TOWARDS SOCIAL JUSTICE FOR OVERSEAS FILIPINOS
About the Kalayaan Centre

THE KALAYAAN CENTRE is a Filipino community centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The various organizations in the Kalayaan Centre struggle for the rights and welfare of and social justice for Filipinos in Canada, while supporting the struggle for human rights, national freedom and democracy of the Filipino people.

Since 1996, the groups in the Kalayaan Centre have operated to serve the needs of and empower the growing but marginalized Filipino migrant and immigrant community in Vancouver. It is a place not only for Filipinos to gather, but more importantly, a place where marginalized Filipinos can collectively continue the struggle to achieve equality, human rights and genuine development. The Pilipino word "Kalayaan" means "Freedom," and was chosen as the name for the Centre as a demonstration of the deep aspirations for genuine freedom that Filipinos hold wherever they may be.

Located in the Downtown Eastside area of Vancouver (see contact us section for a map), the Centre houses a number of organizations doing specific work in various sectors of the Filipino community. For more information on the history and work of those organizations, please see our link to "About the organizations" on the main page of our website. There is also a link to each organization's website/webpage for more detailed information, campaign updates, research and resources and contact information.

Organizations in the Kalayaan Centre are:

B.C. Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines

Filipino-Canadians Against Racism

Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance (Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Canada)

Filipino Nurses Support Group

Kalayaan Resource and Training Centre

Philippine Women Centre of B.C.

SIKLAB (Overseas Filipino workers' organization)

The Kalayaan Centre hosts meetings, workshops, forums and conferences to meet the objectives of building an empowered Filipino community, while building alliances with other progressive individuals and groups in Canadian society. The Centre also houses a library and unique collection of resource materials on Filipinos in Canada and the Philippines.

The Kalayaan Centre is also proud to operate on a self-reliant basis. The Centre is run through the commitment of volunteers who recognize the Centre's work as borne out of the hard struggle of the Filipino community in Canada for survival, dignity and freedom.