Alicia González from the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) visited Winnipeg
from November 10 – 13 as part of a six-city tour of Canada.
Responsible for International Relations with Canada
and the United States
for the Federation, Alicia visited Canada
in order to meet with women’s organizations and solidarity groups, to acquaint
them with the work of the Federation in building a new society in Cuba
and to establish links with them.
The Federation
of Cuban Women is the largest mass organization in Cuba,
with 4 million members aged 14 and up, representing 86% of Cuban women. It is a
non-governmental organization which serves as the liaison between Cuban women
and the government; it is self-financed by membership dues. In existence since
1960, the FMC has played a significant role in increasing the participation of
women in all aspects of Cuban society and life, and in beginning to break down
social attitudes which have held women in a inferior
position. It operates an Orientation House for Women and Families in each of
the 169 municipalities in Cuba
and develops programs which meet the needs of women in each area. These include
education, job training programs, counselling
services, and health services among others.
During her stay
in Winnipeg, Alicia met with
several women’s organizations, including those representing Aboriginal women,
and spoke to university classes. She also gave a public talk on the topic, “The
Role of Women in Cuban Society” which detailed the impressive advances made by
Cuban women in the 44 years since the Cuban revolution.