We came to stay!
HÎNBÛN evolved in 1981 from the research project „Analysis of live settings of Kurdish women in Berlin“, which was initiated by the Federal Ministry of Education and Science and the Berlin Senate.
Today, HÎNBÛN is a international institution under sponsorship of evangelical church district Spandau and promoted by the Berlin Senate, as well as Spandau district office. The institution is open to all women and their relatives. The visitors consists of women from 40 different countries: including former economic migrants who live in Berlin in the third generation, as well as newly arrived women.
The name of the project tells the story: HÎNBÛN (a kurdish word) means: learn- experience new things.
It is a place of intercultural learning, where local women and immigrants from different origins make contact and get in touch with eachother, discover new things and therefore get to know one and another better.
At HÎNBÛN women can find comprehensive advice in social, personal, health and residence related issues. They can meet their educational ambitions, participate in information and cultural events and group activities, as well as organising them themselves.
Our aim is to counter the Isolation of women, to strengthen their self-confidence and support their equal and independent participation in society.
The condition for this is an „intercultural opening“ of all institutions and basic services, as well as authorities and administrative bodies of our society, for example with the permanent employment of language mediators and participating intercultural trainings. In this respect, HÎNBÛN understands itsself as „bridge builder“, as an institution of transition, that accompany women on their way.
With our events and joint activities the public should be sensitise for questions of immigration and demonstrate ways to a peacefull and constructive interaction. To encounter eachother respectfully from women to women – at eye level, to listen to eachother, to be there for eachother and build up trust in eachother is the basic idea of the educational centre. In this sense, HÎNBÛN understands by „integration“ a lively, mutual and equal process that must be seen as enrichment and „win win success“*.
*a win-win strategy (english win for „Gewinn“) also known as double win strategy, has the purpose that all participants and all parties concerned benefit. All negotiating partners respect eachother and tries to take sufficient care of all interests. Equal partners struggle for a positive balance of interests for both sides. Third party effects should therefore be taken into account.
This strategy is more focussed on long-term and sustainable success and long-term cooperation than on short-term success.
