Sonja Dinner
After a long career in tech and finance leadership, Sonja Dinner began devoting herself to social causes full time. Since 2006, Sonja has served as President of The DEAR Foundation and other humanitarian organizations, international philanthropic organizations based in Zurich and outside Switzerland, that support simultaneously over 1000 social projects in education, economic empowerment, psycho-social, peace-building, and strengthening women’s and children’s rights across the world.
Sonja lives by the credo that education and improving living conditions, especially for women and children, are the best ways to break the cycle of poverty. Sonja’s active humanitarian efforts have brought her to many diverse communities on four continents, and she has spent significant time in Jerusalem and Israel too.
Sonja received the International Teddy Kollek Award in 2013 for years of outstanding work promoting peace and coexistence in Jerusalem.
Coming from IT and tragically losing a close friend to breast cancer in 2006, Sonja transformed her grief into action. She created the “DearMamma” Breastcancer Awareness Campaign to provide accessible, worldwide online tools in an app for early detection and support. Sonja recommends the DearMamma app to all women worldwide, which can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Following many years of exceptional, spirited support of Hand in Hand, Sonja joined the American Friends of Hand in Hand Board of Directors in 2023.
