ERIKA BRENTEGANI is President of the Italian Women’s Group in Singapore. She tells us how the organisation supports women who are passionate about Italian culture, including Italians who have relocated to Singapore.
Tell us about the Italian Women’s Group (IWG).
We are a non-profit organisation founded in Singapore in the late 1970’s. We support our members through building a community and connections here.
Additionally, IWG promotes Italian culture and offers hands-on volunteering opportunities to support the less fortunate. All profits from our membership and events are donated to local charities.

Who are your members?
We have over 130 members from a variety of nationalities. They include women who came to Singapore through family projects, professionals, managers and entrepreneurs.
Our activities are mainly run in Italian since the majority of our members are Italian, but everyone is welcome! We have members from Spain, New Zealand, Vietnam, Argentina, France, India, Ukraine and Russia. They joined because they’re passionate about Italy and Italian culture or because they want to improve their language skills. They add a multicultural touch to our group, too – for example, an Indian member organised a walk in Little India to share the tradition of Deepavali; and a Spanish member organised a cooking class on how to make paella.
Tell us a bit about the activities and events that you put on for members.
Our events include social gatherings, welcome coffee or dinner, tours around Singapore, and cultural and sports activities.
We also actively volunteer in local associations – we participate in meal preparation at Willing Hearts, while at H.O.M.E. and Assisi Hospice, we organise targeted volunteering for specific projects. We also host charity events and cultural initiatives to promote Italian culture; the Italian cooking classes for domestic workers are very popular.
IWG regularly collaborates with the Embassy of Italy and other local organisations. Among the past year’s initiatives, we launched a recipe booklet of Natural Cuisine titled Flavours of Well-Being. This was in collaboration with the Breast Cancer Foundation SG (BCF) and Salute Donna ODV in Italy, to promote cancer prevention through healthy eating. The project created a positive impact as a guide for healthy living and fundraising with all proceeds going to BCF.
Why should someone join IWG?
You will become part of a warm and active community, where you can make new friends and culturally enrich yourself. We offer a unique opportunity to broaden one’s horizons, and experience solidarity and personal growth, while contributing to meaningful causes.
How long is a membership period and what can a member expect during this time?
The membership is annual from January to December and costs $100, which is fully donated to charity. It allows access to all our activities and to special discounts with local businesses.
About Erika
Erika has been in Singapore since February 2019 with her husband Francesco, son Pietro (7) and daughter Emma (4).
secretary@iwgsingapore.org | iwgsingapore.org | IG @iwgsingapore
This article first appeared in the February 2025 edition of Expat Living. You can purchase the latest issue or subscribe so you never miss a copy!
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