In 2019 a woman who had just moved from London to Dubai started a Facebook group and asked whether anybody wanted to meet for a coffee. A few women said yes.
That group is now the largest community of Indian women in the UAE.
Indian Women in Dubai, usually shortened to IWD, is the largest community of Indian expat women in the UAE, with more than 160,000 members. It was founded by Reema Mahajan and runs events, interest clubs, a business network and an annual awards programme across Dubai and the wider Emirates. Joining is free.
Numbers get thrown around loosely in community marketing, so here are the ones IWD stands behind.
The growth was not planned. Gulf News covered the group in 2021, when it had around 21,000 members, and described it as a kind of Google for Indian women in Dubai. That phrase stuck because it was accurate. The group had become the place you asked when you needed a paediatrician, a tailor, a lawyer or a friend.
Meetups, workshops, business conclaves, cultural celebrations and the annual awards. Some are small and quiet. Some fill a five star ballroom. Most people arrive on their own, which is worth knowing if that is the thing holding you back.
Fitness, food and recipes, a book club, an artists' circle, and Mahjong Socials. These are where friendships actually form, because you see the same faces every week rather than once at a networking event.
The business club inside the community, for women entrepreneurs and aspiring founders. Networking, mentorship, referrals and visibility. This one is a paid membership at AED 999 a year, and it is the only part of IWD that costs anything.
An annual awards evening in its sixth season, with over 30 categories and more than 500 guests. Past ceremonies have been graced by Mandira Bedi, Sudha Chandran, Sameera Reddy and Lisa Ray.
A weekly slot where members showcase their business to the whole community. Free, and genuinely useful for anyone trying to find their first customers in a new country.
Free interest communities at Indian Women in Dubai including mahjong, book club and fitness
IWD is not one thing. It is a set of arms, and knowing which is which saves a lot of confusion.
The paid business club for women entrepreneurs, at AED 999 a year. Up to three sessions a month on money, marketing and mindset, plus mentorship, referrals and a monthly Business Shower.
The learning hub. Short challenges and structured six, eight and ten week programmes covering digital skills, social media, business growth, personal development, fitness and wellness. Over 50 learning sessions in the last two years.
Classes, social games and tournaments across Dubai, taught from scratch. One of the fastest growing things the community runs.
The annual recognition programme, now in its sixth season.
The brand partnership arm, for companies that want to reach the community. Social media management, PR, influencer collaborations and events.
Worth saying plainly, because the size of the number invites assumptions.
IWD is built for Indian expat women living in the UAE, and for women anywhere in the world who are planning to move here. You do not need to run a business. You do not need a particular job title. You do not need to know anyone already.
The community also welcomes anyone who is Indian at heart, including women from Nepal and Sri Lanka. The point is a safe space where women support each other, not a membership test.
Dubai is an unusual city for friendship. People live in towers where nobody knocks. Everybody drives. A very large share of the population arrived recently and is busy building something. Nothing bumps into you here.
So a community that organises the bumping into each other solves a real problem, not an imagined one. Reema Mahajan has described the isolation of arriving without friends or family nearby as the thing that started it. She was not unusual in feeling it. She was just the one who asked first.
What the community turned into went beyond friendship. During the pandemic, a member whose husband had lost his job found new clients through the group and was able to pay her child's school fees. That is the practical version of what a large community does once you are inside it.
Joining is free and takes a minute. Follow the community on Instagram, sign up for the newsletter, and join the Facebook group. A welcome email follows, introducing what is happening inside.
From there, pick one thing. One recurring group beats five one off events, because familiarity is what turns a stranger into a friend. Questions before you come along? info@indianwomenindubai.com reaches a real person.
A. Indian Women in Dubai, known as IWD, with more than 150,000 members. It was founded by Reema Mahajan in 2019 and runs events, free interest communities, a paid business network and an annual awards programme across Dubai and the wider UAE.
A. Yes. Joining is completely free and there are no membership tiers. Some events are ticketed depending on their scale, and the Indian Women Network, the business club for entrepreneurs, is a separate paid membership at AED 999 a year. Everything else, including the fitness, food, book club, artists and mahjong communities, is free.
A. Indian expat women living anywhere in the UAE, and women elsewhere in the world who are planning to move here. The community also welcomes anyone who is Indian at heart, including women from Nepal and Sri Lanka. You do not need to run a business or hold a particular job.
A. Reema Mahajan, an alumna of IIT Delhi and IIM Bangalore who previously worked in international management consulting at Bain and Company. She moved to Dubai from London and started the community as a Facebook group after struggling to make friends in a new city.
A. Events across Dubai, free interest communities covering fitness, food and recipes, books, art and mahjong, a weekly business showcase called Free Sunday, the annual IWD Awards, and the Indian Women Network for women entrepreneurs.
A. Yes, several, including groups focused on specific regions, languages and interests. IWD is the largest by membership. Many women belong to more than one, and there is no reason to pick just a single community.
The community started with one coffee. Come and find your table.
