Asiya Mohammed & Conflict Women

From personal experience to purpose

Asiya Mohammed’s work is rooted in an experience that shaped her childhood: witnessing domestic violence against her mother. As a child in a household affected by abuse, she came to understand that its impact reaches beyond the person directly experiencing it. She also saw how financial pressures can limit a family’s choices, even when a parent is working.

That understanding became central to her mission. In a profile included in her speaking portfolio, Asiya explains that financial empowerment is critical to ending abuse. Rather than blaming survivors for remaining in harmful situations, she calls for greater understanding of the financial barriers they face. Her work focuses on helping survivors build the resources and independence needed to move forward.

From international work to grassroots action

Before founding Conflict Women, Asiya studied international relations and politics and built experience in gender, human rights, peace and security. Her background includes work with UNICEF, UNFPA and USAID, as well as Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She represented Trinidad and Tobago at the United Nations General Assembly.

When her Ministry of Foreign Affairs contract ended, she chose not to renew it. Instead, she returned to grassroots work, where she felt she could make the greatest difference. She invested her life savings in establishing Conflict Women Limited, turning her experience and conviction into a social business.

Building pathways to financial independence

Conflict Women supports survivors of domestic and sexual violence through micro-finance grants, business training, mentorship and income in exchange for their handcrafted products. Its model connects creative work with economic opportunity, helping survivors develop livelihoods rather than relying on support alone.

The business’s early work included bespoke jewellery made by survivors. Asiya saw this approach as a way to complement the work of shelters, advocates and organizations seeking policy change: addressing the financial gap that can make it difficult for survivors to leave abuse and rebuild their lives.

Building that model has required persistence. Conflict Women has won the Idea2Innovation competition and the 1776 Caribbean Challenge Cup and attracted support from government, business and development partners. Asiya’s portfolio describes both the challenges of entrepreneurship and her determination to keep innovating and building a strong team because survivors depend on the business for opportunities to gain independence.

A voice for change

Asiya brings this perspective to audiences as a speaker, panellist and moderator. Her engagements have explored economic and financial abuse, social entrepreneurship, women’s leadership and community peacebuilding. They include TEDx Port-of-Spain’s The Cost of Silence: Violence against Women, as well as discussions with international development organizations and public institutions.

Her recognition includes being named the 100th Commonwealth Points of Light awardee by Queen Elizabeth II and receiving the National Medal for the Development of Women (Gold). She holds a master’s degree in Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science and an Executive MBA from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management.

For Partnership for Progress 2026, Asiya and Conflict Women are confirmed as a Day 2 Spotlight on Friday, October 30. Her story brings a personal and practical perspective to the possibilities of social enterprise, partnership and financial empowerment.