This year’s bus tour took place in Brandenburg from 27–31 February. Around 10 of us women* started with the Solibus from our space in Berlin at midday and headed to the project house at MGF in Brandenburg. Several other women were waiting, preparing for an afternoon tea party with the neighbours. So the tour began with a ‘Meet the Neighbours’ event where we shared coffee and cake. The event also provided an ideal setting for us to collectively introduce ourselves to the local community and establish connections with those who had not yet had the opportunity to meet.

This was an occasion for familiar faces and new acquaintances alike, fostering a sense of community and facilitating meaningful connections. It was also an opportunity for us to introduce ourselves to the neighbours as a group, and to get to know those we hadn’t met before who were either curious about us or genuinely wanted to meet us. We were also able to answer questions from people who were curious about us, our work, and our motives.

We were happy that a number of them showed up, enabling us to start a discussion. We told them about our dream of owning a place where we can create a brave space for refugee women. It would be a diverse space where they can come together, exchange ideas, organise themselves and build bridges to the wider community.

We targeted the camps in Eisenhüttenstadt and Frankfurt (Oder) because we had received reports that many women had been victims of kickbacks and deportation. Many of them were either going through the Dublin procedure or awaiting deportation. Therefore, we travelled by bus to and from the project house, where we brought women to workshops designed to make them feel stronger. These workshops made them feel optimistic.

Here is some honest feedback from women who were participating in a bus tour for the first time, as well as from those who had done so before.

Nancy:

Participating in the Women in Exile (WiE) Bus Tour was a powerful and eye-opening experience. As part of our political activism, the tour aimed to solidify support for refugee women living in camps, many of whom experience deep social and emotional isolation despite being surrounded by many people .

The tour provided much-needed moral and social support, particularly to those who often remain unseen and unheard. Through workshops and discussions focused on integration, we created safe and inclusive spaces where women could share their experiences, ask questions, and find encouragement.

A key part of the tour was connecting these women with sister organizations, giving them access to crucial resources, legal support, and information that can help them navigate life in Germany. These connections are essential to ensuring that women are not only informed, but also feel empowered and supported in building their futures.

As we visited different camps and met women from a range of nationalities and backgrounds, the tour fostered a strong sense of unity and solidarity across cultures. It showed that despite our different stories, we share common struggles and common strength.

Suzan:

I liked the energy,the unity of each one of us wanting the best for everyone,the language barrier,the race,the status and everything else didn’t matter because we felt like one big family at home away from home and Love covered it all.

Lucy:

People were happy and shared heartfelt information with lots of love. Newcomers felt welcomed and appreciated. They want to come to our next meeting on Saturday.
Nevertheless, there is a challenge: we need to get more women involved, and one way to do this is for people to share their experiences of the event, both during the event itself and at further meetings, to encourage others to attend.

Pesh:

I was happy to be part of this bus tour. The ladies from Eisen said they were happy to eat homemade food and sleep well, despite lacking running water and an indoor toilet. Other than that, everything was fine.

Clara:

I was also very happy to participate in the Bustour, the atmosphere was very lovely, of mutual suppprt and sisterhood. Women in Exile created a warm and welcoming comunity feeling and the new women were very happy for getting to know the organization and the houseproject. We all had a great time of relieving stress, singing, dancing, cooking, eating and chatting and enjoying our time together

Bettina:

The Bustour was as strong as everybody present, the house was filled with life and new connections were build.

Nevertheless, we reflected on what was challenging. We decided to consider improving in our organising next time. Overall, given that this was the first time we had organised both the logistics and the house project, it was a success.