Our Staff
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Mariellen Malloy Jewers is the Executive Director at Women Encouraging Empowerment, Inc (WEE). She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a BA in economics, and holds a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University. She is a candidate for a doctorate in Public Policy and Administration at the George Washington University.
An Americorps*VISTA (2002-03) and a Peace Corps volunteer (2003-05), Ms. Jewers facilitated a partnership between the university and five local organizations to develop responsive community service programs in Western Massachusetts, and co-led a participatory process for establishing and operating community banks in the poorest sectors of Santiago in the Dominican Republic. A Massachusetts native, Mariellen has over a decade of experience working on immigration programs and research. Ms. Jewers has co-author publications on immigrants’ health insurance status and financial stability, the role of fiscal policy in reducing inequality, the prospects for using health technologies to provide care in remote communities, and diaspora engagement in economic development for the Inter-American Dialogue, USAID, the Migration Policy Institute, the Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank, and for the 2012 Summit of the Americas of the Organization of American States. |
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Elaine Abrams, a Chelsea, Mass. native, came to Women Encouraging Empowerment (WEE) in 2017 after learning firsthand the challenges of immigrating and starting a new life in a foreign country. After living in San Francisco, Calif. for nearly 10 years, working as a docent at the Asian Art Museum and pursuing a degree in Asian Studies at the California Institute of Asian Studies, she was inspired to move to China. In 1981, she packed up and moved to China where she studied art and culture for two months before embarking on a 14-year adventure in Japan. With little money, no job, no friends, and no Japanese
language skills, she began teaching ESL classes at adult education centers, businesses and universities. While in Japan, she traveled to Burma where she fell in love with a Burmese man with whom she eventually married. Together, they survived the Kobe-Hanshin earthquake in 1995, but they lost everything, including their home. One month later, the couple returned to Massachusetts, but the struggles of starting over yet again took a toll on their marriage. Although she and her husband divorced, Elaine remains active in the Burmese refugee community. Since her return, Elaine has taught ESL classes to adults and children. In addition to teaching at WEE, Abrams teaches at Revere Community School and volunteers mentoring first graders at the Garfield School in Revere. In addition, she is currently involved with Syrian refugee resettlement programs. |
“When I moved to Japan, I experienced the struggles and loneliness of being ‘a stranger in a strange
land.’ I often felt like a child with no one to guide me and struggled as a foreigner in an otherwise
homogeneous society,” says Abrams. “However, I was determined to live this adventure and experience.
It is my pleasure to be part of WEE where women of all racial, cultural, religious, and economic
backgrounds mesh as one.”
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Siham Sherif is originally from Libya. She was born in the United States, but her family decided to go back to Libya when she was only 2 years old. She went to University of
Libya and earned her Bachelors Degree in English. She has experience in Lecturing. She taught English at the University of Libya, Tripoli, Libya for ten years. As a result of the political unrest and instability in Libya in which she lost her dearest brother, she decided to come to the United States in 2015. On getting to the United States, Siham says she had to start from “zero”. The transition was hard but she had a lot of support. She heard about WEE from her cousin that was taking English classes here. She knew what it meant to be an immigrant and starting from scratch in a new country. She wanted to make a difference in someone’s life. She became a member and very vocal and very influential in the immigrant community. Siham started teaching and instructing Level 1 ESOL Adult classes for beginners as well as volunteer as a translator and organizer in the Arabic speaking community. She has a passion and dedication to work with women despite their religion, race, gender, culture and country of origin. She wants to be a voice in marginalized and low-income communities because she believes and has faith that we are here for a reason and a season, so make everyday count by reaching out and helping someone. It is that simple. with their struggles and challenges. |
"I know what it means to lose everything and leave your family behind and come to safety. Libya was a great country before the unrest, we were happy and had everything we desired but after that it became so so bad and unsafe. We used to hear gunshots every single night, you can not go outside because of fear to die or get hurt. I did not want my daughter and son to go through that, they complained of the gunshots and seeing people die. I did not want this situation have power over my family and life so we decided to leave everything behind and move. It was not easy at all since we did not have an American Embassy anymore in Libya so we had to go all the way to Tunisia. It was not easy, it was not easy at all...” Siham says
"I think WEE is special in a way that it encourages and helps woman and low –income families to be confident and be able to advocate and organize for themselves and also be leaders in their families, communities and their lives. This is empowering."
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The “Parent Lead Organizers” of Women Encouraging Empowerment(WEE) has been working on a project that aims to strengthen school-family relationships, facilitate parent participation in schools, and increase family leadership opportunities in schools to ultimately benefit student learning in Revere public schools.Grounded in our belief in the centrality of family engagement to student learning and fully aware of obstacles for parent active participation in theirchildren’s school experiences, particularly immigrant and refugee families,we will be collaborating with the District to produce 1) a family engagement policy, 2) a family-friendly handbook and 3) overall improve school-family communication, with an emphasis on overcoming linguistic barriers toincrease family participation in their children’s schooling experiences.
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Education leader with extensive experience in curriculum development, teaching and training around socioeconomic and political justice and liberation. Activist scholar with deep experience in higher education instruction and on the ground practice in areas of oppression, racism and colonialism. Strong skills in training, coaching and supporting educators to develop effective teaching practices through theoretical lenses and classroom practices that support the creation of inclusive learning environments. Experience in community based initiatives and adult education programs focused on immediate needs as well as human & civil rights and justice.
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