Babaylan Europe, the Philippine Women’s Network, with member organizations in 10 countries (9 EU: Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, UK and 1 non-EU: Switzerland) which was founded in 1992 in Barcelona, is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. And what better fitting birthday gift to its members than launching its own website, a coming of age as it were, in our cyber-global world of today.
From the 8th of March, International Women’s Day 2007, everyone who is interested in what Europe’s immigrant Filipino women are actually up to, can look us up by checking our newborn website, www.babaylan-europe.org. Here you can find the most basic things about Babaylan Europe, the first immigrant women network on the continent, and possibly one of its most active and internationally-known: how it all began when more than 60 Filipinas from many European countries gathered for the first time in Spain, in 1992 in a spirit of consolidation and commiseration in what was perceived at that time as a pervading Fortress Europe mentality as mirrored by anti-immigrant legislation and populistic movements. It was also important for us to acknowledge that in migration as in other spheres, gender does have its particular problemtique.
From www.babaylan-europe.org, one can better know us: how we are organized across Europe and in our individual member countries, what is our mission and vision as a network, and what member countries individually opt to do in fulfilling these objectives. Here we also share amongst ourselves, and with our friends and supporters, the latest news from our own ranks: the latest projects, events, seminars and conferences, etc. And where we can meet and dialogue with our local and international partners with whom we network and liaise in the areas of common concern.
WELCOME then to our new women’s window to the world, www.babaylan-europe.org where we hope that you, our friends and supporters will be able to follow our progress and that equally you will respond to us with comments, reactions, suggestions, advice and more.
This marks the beginning of a new chapter in Babaylan Europe’s development, that we finally have come of age – cybernetically. It took a while but anyone who truly knows the situation of Europe’s migrants, that of being ableminded and fully functioning citizens who are unfortunately undersourced and under siege, might want to reckon with a women network such as ours, Babaylan Europe, as being tenacious, resilient and unsinkable, the trademark of this vital part of the Filipino diaspora.
Filomenita Mongaya Høgsholm, member
Babaylan Europe Interim Executive Committee
Founding Chairperson , 1997-2004, Babaylan DK
