Babae - Council of Filipina Canadian Women was established on September 17, 2003. The founding members are women who take it on as their personal mission to build community wherever they are. Many were part of grassroots social work initiatives in the Philippines. And, when they immigrated to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, they saw an urgent need to build community here as well. So, on September 17, 2003, the founding members formally signed the Society’s Articles and Bylaws and named this new organization: BABAE: Council of Filipina-Canadian Women.
BABAE is unique because: (1) many of the founding members work in an immigrant-serving capacity, (2) the use of the Filipino language is encouraged, and (3) the main focus is on social initiatives which serve to fulfill the Mission Statement, ‘To raise the status of Filipina-Canadian women in Canadian society’.
The organization is really the formalization of a previously informal network of Filipinas employed in immigrant-serving roles. Some are our links to organizations such as the Ethno-Cultural Council of Calgary (ECCC), Centre for Newcomers (CFN), and Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS). Others bring rich expertise from their working lives where they are: immigration consultants, administrators of human rights workshops, and liaisons on behalf of immigrants in general. And, in accessing a variety of social services in the mother-language, Filipino, barriers dissolve, notions of stigma are clarified, and immigrants are better-equipped to deal with all the challenges and opportunities this new land holds for them.
Babae is committed to uplifting Filipina-Canadian women’s status in Canadian society and bringing forth their potential to successfully integrate into an environment of diverse backgrounds, and equally build their reputation as effective, productive and proactive members of society and contributing partners in the areas of family, work, church, school and community life.
Locations
Primary Office Location
P.O. Box 22058 Bankers Hall Calgary Canada T2P 4J1
