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Most of us become more active when we visit a new place as a tourist or live in a foreign country. We want to understand the new culture, meet new people, taste different dishes, listen to different music and languages. For these reasons, we see more expatriates’ involvement in social causes in non-profit organizations.
The International Women of Istanbul (IWI) is such a social organization that gathers international women who volunteer their time and talents to foster relationships with one another. It may sound weird to feel lonely in a city with 12 million residents but it is quite common to feel lost in a huge crowd especially if you’re new to the Turkish culture.
For the last 40 years, IWI’s mission has been promoting social, cultural and intellectual ties among women of all ages and nationalities. The organization arranges different social activities based on its active members’ interests. They organize an Christmas bazaar, they publish a magazine called Lale, they have an international choir that gathers musical talents, they reach out for the elderly, poor and ill.
The charity work is conducted by different groups. A group of vounteer members help out the poor residents of Bomonti Fransız Fakirhanesi, a home for the poor elderly of Istanbul. They simply spend time with the old people, they do ironing and sewing, they take care of the garden, and they conduct fundraising activities.
Another group called Pink Angels partner with SSK Okmeydan Hospital’s children’s department and regularly spend time with children who are diagnosed with leukemia.
If you recently relocated to Istanbul and you are eager to meet like minded people who volunteer to help out the community, you might want to meet with international women of IWI. Check out the upcoming newcomers meeting closest to you.
Ela Erozan Gürsel writes a weekly column named “Değişim Yelpazesi ” on global business trends for Dünya Gazetesi on behalf of Datassist for almost two years. Her feature topics include: green energy; climate change; impacts of financial crisis on companies, sectors and regions; innovative technologies in sciences, human resources and management; social networks transforming business and politics; changing dynamics of marketing and branding.
She also writes articles for international magazines published in Singapore.
Prior to her writing career, she worked at Datassist as a Project Manager in a project that combines human resources and mobile communications with the aim to connect blue-collar workers and employers through mobile phones. Before engaging in this exciting project, she was in pharmaceutical sales working for a multinational company. She graduated from American University, Washington, DC, majoring in International Studies with a concentration on International Business and Europe. She worked in Washington D.C. as an Account Manager at a boutique telemarketing firm that specializes in fund raising and publication renewals. She speaks Turkish, English, French, and Spanish. She currently resides in Singapore with her husband.
