. AAII’s mission is to lead sustainable development that promotes education, health care, the empowerment of women and children, the alleviation of poverty, and the promotion of peace. Joining AAII as a Resource Strategist, Ms. Jeffries developed numerous multi-lateral partnerships from global organizations to grassroots community initiatives. These included the United Nations, AmeriCares, US Doctors for Africa, and Wassukafo (community advocates for the eradication of Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting in the Gambia). These and over thirty-five other ongoing partnerships have resulted in half a billion dollars in resources and sustained change in the quality of life for the people of West Africa. In her current position, Ms. Jeffries develops strategic policies and strategies that foster enhanced relationships between the Islamic World and the West with an emphasis on gender equity within faith communities. She has co-developed over twenty conferences centering on women’s rights in Islam, health, education and economic development and serves as the Alternate Representative to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) at the United Nations. Independent of AAII, Ms. Jeffries has launched a grassroots movement, Conversations with Our Fathers, a public education project addressing domestic violence. She is in the final stages of planning Sun in My Belly, a green transitional community for women rebuilding their lives after Intimate Partner Violence.
