CIWOT exists to help our local community, to help women become better leaders, strengthen individual talents, and provide friendship and networking, thereby connecting women in their communities.
We volunteer to raise money, donate time to local charities, offer courses to learn new skills, and organize social events to get to know each other better, try new things, and enjoy ourselves.
Who we are?
We are women from many countries and of all ages who are English-speaking and live in Cyprus, in or around Limassol.
We have a Board of Directors and other officers who help organise CIWOT on a voluntary basis.
We appoint the Board and officers annually. Our membership subscription fee is €35 per year.
Each year we select one charity (or sometimes two) to be our primary focus and we undertake a variety of projects according to the interests of our members.
What we offer
Involvement in Cyprus International Women of Today is a very fulfilling way to achieve service to your community, grow as an individual, and gain friendships with women who share similar interests.
Our ETHOS
CIWOT is an organisation with a very positive ethos.
At CIWOT, our activities encourage women to excel at communicating, organizing, and leading. Members are encouraged to contribute to society and help make the world a better place while making good friends and having fun. We aspire to build our confidence and skills. The best way to achieve this goal is to provide an atmosphere of friendship, collaboration, support, and teamwork.
CIWOT members represent many different nationalities, with different languages, cultures, religions, politics, etc. This great variety makes us a very interesting group, and we enjoy exchanging our wide range of experiences and different perspectives on life.
We are mindful that English is not the first language of most of our members. Sometimes it is a struggle to understand or to express yourself in a language that is not your mother tongue. If someone comes across as aggressive or argumentative this may offend others from a different culture. So, we simply do not do it! We do not take things personally; rather, we focus on fostering understanding between our varied members.
We are VERY careful not to be argumentative or critical in our discussions! Instead, we choose words of encouragement, friendliness, and support. We NEVER criticise, judge or talk down to another member. We NEVER gossip negatively about another member – either behind her back or to her face.
We have procedures in place in our Constitution to protect Members in the event of a misunderstanding.
At a meeting, if someone suggests an event or action that we have not heard about before, we refrain from comment and negativity as there may be other members who are very enthusiastic about the idea. A negative response might put off the woman who made the suggestion and kill the activity. New members may feel anxious about presenting an idea to a group of women they do not know well. Therefore, members must create and maintain a safe, supportive environment for each other where ideas will be encouraged rather than shot down or criticised.
Life throws pressures, challenges, and problems at all of us. We may have time, financial, family, and/or work pressures, etc. CIWOT is a safe haven from these. We can leave these problems at home. We do not bring them to meetings; we come out to enjoy ourselves. There are no such pressures at CIWOT. There is no competition, no judgement nor appraisal, and no pressure to perform. Therefore, we are careful to suggest rather than criticise and very quick to praise and encourage! We pour high praise on the member who will go the extra mile for her CIWOT team.
So, bring your best smiles and your most optimistic viewpoint – and see how your positive attitude and positive energy will multiply and flourish in good company!