RWN was founded in 1995 by a group of women who have immigrated to the United States as refugees; a Vietnamese from Atlanta, a Laotian Hmong from Milwaukee, an Iranian from New York City and an Ethiopian from Los Angeles .They had experienced the refugee resettlement process and had worked in social service agencies that provided support to refugees. Through their collective experience, they knew that women’s skills, courage and experiences were not being adequately supported.