I am the spouse of a South African diplomat and the mother of three handsome sons aged 23, 18 and 14.  After one year of military service, I obtained a BA-Law Degree from the University of Johannesburg. I also had the wonderful privilege to travel the world as a Flight Attendant.  Travelling expanded my views and opinions in a significant way and left me deeply intrigued and respectful of all the beautiful cultures and people of our planet.  It also exposed me to life’s injustices and the hardships of too many people.  As a young mother, I made a personal decision to dedicate my life in service of those less fortunate. 

In 2007 I started my journey in the NGO sector in South Africa where I gained immeasurable experience and skills as a frontline worker. I also had the immense opportunity to establish and manage a Not For Profit Organisation, Lesedi la Batho (www.lesedilabatho.co.za ; https://www.facebook.com/LesediLaBatho). Today, Lesedi la Batho is a well known name in the field of youth development through sport and life skills development and training. Our donors highly appreciate the high degree of integrity with which our organisation is managed, especially when it comes to financial accountability, transparency and ethics. 

I have found my life’s purpose through the work that I do.  I am highly motivated, positive, resilient and unashamedly ethical. I will always give my best no matter how small or insignificant the task.  I strive to be a contributing member of society, feeling passionate to serve mankind and being part of making the world a great place for all.  As the president of IWCK, I will serve the organisation to the best of my abilities.

I am an Insights trainer, international mentor and experienced transformational coach with more than twenty years of experience. I come from Slovenia, but I haven't lived long term in Slovenia for a long time. I've been to many different countries before: Malta, Turkey, India, Sweden, Argentina, Switzerland. This way you become more aware of different cultures and countries. I have extensive experience in the field of HR, national / international project management, transnational cooperation and leadership. We arrived in Kyiv in Aug 2019. Since 1^st of December 2020 I have started a new job as Senior Expert Seconded in the U-LEAD program GIZ (Ukraine-Local Empowerment, Accountability and Development Program), decentralization projects are implemented in the field of regional and local policy. In Argentina, I was also the president of the IWCK equivalent there for 2,5 years. At that time I learned a lot. I am convinced is that your background doesn't matter; it's about your passion, being connected, and having a good team. If you have a good work ethic and dedication, you can achieve a lot and change lives, even without a budget. I strongly believe that everyone has the right to have a happy, secure, loving and successful Life. I am proud to be the receipient of the Exceptional Women of Excellence prestigious award in The Hague. I am always amazed at the work of individual members of the IWCK team and the team as a whole. Due to the current war situation, I feel the need to be actively involved in the work. From my point of view, I believe that my abundance is the richness of experience and the connection with the people and this I would like to share. Also with my contribution as a Vice President.

I am a British teacher of English and translator. I have lived in Ukraine since 1988 when I married the Ukrainian author Andrei Kurkov. We brought up our 3 children in Kyiv and it was during their younger years that I first learned the value of IWCK, benefitting from the support of other ex-pat mums. I took my turn to run the Mums and Babies and Mums and toddlers’ groups during the late 90s.

Back then, I also joined the IWCK choir, and more recently I have run the IWCK singing group which I enjoy very much.

In 2014, after the Revolution of Dignity, I was elected President of IWCK and I served in this role for 3 years – all the time aware that I was benefitting more than I contributed, but I think that is always the way when you volunteer.

I consider charity projects to be a key pillar of IWCK’s work and have enjoyed serving on the Charity committee since 2014. I would be happy to bring this experience and my understanding of the local situation to the work of Head of Charity for IWCK. In the current context, I feel this role is about maintaining contact with our partners and supporting their work whenever possible as well as being ready to run with IWCK charity projects as soon as the opportunity arises.

My name is Lilit Nazaryan, I am spouse of Ambassador of Republic of Armenia. I am already one year living in Kyiv.

Kyiv is not a new place for me as our first posting in 1996 was in Kyiv too. I love Kyiv very much.

Previously we have been posted in Ukraine, Georgia and Italy after my husband had been in politics for 10 years. His last post was spokesperson of Prime Minister of Armenia.

I am lecturer at Yerevan State University as well as regional representative of German company Helia.

During my husband’s career I had always been involved in public activities. I have been very active member of IWA in Georgia and Italy. I have been one of organizer of Christmas Baazars in Armenia organized IWA of Armenia. As wife of spokesperson of Prime minister I have been co-founder of first ladie’s, Mrs. Anna Hakobyan’s, charity organization MY STEP.

I would like to apply for Head of Hospitality under committee. My opinion is that it is very important now days to welcome all new members of our community as Ukraine for the moment is very hot part of the world, it is always not easy to adapt in a new place, especially when it is real war in the country. I will do my best to try to facilitate the process of adapting for new comers.

I joined IWCK to get involved with charity, the local community and meet like-minded international women. I hope the club continues and gets better with every new year and member

I'm Yumi Terajima, Japanese. In the term of 2015-2016 and 2019-2020, I was a board member of the IWCK.  After living in Kyiv for 11 years, Ukraine became my beloved second homeland. My daughter has been working 24/7 as an international journalist since February to tell the world the truth for Ukraine.

I hope that I can be of some help in the midst of the unprecedented hardships in Ukraine.

Hello, my name is Helen Garbuz, and I am originally from the United States.  I have lived in Kyiv since 1998 and have been an IWCK member since 2009.  I served on IWCK's Steering Committee from 2015-2018 as Secretary after a few months as Head of Membership. I also served several years on the Charity Committee.  I am married to a Ukrainian and have two children at Kyiv International School.  In addition to being a mother, I also grow organic fruits and vegetables marketed through "Helen's Veggies."

IWCK has meant a lot to me over the years, from providing support as I learned to be a full-time mom to providing growth, challenges and professional development opportunities.  I firmly believe that IWCK has a place in the future post-war Ukrainian Renaissance and I promise to help it survive until then. I would be honored to serve as a Member of the Board of Supervisors for the 2022-2023 season.

I’m a fifth year IWCK member as well and two of them I was a Steering Committee (SC) member as Head of Communication and Head of Interest Groups, and I was in Charity Committee (CC) all these years. This is my gap year! But as you can guess I can’t sit still for too long. I’m natively from Kiev I can be helpful with lots of different projects. Exactly for that reason I was kindly invited by SC as a Special Volunteer. I am happy to help IWCK SC and its members to enjoy time in Ukraine!

We make sure IWCK can continue to welcome everyone, and we ensure the club follows Ukrainian laws and our own charter.

From 2013-2017 I was active in a similar group in India, Delhi Network. There, I managed the organizations marketing activities, including branding, online and social media, and event strategy. I also created and designed complete social media marketing campaigns during my tenure and gained valuable fundraising experience. My current work load will not allow for me to be as proactive with IWCK but I will support the group as a volunteer. We make sure IWCK can continue to welcome everyone, and we ensure the club follows Ukrainian laws and our own charter.