Blog

On the 8th of March the book Sacred Pledge I launched my book “Sacred Pledge” for an audience of 70 people. The launch ceremony was held in the venue where I often gathered with women with a refugee background living in an emergency shelter in Utrecht. This venue is a safe space where they can share their problems, pains, and hopes. During these gatherings, we can work on empowerment, psycho-education of trauma and depression, and prepare the women to become Future Citizens of the Dutch Society.  I love to deliver this programme where I can combine my experience as a trainer and knowledge as a psychologist/medical anthropologist and yogini.   In my speech, on March 8th 2024, I highlighted the importance of believing and sharing your dreams. “ We all might know that something is waiting for us to unfold. Our dreams are a blueprint of what could be. Dreams can set something in motion: they come from a deeper source, rooted in us, something we long for”.  Five women shared t...

These are challenging times, but together, we can build a brighter future. ImpactLeaders International has joined forces with three incredible partners – Changemakers4All (North Macedonia), GLOCA (Turkey), and stichting International Youth Bridges (Netherlands) – to create FRINGE2ACT, a program designed to mobilize European youth and empower them to build a more sustainable and inclusive world. Why FRINGE2ACT? Marginalized youth, those often facing unemployment, displacement, or mental health struggles, are disproportionately impacted by crises like the pandemic and climate change. FRINGE2ACT recognizes their potential and aims to bridge the gap between them and mainstream society. A Beacon of Hope and Action FRINGE2ACT is more than just a program; it's a movement. We're committed to developing impactful interventions that resonate with both marginalized youth and the broader community. By leveraging the Erasmus+ Impact Tool , we've crafted a unique engagement mod...

Our Inclusion Leader, Noorzia Afridi is launching her first book  'The power is YOU, An odyssey towards self-empowerment'  on March 8th, not accidentally International Women's Day. Noorzia is a Human Rights Activist from Pakistan and worked together with our International Leader Saskia Harkema to write down her life story.  The book shares the life story of Noorzia Afridi who comes from a remote tribal area in Pakistan, next to the border of Afghanistan. There she fought for her right to an education, which is denied to women. She also was forced to marry as a child, which she refused. In 2008 she set up a foundation, SAWERA, to fight for women's empowerment. She has won many prizes for her work. When the Taliban discovered she was doing this work with women, she became a target and lost many family members as a consequence.   Her story inspired both writers to develop a method to empower other women. With the lotus flower as a metaphor, they describe the odysse...