Are you a Pinay mother in Dubai? Check out FILIPINO MUMS IN DUBAI – UAE, a dedicated Facebook Group for Filipino mothers in the UAE. This group was created during the pandemic and the aim is to help fellow kabayan mothers have a place where they can chat, encourage, help, and empower each other.
Working abroad and going through the journey of motherhood can be tough for many OFWs. It’s really good that you get to have a network or community that you can talk to whenever you need help or advice. This group will keep you connected even without physically being in the Philippines.
The group already has over 5,000 members and continues to grow. We had a quick chat with their founder, Len Lebarić, a Freelance Producer and Entrepreneur, about how this group started and what are their goals.
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How did your FB Group Start?
More than the disease of COVID-19, the pandemic had an effect on everyone that made me feel like other mums might need help – a support group of some kind. A lot of mums are stressing out on what to do with their kids – normal daily routines are changed, schools closed, and so the kids being at home 24/7. Me as a mum too, can relate to the challenges as it is, more so when the pandemic hit the world.
I have 2 dear friends whom I had shared the idea of creating a group where we can do “e-meet ups” with other mums. I always have the passion to help, encourage and empower fellow mums with what they love to do. From then on, the group was created and it was the perfect time to start it.
What is the purpose of creating this group?
There is a huge number of Filipino Mums here in UAE, especially in Dubai; soon-to-be mums, working mums, stay-at-home mums, divorced (or annulled) mums, and widowed mums. I wanted us to have a platform where we can share everything or simply anything under the sun.
Have a passion to cook, bake, and sell? Have a business but have a limited audience? Have something in mind or problems but nobody to share it with? Needing help and guidance on how to raise their own kids, what milk to give their babies, which school is good and affordable, and which health insurance to get? I personally don’t have all the answers but it is good to know that someone is there to listen (or read) and share stories of their own and what worked out for themselves.
How many members are there in your group?
I am grateful for how our group has grown since the day I created it. How help became easy to access and support is given without judgment. As of writing this, we have almost 5,000 members already.
Most of them are active while the others are silent readers who also share with me how the group has helped them get through their life’s challenges. I am humbled whenever I receive messages of appreciation for this group and that it has helped them in so many ways. For me, it is not the quantity but the quality of how it affects our members. If we are able to touch 1 or 10 mums, that will be more than enough.
What events and activities have you done so far?
This community we have built, FILIPINO MUMS IN DUBAI – UAE, is strong and solid.
We had 4 successful events already and we do not ask for entrance fees; just come and pay for the food you order. Mums are also sending me messages, offering sponsorship, or donating their own products.
There are mums who also bring items to give away that can make other mums and kids happy. The simplest gestures, sometimes, make the biggest difference. Meeting at events, and our kids playing together, I love seeing their happy faces, that for at least an hour or 2, they do not think of their problems and just enjoy the moment.
Life is challenging as it is, let alone having to live in a foreign country by yourself. Other Filipino Mums who are not part of our community yet are welcome to be part of our support group. Let’s encourage each other and be the light and love to our families.
How to Join your FB Group?
Filipino mums can join via this link –www.facebook.com/groups/filipinomumsindubaiuae/
Note: To avoid unwanted people signing up, be advised that in order to join the group, you must be a Filipina mother in the UAE.
Images: provided by Len Lebarić
Len Lebarić
Freelance Producer and Entrepreneur
Founder of Filipino Mums in Dubai – UAE
IG: @lenlebaric
IG: @Filipinomumsindubaiuae
FB: www.facebook.com/groups/filipinomumsindubaiuae/