INTERNATIONAL WOMEN's ASSOCIATION OF KEY CONNECTIONS
You’re never starting over alone.
Welcome to IWAK — an international community of women creating connections across cities, countries and cultures.
Whether you’re moving to a new country, building a new career, starting a new chapter, or simply looking for people who understand your journey, IWAK gives you a place to connect, contribute and belong.
30+ years of international women’s connections · Kraków · Lausanne · Global
Highlight 2025/2026
A Year of Growing Beyond Borders
Building bridges across cultures & countries
2025/2026 marked an important chapter in IWAK’s journey. What started as a women’s community in Kraków continued to grow beyond the city, connecting women across countries, cultures and experiences. This year, IWAK was officially registered in Switzerland as an international non-profit association — creating a stronger foundation for our growing global community and the connections between our local chapters.
560+
Women connected in Kraków
64
Nationalities
IWAK SIGNATURE PROGRAMME 2026–2027
KEY CONNECTIONS:
WOMEN WHO MADE IT ABROAD
12 countries. 12 women. 12 real stories of building a new life abroad.
Every month, IWAK introduces one woman and one country through a real story of building a life away from home. Different countries. Different cultures. Different reasons for moving. But behind every journey is the same fascinating question: How do you turn a foreign place into your life?
These are honest conversations about adapting, finding people, understanding a new culture, creating opportunities and discovering what eventually makes a place feel like home.
One woman. One country. One conversation every month.
A year of seeing international life through someone else’s eyes.
COUNTRIES
Different realities and ways of living abroad.
12
WOMEN
Different backgrounds, professions and journeys.
12
REAL STORIES
Honest conversations about life and belonging.
12
THIS SEASON AT IWAK
There’s always something worth showing up for.
IWAK brings women together through social gatherings, cultural experiences, meaningful conversations and unexpected encounters.
Some evenings are about discovering a new place.
Some are about discovering a new person.
The best ones become part of your life.
06 october 2026
Hello IWAK
A new IWAK season begins with an online meeting created for introductions, conversations and finding your way into the community.
26 September
Family Open Day at Stakkato Art Space
15 October
IWAK morning coffee
29 September 2026
IWAK Reading Club
Join at any point in the season.
There is always a next conversation, a next experience and a next connection waiting.
JOIN IWAK
Your place in the community starts here.
Choose how you want to begin and become part of IWAK’s community, events and international circle.
MORE THAN A COMMUNITY
A place to belong, wherever life takes you.
Moving to another country changes more than your address. It changes your circle, your routines, your sense of belonging.
IWAK — International Women Association of Key Connections — brings together international women who are building lives across countries and cultures.
For more than 30 years, our community has helped women create meaningful connections, friendships and a sense of home in a new place.
IS IWAK FOR YOU?
Different journeys. Familiar feelings.
You may have moved for work, family, love, study or simply a new chapter. The circumstances may be different, but many international women experience the same question:
Where do I find my people here?
01 / You’ve just arrived
Everything is new — the city, the language, the routines — and you want to build a social circle beyond work and everyday responsibilities.
03 / Your life crosses borders
You move between countries, languages and communities and want to belong to an international network that travels with you.
02 / You’ve been here for a while
Life is already organized, but you still miss meaningful international connections, new experiences and people who understand life between cultures.
04 / You simply want more from your life abroad
More culture. More conversations. More friendships. More interesting people. More reasons to leave the familiar routine.
You don’t need to start from zero every time life takes you somewhere new.
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Olga Sidiakina
Program & Operations Lead
Board Team
Get to know us
Uliana Shchelgacheva
President
Mariya Terekhova
Vice-President
IWAK Committee
Michelle Gao
Zurich chapter coordinator
Eugenia Pinchuk
Events Manager
Abe (Anna) Zelińska
Content Driver