History

In the spring of 1986 a group of friends who had lived abroad were talking about their memories and their positive experiences from IWCs in different countries. They thought that a similar club was needed in Helsinki and decided to found one. The aim was to provide a forum for foreigners and Finns to meet. They gathered a group of eleven positive, active and well-informed ladies and started to carry out the plan.

The first IWCH Luncheon was held on February 10, 1987. The seating was done by lottery so that members and guests could get acquainted with one another. From the beginning, a luncheon with a guest speaker on the second Tuesday of every month from September to May became the practice. These arrangements prevail mostly unchanged still today. Besides holding the luncheons, they started arranging visits to places of interest once or twice a month. During the first year most programs featured Finnish society and culture. During the second year they added foreign cultures to their focus. Since then, cultural diversity has been very visible in the activities of our club.

To grow the Club’s membership, the eleven charter members sent invitations to embassies, foreign banks and companies active in Helsinki. For Finnish members, however, they established strict standards. Every charter member could name three Finnish candidates and each one had to be unanimously accepted to become a member. They were expected to contribute to the purpose of the club. By the first annual general meeting in May 1987, the club had grown to 105 members representing 28 countries. In twenty years, the number of members has more than doubled and we still want every new member to be able to contribute. Since the time of IWCH’s founding, society has changed and many of our members work outside their homes. For some of our foreign members, a job may have brought them to Finland. However, our Club is still an excellent forum for contacts and friendship across borders, a dialog between cultures and an introduction to Finnish society and culture. The aim to make our members’ daily lives easier, happier and more meaningful remains.

One may think there would be no need for a club like ours today when most borders are open and people move from one corner of the world to another in a speed never dreamt of before. But perhaps, also to our own astonishment, the club gets on very well. We have a multitude of activities and the cultural diversity is a true richness. Even though the world has changed over the past twenty years, the same needs remain. All of our members residing or working in Helsinki share the same goal to meet other women from all over the world. Our club stimulates engagement, networking and the development of mutual understanding. Above all, our club has been and still is a forum where lifelong friendships are formed.

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