Mission
We have a strong vision to inspire and empower international women from all around the world,
helping them to connect and belong wherever they are.
Our Story
When moving to a new country, nothing more uncomfortable than feeling disconnected and lonely. I know that myself! After moving from Brazil to the Netherlands in 2008 and ready to work as a lawyer, nothing happened as I expected. I struggled in my first years abroad with severe anxiety and depression. I felt like a didn’t belong anywhere. On the worst period of a panic syndrome, I tried to commit suicide, but God had other plans for my life. After a series of miraculous events that were eye-opening to me, just suddenly, from one day to another I changed not only a lifestyle but also my entire sense of identity, which includes my career.
Since 2010 I work with International Women Empowerment in Amsterdam, first with refugee immigrants as a volunteer in a Dutch organization and since 2016 with the Amsterdam International Women Network, which is our way to put into action our passion for supporting international women living abroad.
The AIW started with a series of workshops, the "International Women Empowerment Program"
without the aim of forming such a big international women's network, but from those sessions on
we kept on meeting for fun and the Amsterdam International Women was organically launched.
We currently have our monthly classics "Ladies Brunch in the Vondelpark", "Let's talk about
lifestyle", "Women Entrepreneurs;" A Museum and a Drink"; besides weekly walks in the park,
occasional workouts, dinner parties and several other events hosted by members. In October 2019, to celebrate our third anniversary, we are launching our own online platform with a very special membership plan, which gives you access to our exclusive events, classes, and Language Workshops, besides our typical free meetups. We are now more than 6000 empowered international women in Amsterdam and growing daily.
Join our events on meetup:
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Hugs,
Paula Kelder - Founder of the Amsterdam International Women
Moving to a different country is both scary and exciting - it makes such a difference to have groups like this which welcome women in Amsterdam whether they are new to the city or country, or just looking to meet new people.
I moved to Amsterdam from London in February 2017 and since then I have met many people through Amsterdam International Women – via the different events including the monthly brunch. As well as meeting people with the same interests, I’ve been able to get advice, share knowledge and talk through the challenges associated with moving/living abroad. Thanks to Paula for creating such a fun and useful community of empowered women!