Sharjah Filipina Squad: Strengthening bonds over coffee breaks

Being a mom and a foreigner in the United Arab Emirates, it's not uncommon to face difficulties in building friendships. To address this, the Sharjah Filipina Squad was established to provide a space where Filipino moms can forge friendships and break free from the challenges of everyday life.

“It is very hard for us to find support, a good network or you know a community na (that) we will have a safe space makapag-share (to share) stories or just, you know, to have fun, or to just, you know, take a break talaga, as in take a break from your daily routine,” Angelica Christine De Guzman said in Usapang OFW, an online show of DAILY TRIBUNE.

Angelica Christine De Guzman, founder of the Sharjah Filipina Squad, a non-profit organization, currently works as a sales operations specialist in a cybersecurity company. She is also a loving mother to a 14-year-old son and wife to a Pakistani.

Mompreneurs

In the Sharjah Filipina Squad, 'mompreneurs' are given the freedom to showcase their products to fellow Filipinas during "Coffee & Connect" meet-ups, where they can build connections over a cup of coffee. Sharjah Filipina Squad places importance on supporting each other's businesses and products. However, multi-level marketing is not permitted, as it would detract from the essence of "Coffee & Connect," which is specifically about building friendships

“Marami kaming mompreneurs. I called it mompreneurs. So they have their side hustles. So aside from that, they have full-time jobs. Meron din namang mga housewife na they have their own business. I do allow them, you know, to share their products in our group messenger ,” she explained.

Platform

As a platform, Angelica utilized Facebook to create a page for connecting with fellow Filipinas and making friends. Additionally, they meet in person for coffee gatherings at a mall coffee shop.