The Finnish branch of Inwat was founded in 1992 by female tobacco control activists to address the issues of tobacco use among women. It has proved to be a popular network in uniting women of different professions. Finland's Inwat provides a network, who are primarily women, for individuals and organizations interested in tobacco control. It collects and distributes information, shares strategies to counter problems concerning women and tobacco, and also supports prevention and cessation programmes and women-centred research. In building a regional network the key word is cooperation.
Someone has to bring out the idea and put it into practice.
Each member is encouraged to enlarge the network within the sphere of her daily work. Finland's Inwat has two general meetings a year. These decide what the main activities are to be and select the members who are to carry out each effort. The chairperson is Dr. Liisa Elovainio, Secretary General of the Cancer Society of Finland. To ensure flexibility Finland's Inwat does not have any bureaucratic organization.