Dear IWCH ladies,

We passed the vernal equinox on March 20th and the clocks moved ahead on March 27th. The recent sunny days have pampered us, and many springtime flowers have appeared in the shops already. The springtime has started - at least here in the South of Finland!

Our last luncheon was on the 8th of March at Kalastajatorppa – thank you for those who attended. We had the pleasure to have a great “Guest Speaker”, a member of our club and a member of the IWCH board, Mrs. Raquel Martins, who shared with us some highly interesting insights of her family and the life and cultural aspects of the Republic of China. It was extremely interesting to hear about the Chinese way of living and her personal experience of growing up between two different worlds. Thank you for sharing your story with us Raquel.

It is fair to say that we are living in a very strange period of human history. Corona epidemic has affected our everyday living in many ways for over two years. Many have experienced feelings of isolation and loneliness, especially elderly people, but the younger generation has also been affected. When we were finally hoping to have control of Covid, the war in Ukraine started. The shocking news of war in Europe in 2022 has united people and nations to find ways to help the victims of the war.

Our guest speaker for the April luncheon will be Prof. Olena Podoleva, Vice President of our sister club, International Women’s Club of Kyiv. She is also the Vice President of the International Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine and a merited economist of Ukraine. Some of you might remember her as our former member, as well. Prof. Podoleva is back in Finland, Helsinki and has offered to talk to us about her career and projects as a supporter of women´s entrepreneurship and careers in business. Please join the luncheon on the 12th of April at Hilton Kalastajatorppa. 

Springtime as it is, it is time to start preparations for the IWCH annual general meeting. The AGM will take place on the 10th of May at 11:00. The meeting itself will start at 11:30. One of the most important tasks is to form the board for the next Club year. I encourage each of you to consider whether you would be willing to participate in the board. The work is rewarding and joyful. I truly believe that the next Club year 2022-2023 will be successful and active. All of you who wish to take part, please contact me by email: president@iwch.fi or phone: 050-5113171. If you have any questions or queries about the board or the different positions in it, please contact me or any of the current board members. We look forward to hearing from you!

Leena Harkimo
IWCH President