Swimming instructor Ansam Audi has been awarded the 2026 Beginen Prize in Tübingen. Now 29 years old, she fled from Iraq to Germany in 2016. Like many girls in her community at the time, she did not know how to swim. In 2019, she took part in a girls’ class offered by “Swimming for All Children” (SfaK). “At some point, I felt like I no longer had to fight against the water—I could make friends with it. And then it felt really easy,” she said at the award ceremony. She didn’t stop at just a hobby: The non-swimmer became a lifeguard, then a swimming instructor, and since 2025 she has also been a certified inclusive swimming instructor. Today, Ansam Audi teaches courses at SfaK herself. Her main job is in the administrative office of the Reutlingen Police Department.
Encouraging Young Women
In addition, Ansam Audi has 16,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram. There, in Arabic and Kurdish, she encourages young girls and women to set goals and not give up: “My motivation isn’t just to share my successes, but to show that even though my journey was difficult, if you want something, you can make it happen.”
The Beginen Foundation
Since 2004, the foundation has awarded the Beginen Prize annually to a woman from Tübingen and the surrounding area who is actively involved in volunteer work. Recipients receive 500 euros. Among other things, the Beginen Foundation Tübingen supports housing projects for women.
Free Swimming Lessons Again
Swimming for All Children (SfaK) is a volunteer initiative promoting water safety for children and teens from families with a KreisBonusCard. Free swimming lessons for beginners and advanced swimmers will be offered again during this summer break.
In the summer of 2025, tuenews INTERNATIONAL reported on Ansam Audi: tun25080504
Further Informations:
www.sfak.de
https://beginenstiftung.de/
tun26071504