PH Embassy in Brussels Organizes Meeting to Establish ‘Women Helping Women Network’ in Belgium

Ambassador to Belgium Eduardo José A. de Vega welcomes the participants in the second consultation meeting for the Women Helping Women Network on 14 September 2018 at the Philippine Embassy in Brussels. (Brussels PE photo)

BRUSSELS 26 September 2018 — The Philippine Embassy in Brussels held a consultation meeting to establish a Women Helping Women (WHW) Network in Belgium on 14 September 2018.

The meeting, which follows up on the inaugural consultation meeting in March 2018, aims to establish a network of stakeholders and advocates of women’s rights and gender equality to address the various concerns of Filipinos in Belgium, majority of whom are women. 

The WHW Network is one of the activities that form part of the Embassy’s Gender and Development Program.

The second consultation meeting brought together members of the Filipino Community in Brussels, as well as Belgians already actively involved in helping Filipino migrants, to cooperate on providing assistance and support to Filipinos in distress or in crisis situations.

The participants in the meeting agreed that Filipinos in Belgium need to be informed and be aware of their rights and benefits in Belgium, as well as the basic rules and regulations.

According in the participants, Filipinos also need to know which agencies or support groups they can approach when they face various challenges, such as when they are victims of abuse, experiencing financial difficulties, or in need of language assistance.

The Embassy will be coordinating with volunteers in the WHW Network, and meet with the relevant government offices and support groups in Belgium to ensure the realization and full operation of the Network. END

 For more information, visit  www.brusselspe.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinBelgium.

 Filipino Community leaders and Belgian society listen to the discussion during the second consultation meeting on the Women Helping Women Network. (Brussels PE photo)

Philippine Embassy in Brussels PE’s Gender and Department Focal Person Minister Maria Anna Lilia L. de Vera and Consul Charles Andrei P. Macaspac engage the participants in discussion on the establishment of the Women Helping Women Network. (Brussels PE photo)