Philippine Embassy celebrates the contributions of the Filipina Women in Switzerland 

It may be a bit late for the Women’s Month but giving due recognition to women for their contributions toward uplifting the status of the Filipinos in Switzerland need not only be done during Women’s Month.

In Switzerland, there are definitely more than a handful of Filipina women who, in their own way, have contributed towards either the empowerment of Filipino migrants or profiling Filipina women in Switzerland’s multi-ethnic migrant community.

In highlighting women’s contributions, the Embassy has picked three women representing a cross-section of the Filipina women population in Switzerland.

First is Ashley Judd Javier, a twelve-year old student at Sonnenhof Schule in Berne, who is starting to make a name for herself in the field of ice hockey. Ashley discovered her love for ice hockey at a very young age, partly due to the influence of her big brother William who now plays with the local team EHC Bern 96, one of the greatest hockey clubs in the Bern region. She and her brother are now both members of Bern 96, with Ashley playing in the all-female junior category. Because of her exceptional talent, Ashley was chosen by the team management to try out for the Swiss national team under 13, which she did successfully quite recently.      

Ashley is the only Filipina playing for the Swiss national team. Despite her young age, Ashley has developed self-discipline to keep her fit for the sport. “I sleep early, especially before a match, and try to be always on time for practice,” says Ashley. 

Another Filipina who has helped raised the profile of Filipinos in Switzerland is Stella Cruz, a Swiss-Filipina who has made a mark for herself in the Swiss music industry.

After finishing her Master’s degree in Vocal Pedagogy in 2010, Stella went to the Philippines, travelling across the archipelago to connect with her Filipino roots. The sojourn produced an album entitled, “Simplify”, which was released in 2011. Shortly after that, Stella was awarded the “Best Talent” of the month by Swiss Radio DRS 3.

While not necessarily supporting only women’s issues, Stella has been active in supporting causes that help Filipinos in the Philippines, such as fund-raising activities for the victims of typhoon Haiyan in 2013. She also helps profile aspects of Filipino cultural heritage through her music.

In celebration of the Women’s Month, Stella performed at an event entitled, Momentum, organized by TEDxZurichWomen 2015 last week. The event aimed to promote gender diversity and brought together local and international speakers to share ideas and inspire audience on a range of topics including technology, business, culture and arts. 

Perhaps one of the most, if not the most active advocate of women’s issues among Filipina women in Switzerland, is Anny Hefti, Anny, a trained psychologist and a long-time resident in Switzerland, can be considered as the “mother” of Filipina women in the Swiss capital Berne. Together with a group of Filipina women old-timers, she organized the Filipina women in Berne and founded the Samahang Pilipina, a group exclusive to Filipina women which now has several chapters across Switzerland.

Apart from Samahang Pilipina Bern, Anny is also active in Babaylan Europe’s activities that benefit both the Filipina women across Europe and the Filipina women in some rural communities in the Philippines who are direct beneficiaries of projects assisted by the organization. One such project was a cross-stitch project of the Kasipagan Mothers’ Association in San Carlos City in Negros Occidental. The project has, for years, provided income to its more than 200 women members. 

 Photos (L-R): Ms. Anny Hefti with the basket weavers of Antequera, Bohol; a beneficiary of the basket-weaving project

Anny’s involvement in women’s issues, however, is not limited to her membership in organizations. Anny also supports projects on a private capacity. One of the projects she has supported across the years is the Antequerra basket-weaving project which for years has given income to more than 200 women in San Carlos City in Negros Occidental. Anny initially supported the project by linking the women beneficiaries with relevant authorities to help rebuild their homes damaged by the 2013 earthquake. She also gave donations to finance some projects on women empowerment. END