GREAT Women Festival: “The Power of the Network” is a series of events during the month of March to celebrate the strengths of women groups, individuals and corporate partners towards opportunities to help, inspire, educate and connect women to each other and to a network that supports economic and employment opportunities. “For Women, Celebrating women” is this year’s battle cry for power women in organized groups. This first ever festival is made possible through collaborations of groups such as the Philippine Women’s Economic Network (PhilWEN) and its member organizations like the Filipina CEO Circle (FCC), NextGen Organization of Women Corporate Directors (NOWCD), SPARK or Samahan ng mga Pilipina para sa Reporma at Kaunalaran, Inc. (Filipinas for Reform and Development), Business and Professional Women BGC and Network for Enterprising Women (NEW); The Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (PBCWE) with the EON Group as the event organizer and YSpace at the Yuchengco Museum as the venue partner. The network is joined by multi-national and private companies and associations who are participating in this event.
The main event dates begin on February 28, March 1 and 2, 2025 at the YSpace of the Yuchengco Museum, the Courtyard and Galleria at RCBC Plaza in Makati City. Other activities through-out the month of March will include forum discussions, business modelling sessions, talks, exhibitions, musical events, and selling booths of women micro-entrepreneurs, book sales of women authors; as well as art, crafts and photography by women artists.
GREAT Women as a Brand Platform supports the market expansion, integration and inclusive business within eco-systems that give women employment and training-mentoring opportunities, and access to networks and markets and financial inclusion. GREAT Women was awarded the inaugural 2020 United Nations Women’s Economic Empowerment Award (UN WEPs Award) Philippine Champion for two categories (Leadership Commitment and Gender Sensitive Market Place) and 2nd Runner-up in the Asia Pacific Regional Awards
(Gender Sensitive Market Place). Past projects since 2012 include GREAT Women in ASEAN trainings in several ASEAN countries for textile and coffee; GREAT Women Textiles eco-system working with forty Philippine weaving communities and giving retail market access to these weavers through bazaars and B2B opportunities; GREAT Women in ASEAN Trade Showcases in Malaysia and Philippines; and training program cohorts such as Flip Your Biz during the pandemic.
This March 2025, the first GREAT Women Festival is more than just a talk fest, as it aims to address challenges women face with real solutions; as well as bringing together the softer side of women’s needs and expressions.
The INCLUSIVE SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS Track opens on February 28, Friday with a Masterclass on Coffee and Women by Pacita “Chit” Juan of the International Women in Coffee Alliance (IWCA) and Philippine Coffee Board (PCBI) Founder. This Masterclass is open to all coffee enthusiasts, farmers, business owners, retailers and young entrepreneurs to learn valuable insights to anything related to the coffee supply chain.
On March 1, Saturday morning, a business modelling session for The GREAT Women Travel and Tours will be open to travel industry stakeholders, The objective is to create an inclusive business platform for sustainable thematic tours that target within the experience, women owned MSME businesses, establishments that employ women and other travel stakeholders to do business together. The session, led by Jeannie E. Javelosa, GREAT Women’s Chief Visionary Officer, will introduce the business concept, criteria and targets for real output of tour trials that can be run initially in Luzon and NCR, for initial feedback and experience. Tour themes to include Kitchen & Looms, Health & Wellness; Nature & Adventure; Women Foodie Tours.
The FINANCE Track on Embracing Financial Power: Navigating SME Loans for Long-Term Stability will be led by Aurora “Boots” Garcia, President of the Philippine Women’s Economic Network (PhilWEN). The session will bring the discussion of innovative solutions that financial institutions can give to women.
The TECHNOLOGY AND EMPLOYMENT Track addresses a crucial need to train women and girls in IT and AI towards employment opportunities. For discussion are PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS.
● The GREAT Women Technology and Workforce Development Program in
partnership with Philippine Jobs and Skills Corporation (PCOP) led by its President Josephine Romero. The commitment is to work together to scale up the Female Teacher Training program, to effectively guide girls in the Enhanced Senior High School Work Immersion.
● The GREAT Women Job Matching Program for Stay-at-Home Moms in partnership with FHMoms, led by its Founder MK Bertulfo, will expand the job matching needs for women/moms who work from home.
WOMEN’S HEALTH AND WELLNESS Track brings together experts that include talks on Intimate Wellness by Dr. Jennifer Marie B. Jose, President, Aesthetic Gynecological Society of the Philippines tackling solutions for intimate women health issues such as vagina dryness, incontinence, and sexual; Balancing Hormones at all Ages and Cycles by Wholistic Wellness Coach Marilen Elizalde. Alma Rita Jimenez, Founder, Health Solutions Corporations who pioneered integrated health care management and hospital contracting in the Philippines talks on ways to finance health issues in Bridging Healthcare and Affordability. Supporting wellness activities during the weekend include yoga sessions and sound healing by internationally certified yoga teachers Francesca Regala and Rosan Cruz (March 2, Sunday) respectively.
Women artists from the CREATIVE INDUSTRIES are highlighted through a “Witness of the Quiet”, an exhibition by photographer Denise Weldon ongoing the whole of March at the 4th Floor of the Yuchengco Museum. Towards the end of the month, two sopranos Krissan Manikan-Tan and Kay Balajadia join together for an opera musical event entitled “Her Harmonies” on March 22 at the YSpace of the Yuchengco Museum. The Festival is book-ended at the end of March with a UN Women Stakeholder Forum: A Review of the 30th Anniversary of the Beijing Protocol or the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action that outlines commitments to achieve gender equality and women’s rights.
The Festival will also have a Bazaar at the Courtyard with booths of women micro-entrepreneurs, coffee by the International Women on Coffee Alliance and a sale of Filipiniana: “Nothing But Women” old books, movie posters, magazines and art images by Archivo 1984 Gallery.
The “GREAT Women Festival: The Power of the Network” promises to be an inspiring and impactful event because of solutions and collaborations of groups that seek the same thing: the economic empowerment of women to create a brighter future for themselves and their communities.