Sister Cities of Columbia is a program of the non-profit World Affairs Council. It is dedicated to furthering global understanding among the citizens of Columbia, South Carolina by encouraging and assisting the city and its citizens to link with similar communities throughout the world. The goal for the communities involved is to learn more about each other and to develop lasting and meaningful exchanges. 

Exchanges occur in the fields of business, education, medicine, religion, government and culture. An ideal affiliation involves a large number of citizens and organizations in both communities exchanging people, ideas, and cultures on a long-term, continuing basis.  In April of 1996, the World Affairs Council took over the administration of the Sister Cities of Columbia program. It was formerly run by volunteers and lacked the resources necessary to properly maintain and develop our Sister City relationships. 

Sister Cities of Columbia is a member of Sister Cities International (SCI) and currently has four Sister Cities: 

Chelyabinsk Russia

Cluj-Napoca Romania

Kaiserslautern Germany

Plovdiv Bulgaria

Several ongoing projects have been successfully completed in each affiliation, and various, ongoing projects continue to benefit both the citizens of Columbia and their partners overseas.  Click here to view our implemented and future projects. 

Strengthening Columbia's current Sister City relationships, and fostering new ones, will give the City of Columbia and its citizens the opportunity to experience and explore other cultures through long-term municipal partnerships. As our communities and state become increasingly multicultural, international linkages such as these will be crucial to improving the quality of life for all residents in the Greater Columbia area. 

The Columbia Sister Cities program works to stimulate environments through which the citizens of the Midlands and their international partners can work together to solve problems, as well as enjoy the economic and cultural advantages that come with increased trade and tourism. Some of the benefits to the Midlands and to its citizens include: 

• promotion of multicultural education through two-way, reciprocal learning based on mutual respect and interest
• economic growth--both public and private through trade and tourism
• cultural and artistic exchanges that will not only bring diverse sectors of the community together, but will raise their level of awareness about the importance of global tolerance and understanding.

Kaiserslautern is now an official Sister City of Columbia

Springdale and Chapin join Sister City program as Municipal Affiliates
The Sister Cities of Columbia program welcomes the Town of Springdale and the Town of Chapin as its first Municipal Affiliate members!! 

What is Municipal Affiliate?
Municipal Affiliates are cities/towns in the Midlands of South Carolina which join the Sister Cities of Columbia program in order to take advantage of the international partnerships already estabilished between Columbia and its sister cities in Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia. The resources and people that make the Midlands of SC a special place do not all lie within the city limits of Columbia, and it was with the idea of creating a whole community connection with our sister cities that the Municipal Affiliate program was started. 

What are the benefits of becoming a Municipal Affiliate?
As members of the Sister Cities of Columbia program, each Municipal Affiliate receives administrative support in organizing exchange programs between its businesses, organizations, and schools and their counterparts in our three sister cities. Affiliates also receive notification of all visiting sister city delegations in the Greater Columbia area, and notification of all organized trips and/or trade missions to its sister cities. In addition, one representative of each town/city office will sit on the Sister Cities of Columbia Advisory Board. 

 

How To Join

Membership Levels:
$100 -- Sponsor
$25 -- Individuals
$10 -- Student
Municipal Memberships Available
Contact the Sister Cities of Columbia Office

To receive additional information and/or a membership application form, please contact: 
Sister Cities of Columbia
Post Office Box 5593
Columbia, SC 29250
(803) 252-2197
E-mail: [email protected]

All members receive a quarterly newsletter and invitations to all programs and events.