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International Women’s Day Observed in Germany
Written by Ute Lemme, WFWP-Stuttgart
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Stuttgart, Germany—UPF-Germany offered its Peace Embassy in the city of Stuttgart for a commemoration of International Women’s Day 2016.
The Stuttgart chapter of Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP), an organization that is affiliated with UPF, organized the March 13 meeting.
Mrs. Elisabeth Heil, a representative of WFWP from the city of Schweinfurt, was the guest speaker, giving a presentation on “Working with Migrants and Women Refugees.” Mrs. Heil has been active for ten years in the Intercultural Meeting House for Women (IBF) in Schweinfurt and has a great deal of experience with activities which foster the integration of women.
Mrs. Ute Lemme, the leader of WFWP in Stuttgart, greeted the 17 participants and gave a brief history of International Women’s Day.
Mrs. Heil began her presentation by giving an overview of volunteer work that various chapters of WFWP-Germany have been doing with refugees. She then described the various activities and projects of the IBF in Schweinfurt, illustrating her presentation with slides. Fifteen percent of the population are migrants, and in summer 2015 a center was opened as a reception camp.
IBF offers women migrants a neutral place where they can meet, make contact with other women in the town and dissipate prejudice through shared activities. A large number of activities have proven important: cooking together, a women’s breakfast, cultural festivals, intercultural weeks, various creative groups, language courses, supervised homework groups and help, a health project, projects to prepare for the work force, trips and excursions, e.g., to Berlin, religious festivals, an interreligious forum, support in the search for accommodations and dealing with local authorities.
After the presentation, the audience had an opportunity to ask Mrs. Heil questions, and some of the audience reported about their own work with refugees.
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