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A Brief History of Open Door |
The idea of Open Door was started in 1980 by IWC Stockholm President, Elisabeth Sammann. Whilst travelling abroad with her husband, a Rotarian, the hospitality extended to him by fellow Rotarians in foreign cities impressed her so much that she thought this could help members of International Women's Associations have a similar reciprocity in "opening their doors to each other" when visiting or moving to a city or town in another country.
Supporting this idea, IWC Stockholm appointed Elisabeth as Co-ordinator of International Relations. "OPEN DOOR" was born starting with nine Women's Associations, each agreeing to appoint an International Coordinator to welcome IWC women to their Clubs as guests to monthly meetings, and other Club activities as well as occasionally exchanging Club Newsletters and correspondence. By the end of 1983, Elisabeth's register had grown to a total of eighteen Associations.
At the same time, not knowing anything about the existence of Open Door, Ismelda Pellet, Vice-President of IWC The Hague had been making contact with several Clubs and started to form a network of Associations. Ismelda had gathered 12 Associations when Elisabeth contacted her, having been informed about Ismelda's network. Both decided it would be a great idea to join forces. The Aims and Objectives of Open Door were formed and Elisabeth was appointed Founder Chairman of Open Door. Financial support for this inter-club contact was provided by IWC Stockholm as many Clubs were unable to make contributions due to the high charges for international bank transfers.
At the end of 1988, Open Door had grown to 33 Associations when Elisabeth Sammann left IWC Stockholm to move to Chile when her husband retired. Ismelda agreed to take over as Chairman from Elisabeth, with the kind offer from IWC The Hague to provide financial support for Open Door.
Since then, IWC Amsterdam and IWC The Hague have made generous and regular donations, and this year, Bordeaux Women's Club and Sydney Women's International Club have also contributed towards the costs for this service to be available to members of Clubs worldwide.
Today there are seventy-nine International Women's Associations in thirty-eight countries which "open their doors to each other."
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