Founded in 1983: ‘A space of our own’ for migrant women
The association was founded in 1983 by teachers and social education workers from the neighbouring Refik-Veseli-Schule (Skalitzer Straße in Berlin-Kreuzberg). The initial idea was to offer women and girls from Turkey a safe, trusting space – a place for meeting, counselling, support and education. Particularly in the 1980s, many women from Turkey lived in isolation in Kreuzberg. A meeting place where women could come together to do needlework, which is how the name ‘Elişi Evi’ came about, as ‘Elişi’ means ‘needlework’ in Turkish.
This opened up new opportunities for participation, shared learning and social networking.
Thanks to the association’s development, women from all over the world can now take advantage of our services.
Development of services: counselling, education and integration
Since its foundation, Elisi Evi has gradually developed into an institutional advisory and educational centre for girls and women from a wide range of countries. Today, its services extend beyond language and integration courses (with childcare) to include psychosocial counselling, homework support, career guidance, workshops and events. The focus is on integration, equality and empowerment.
Networking and cooperation
From the 1990s onwards, Elisi Evi stepped up its collaboration with other civil society organisations in Berlin. A particularly significant milestone was the co-founding of the Centrum Neighbourhood Centre in the summer of 1998, alongside projects such as Meslek Evi, Yekmal e.V. and Otur ve Yasa – Wohnen und Leben e.V. – a meeting place for people of all generations, cultures and genders in the Wrangelkiez neighbourhood. This collaboration strengthened the association’s presence in the neighbourhood and expanded the range of services available to women, young people and families with a migrant background.
Institutionalisation and funding structures
Over time, Elisi Evi e.V. has become increasingly integrated into Berlin’s mainstream social and migration policy infrastructure. The association is:
- a member of the Deutschen Paritätischen Wohlfahrtsverband, a large umbrella organisation for social organisations.
- funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Labour, Social Services, Equality, Integration, Diversity and Anti-Discrimination.
- a provider of integration courses funded by the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).
- a provider of the course ‚Integrationskurs mit Kind Plus: Perspektive durch Qualifizierung‘ funded as part of the ESF Plus programme ‘Integration Course with Child Plus: Prospects through Qualification’ by the German Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of the Interior, and by the European Union through the European Social Fund Plus (ESF Plus).
These institutional links underpin civil society work and enable long-term projects, as well as advisory and educational programmes.
Conceptual development
Over the years, Elisi Evi has evolved in terms of its focus. Alongside traditional educational and advisory services, projects on violence prevention, combating forced marriage, building self-confidence, and linguistic and professional integration play an important role. Networking with local and feminist initiatives is also part of the strategy to promote social participation. The organisation is furthermore active in the Forum Berliner Migrantinnen Projekte (Forum of Berlin Projects for Migrant Women), in the Berliner Arbeitskreis gegen Zwangsverheiratung (Berlin Working Group Against Forced Marriage), in the Berliner Arbeitsgruppe Schutzmaßnahmen für Migrantinnen (Berlin Working Group on Protective Measures for Migrant Women) and the professional group “Migration” at the Deutschen Paritätischen Wohlfahrtsverband.
Further links
For more on the history of self-organised women’s projects run by migrants in Berlin:
Zur Migrantinnenbewegung der 1970/80er-Jahre in der Bundesrepublik – Berrin Önler-Sayan – Digitales Deutsches Frauenarchiv (2023)
Auf den Spuren der migrantischen Frauenbewegung in Kreuzberg – Berrin Önler-Sayan – FFBIZ (2025)