Who we are

·         The Bonn International Women's Center - ifz - evolved in 1999 from efforts to put into practice the goals of the Local Agenda 21. It was founded by women actively dedicated to work for the then Foreign Residents’ Advisory Council (Ausländerbeirat) of the City of Bonn and the Agenda Working Group "Women One World".

·         The Bonn International Women's Center is a meeting place for national, international and cultural exchange. The ifz has approximately 170 members, coming from Europe, Asia, Africa and America as well as organisations dedicated to work for peace, refugees and women.

·         The Bonn International Women's Center supports the cause of peace and human rights and works to achieve more justice between men and women.

·         The Bonn International Women's Center takes an active part in information campaigns about women rights. Women are encouraged to stand up for their own interests and to commit themselves in the social field.

·         The Bonn International Women's Center serves as a platform for networking the different women's activities in Bonn.

·         The Bonn International Women's Center is an open forum, non-partisan, non-denominational and cross-generational.

·         The Bonn International Women's Center is a member of the German Social Welfare Federation (Deutscher Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband) and a partner of the Center for International Cooperation - CIC - in Bonn.

   What we are

     We are a multicultural institution.

·         The Executive Committee is composed of women of different nationalities.

·         More than 20,000 women from 164 countries live in Bonn; each of them has her own migration story. The ifz works for their integration while encouraging them to preserve their cultural identity. Together with German women, they are planning the Center's programme.

·         At the ifz, women and organisations meet on a regular basis in order to carry out activities aimed at living together in a spirit of tolerance and equality.

·         The ifz makes it possible for migrants to participate in various bodies, to set up discussion groups, for example for women speaking Russian, Spanish or Arabic/Sudanese.

·         The ifz is frequently visited by international delegations of women. These visits offer opportunities for an international dialogue.

·         Nearly all women of the  ifz do their work on an honorary basis.

·         The legal status of the ifz is that of a non-profit-making organisation; it is called "Internationales Frauenzentrum Bonn e.V."

  What we do

    We provide information

    through lectures, workshops and working groups on

·         the cultural, legal and social situation of women in different countries,

·         global and local relations in the fields of economics, politics and society,

·         topics, such as health, Aids, war, asylum, migration policy from the viewpoint of women. 

    
    We offer

·         training courses to empowering women

·         to assist women who seek advisory services

·         to accompany women when dealing with local authorities

·         to provide information on all events to women in Bonn

·         German language and career-oriented courses to migrant women

·         psychological and intercultural advice to individuals, groups and binational families.

Executive Committee of the ifz

The women elected as members of the Executive Committee of the ifz come from different countries:
 

       Florencia Chretien de Mack  Argentine (President)
       Ilse Jacobs - Germany (Vice-President)
       Ursula Albrecht (Germany)
       Vidi Legowo-Zipperer (Indonesia)
       Constanza Paetau (Colombia)

       Tuba Saberi (Iran)

       Jutta Schmitz (Germany)
       Christa Widmaier (Germany) 

    
      The Executive Committee has appointed Gertrud Smid as Executive Director.

      At present, the ifz has about 170 members (both individuals and organisations).

      Our member organisations include:

  Are you also someone

• who supports the idea to make better use of the great potential of the women in Bonn with different professional expertise by setting up a network

• who sees the need to pool the efforts of organisations committed to the cause of women in Bonn and to promote the dialogue between these initiatives
  and persons actively engaged in this field

• who is convinced that intercultural exchanges and intercultural learning are of increasing importance

• who wishes to see women encouraged to safeguard vigorously their own interests in their private lives and with regard to political issues

• who considers it an obvious idea to create and maintain a meeting place for women and girls, irrespective of age, nationality, social and religious identity.

• who does no longer accept the little support afforded to women in Bonn and worldwide

• who wishes to support the Bonn International Women’s Centre.
  
  

  Websites

    Please also visit the following websites:
  

Integration Council	www.bonn.de/integrationsrat
Advertising Catalogue for Women	www.powercat.de
Stadt Bonn	www.bonn.de
Soziales Bonn	www.soziales-bonn.de
Dr. Marianne Krüll	www.mariannekruell.de
Verein Bonn - La Paz e.V.
MIGRApolis Deutschland

Exemption from liability: We are not responsible for the contents of the websites listed above.