Isra Chaker
 | This article is an orphan, as no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles. (September 2026) |
Isra Chaker | |
|---|---|
| Occupations | Human rights advocate, Nonprofit executive |
| Title | Founder and CEO of Every Pregnancy |
| Website | https://www.israchaker.com/ |
Isra Chaker is a Syrian American entrepreneur and human rights advocate. She is the CEO of Every Pregnancy, a coalition of faith-inspired organizations working on maternal health and newborn.[1] She has worked as a campaign strategist and advocate for refugees and immigrants for organizations including Syria Relief and Development, Oxfam America, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and Amnesty International USA.[2][3]
Early life and career
[edit]Chaker grew up in Boulder, Colorado in a Syrian-American Muslim family.[4] She began her career as an Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator at Syria Relief and Development, and later worked as a lead advocate at the United Nations consulting on Syria Strategy.[5] She subsequently served as Senior Refugee, Migration and Protection Campaign Lead at Oxfam America. At the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), she worked as a campaign strategist, where she led national campaigns on immigrants' rights, racial justice, and issues affecting Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian (AMEMSA) communities.[6] She has also been identified as a Senior Campaign Manager at Amnesty International USA.[2]
In 2017, while working with Oxfam America, Chaker was one of the organizer of an event in which refugees from Syria, Somalia, and Vietnam were invited to the childhood home of then-President Donald Trump in Queens, New York. The participants shared their experiences of displacement and resettlement in the United States.[7] In 2019, she developed a lesson plan for Oxfam America's Amplifier program that explored the experiences of the refugees, the U.S. travel ban, and advocacy through art and other interactive activities.[8]
Chaker has served as an Ambassador for One Young World and spoken at its summits in London in 2019, and Manchester in 2022. She was also a public advocate for UNRWA USA.[3][2]
Every Pregnancy and Born Into
[edit]Chaker is the founder and chief executive officer of Every Pregnancy, formerly known as "For Mama". It is a maternal health initiative that works with Muslim philanthropic organizations to support maternal and newborn health.[1][9]
Isra chaker also hosts Born Into, a podcast produced in connection with Every Pregnancy, on which she has interviewed guests including Toyin Saraki, founder of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa.[10]
Awards and recognition
[edit]In 2018, Isra was selected in Amplifier's "We The Future" art and advocacy campaign as a representative of its refugee and immigration justice theme.[11][12]
In 2023, she was named as one of the Middle East Policy Council's "40 Under 40 list".[6]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Tobah, Sumayya (2025-08-19). "How Every Pregnancy Is Revolutionizing Maternal Health Care In The Middle East And North Africa". Rolling Stone MENA. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
- 1 2 3 "Isra Chaker - Senior Campaign Manager, Amnesty International USA (AIUSA)". Retrieved 2026-09-25.
- 1 2 "Isra Chaker". American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
- ↑ Saifi, Manal (2025-12-17). "Isra Chaker on Islam, Activism & Using Her Voice for Justice". Muslimi. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
- ↑ "Speakers | NDEL". ndel.yale.edu. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
- 1 2 Policy, Middle East (2023-09-13). "2023 40 Under 40 Awards - Middle East Policy Council". Retrieved 2026-09-25.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ↑ "Trump's Childhood Home is Now an Airbnb Where Refugees Slept Over to Protest Immigration Crackdown". Democracy Now!. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
- ↑ "Can young people change the national conversation about refugees?". www.oxfamamerica.org. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
- ↑ Makhlouf, Farah (2025-12-11). "Isra Chaker's Company Works On Making Every Pregnancy Safe". lovin.co. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
- ↑ "Honoured to be invited to speak on the Every Pregnancy podcast: Born Into with Isra Chaker". Toyin Ojora Saraki. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
- ↑ "We The Future - "Isra Chaker"". Amplifier. 2020-09-18. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
- ↑ Grant, Daniel (2018-09-18). "Political Posters by Shepard Fairey and Others Are Coming to 20,000 US Classrooms". Observer. Retrieved 2026-09-25.