It has been four decades since a group of Latin American women decided to organise and LAWRS began its work, little knowing that all these years later we would occupy a key place in the heart of the Latin American community in the UK. 

When in the 1970s, due to the political dictatorships in our continent, many people were forced to migrate, the newly formed community in the UK found that the country was not prepared to respond to their needs in an adequate way. Adapting to a new country with such a complex system required the development of specific services for our community. This need was even more evident in the case of Latin American women, who required the creation of a feminist space that would provide them with support and access to information in a safe way.

LAWRS was thus created as a space where the needs of women in our community were heard and supported, where bonds of friendship, community and mutual support were formed, opening up opportunities to feel at home while being away from home. 

Since then, the community has continued to grow, and LAWRS along with it, offering new services and reaching out to the most vulnerable people in the community, while engaging in political processes, with the intention of improving the living and working conditions of Latin American women in the long term. 

Today, we remain firmly committed to our mission to  for all Latin American and migrant women in the UK. Many people have been part of this long journey and have left their mark on our organisation. To all of them we pay tribute and express our gratitude, in the hope that we will continue to grow, transform and be a safe space for all Latin American women who need us. 

If you haven’t yet seen our video celebrating 40 years of LAWRS, you can watch it here: