Federation of Cuban Women.

About Federation of Cuban Women

The Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) was established in 1948 by a group of activists including Mirta Aguirre, María Argüelles, Edith García Buchaca, Ana M. Hidalgo, Celia Machado, Candelaria Rodríguez, Caridad Sánchez, Asela de los Santos, Cipriana Vidaurreta, and María Josefa Vidaurreta as the Federación Democrática de Mujeres Cubanas. García was the first president of the organization, which immediately became affiliated with the Women's International Democratic Federation. In 1960, it was reorganized as the Federación de Mujeres Cubanas under the revolutionary government, with Vilma Espín as its president. Espin fought in the Sierra Maestras with Fidel Castro and Raúl Castro and married Raúl in 1959. She was the president of the FMC until her death in 2007. The FMC was deeply involved in the 1961 Cuban literacy campaign and in supplying workers after the mass exodus of trained labor following the Revolution. It also plays an integral role in Cuban disaster risk reduction, undertaking an annual vulnerability mapping exercise. The information gathered is used in emergency planning and evacuations during hurricane alerts A few of the stated goals of the FMC are:Bringing women out of the home and into the economy