E-Newsletter Open Heart/Open Door”

[Show as slideshow]

Within the Soroptimist organization there is a Home Hospitality Programme of International Friendship.  It is called “Open Heart/Open Door” and it began in Denmark in 1995 and is now organised by a Dutch Soroptimist, Henny Knap-Go of Hilversum.

The programme has various categories:- home hospitality for a visiting Soroptimist, to provide a  Guide in a foreign city, to exchange houses for a holiday period or to take part in youth exchange.

There are a total of 407 Soroptimists offering hospitality in 44 countries from Albania to USA.  One or two Soroptimists are preferred, or a Soroptimist and partner.  Open heart/Open Door is part of Soroptimists bond of sisterhood around the world, and their belief in countries without borders. To take part in this programme a Soroptimist must register her willingness to offer hospitality to other Soroptimists for a few days if asked.

In June of this year my husband and I visited four Soroptimist homes through the Open Heart/Open Door programme; one in Northern Germany, two in Denmark and one in Northern Holland.  The hospitality we received was overwhelming.

After a seven hour drive in our hire car along the formidable German autobahns, and getting lost in Hamburg we arrived at a peaceful holiday home on the shores of the Baltic Sea to be greeted warmly by Stephanie and Kurt with a bottle of champagne.

In Denmark Ulla and Valda gave us the key to their holiday house, a carton of provisions and told us to make ourselves at home.

In Rorvig in Northern Denmark Bente gave us her bed and she took the single bed in the spare room.  And Marijke in Holland has promised to return our visit later this year.

To be made so welcome and to feel the warmth of sisterly hospitality was one of the highlights of our recent overseas trip.

To find out more about Open heart/Open Door contact hkhknapgo@chello.nl

or visit http://www.soroptimisteurope.org/en/projects/open-heart-open-door.html