PHILIPPINES: The price of working abroad

MANILA, Philippines--I believe there is another kind of calamity that has been causing more havoc upon the lives of millions of Filipinos both here and abroad than the natural calamities that visit the Philippines regularly. It has been going on for four decades starting in the early '70s when our countrymen started to leave their land, their homes, and loved ones for greener pastures overseas.

It has made millions of children virtually orphans as they are left by one or both of their parents for jobs abroad; and spouses virtually widows or widowers. This different kind of calamity has a name: The Filipino diaspora. It has put to naught the biblical fiat that no one should put asunder the marriage of man and woman inasmuch as overseas employment has been relentlessly causing the erosion and break-up of thousands of marriages and families.

Absence, it is said, makes one's heart grow fonder. But more often, insofar as innumerable OFWs are concerned, absence makes their heart grow fonder for fellow OFWs. The same is true of hundreds of spouses left in the home front who, out of sheer loneliness for their absent spouses, become vulnerable to temptations.

Hence marriages, treated by our Civil Code as an “inviolable institution” and by the Catholic Church and other religions as a “sacrament,” have been crumbling continually for decades now and there's no sign of its letting up. Read more

INDIA: Money Order Videsh scheme to be operational in city by end of Feb

The much-awaited scheme of the postal department Money Order Videsh (MOV) is all set to kick off in the city next month.

Offering international cash to cash and cash to account transfers, the scheme promises special remittances for students studying abroad.

On lines of the local money order scheme where cash can be received at one’s doorstep, the MOV offers to facilitate payments to foreign countries and receiving of remittances from foreign countries through the local post office.

The service was launched on October 24 last year and the Chandigarh division will be among the first few to be ready with its operations. Read more

INTERVIEW-Help Haiti: employ its migrant workers-UN official

05 Feb 2010 18:26:42 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Olesya Dmitracova

LONDON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - The United States and the Dominican Republic could help Haiti recover from last month's earthquake by employing Haitian workers to fill seasonal labour gaps, a senior U.N. official said on Friday.

"More than the immediate support...in the form of money and some technical capacity, the big issue really also is finding some longer-term trade and employment solutions," said Salil Shetty, director of the United Nations' Millennium Campaign, which aims to eradicate extreme poverty by 2015.

He cited the example of a New Zealand scheme which makes it easier for employers in some industries to recruit temporary workers from abroad.

"There's no reason why the southeastern part of the U.S. or even the Dominican Republic can't do this sort of system in a structured and legalised way because there is a shortage of labour (there)," he told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Read more

Reverse exodus of migrant workers in Persian Gulf challenges India

KOCHI, INDIA -- When his overnight flight landed, Abdul Wahib walked out of Kochi's palm-fringed airport and hugged his family. After 24 years of working in the United Arab Emirates, he was home. He carried a suitcase and a layoff notice: His well-paid job as a forklift operator at Dubai's once-bustling port was terminated.

Wahib's airplane was filled with Indian laborers, some fired by text messages, dozens owed months of back pay.

"My flight was full of shocked men, sad men. I could think only of my wife and two children back in India," said Wahib, 48, who had saved enough to buy a three-bedroom house in a sleepy hamlet of coconut groves and banana trees in the southern state of Kerala. "I didn't want to disappoint them. India has become a strong nation. But it's migrants' money that has pumped through our banks and villages. I hoped I could find good work at home." Read more

Asia Pacific Islanders Need to Take a Stronger Stance on Immigration Reform

When it comes to the issue of immigration, what quickly comes to American minds? Given that reporters repeatedly write about immigrants crossing the Mexican-U.S. border, the likely response: Hispanics. This focus, unfortunately, has devolved into deleterious scapegoating of immigrants from Central and South America. This is hardly a fair burden for Hispanics to carry, as immigration realities are much more diverse.

Reform will affect millions who emigrated from Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas, who come with a shared struggle, shared dreams and shared abilities to contribute to this country. Standing side by side, Hispanics are diverse minority groups who will be equally impacted by immigration reform, including Asian and Pacific Islanders (APIs). As chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and as a Japanese-American born to migrant workers, I know firsthand the frustration felt by API immigrants. Our stake in the immigration debate is substantial, our concerns unique, the reasons many. Read more

KENYA: Remittances from diasporas

Commentary on Remittances in 2009 Mr. Charles Gitari Koori, Director Research Department

The Central Bank of Kenya conducts a survey on remittances data every month based on information collected from formal channels that include commercial banks and other permitted international remittances service providers in Kenya.

Table 1 summarizes the data on remittances since the survey was initiated in 2004. For 2009 total remittances stood at US$ 609million (equivalent to Kshs 47.1 billion). This was slightly lower than 2008 remittances of US$ 611million (but higher in shilling terms equivalent to Kshs 42.3 billion due to exchange rate movements). Remittances in December 2009 rose by 40% to US$ 56m (Kshs. 4.2 billion) from US$ 40m (Kshs 3.1 billion) in December 2008. Similarly, remittances increased by 16.8 percent in the month of December, 2009 from US$ 48 million in November 2009. Read more

Kenyan Remittances Worth $609 Million In 2009 - Central Bank

NAIROBI, Feb 2

Kenyans abroad sent home $609 million last year, down from a record $611 million in 2008 but higher in local currency terms, the central bank said on Tuesday. Remittances are a significant source of foreign exchange for east Africa's biggest economy, coming after horticulture, tea and tourism. Day-to-day fluctuations in the local currency market are often driven by remittance flows. Read more

For Chinese Koreans, life is hard but still better in South Korea

The migrants are limited to jobs in restaurants, factories, construction fields or as domestic workers, but they are glad to be there. 'There is nothing' in China, one says.

Reporting from Seoul - Yin Shuilian is a fighter.

For more than 11 years, the 45-year-old ethnic Korean tried to leave her hard life in China, where she toiled in fields and in restaurants, and make her way to South Korea.

The move wasn't easy: She was repeatedly denied visas and cheated by unscrupulous brokers.

At last, Yin arrived here in 1998 lugging not only her belongings but also $80,000 in debts to her friends and family. When her husband followed eight months later, the couple faced the challenge of their lives: They worked for six years to repay what they owed and begin a new life in their chosen homeland.

"For us, going to Korea was like going to heaven, a place where money grew on trees," Yin says. "There is nothing [in China]. Here, if you want to work, you can."

Read more

Third Series: E-Consultation Migration and Rural Development

Dear Members,

We are pleased to announce the third series of our e-consultation where we will discuss about the role of migrants and diaspora organisations in rural development.

There are many studies referring to the positive contributions of migrants’ remittances to development. However, many of these policy debates tend to separate remittances from migrants, or better said, they talk about remittances but not the senders of remittances.

Katleen Felix, Diaspora Liaison of Fonkoze Haiti, wrote on her Facebook pages her impression on the recent large gathering of policy makers and international aid agencies in Montreal, Canada to discuss how to respond to the needs of earthquake victims. She said during this meeting, there were about 700 participants but only 10 are Diasporas. The Haitian migrants were only invited for the first part of the conference and during the press conference at the end of the day.

Katleen lamented that policy makers give the impression that diasporas are important but at the international level, diasporas are really not recognised as equal development partners. Haitian diasporas who have the skills, expertise, and knowledge are not (yet) targeted to be involved in the relief and reconstruction process of Haiti.

The World Bank estimates that Haitians abroad send home $1.5 billion to 1.8 billion remittances per year, or higher. That is much more than all the foreign aid that Haiti receives and continues to sustain millions of families in Haiti who are dependent on remittances. Aid from international donors in the aftermath of the earthquake is highlighted by the media. The support provided by Haitian diasporas to the affected rural areas which are not getting any support at all is hardly recognised. An interesting article related to this issue can be viewed at: www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/columnists/let-haitians-already-in-u-s-help-rebuild-195030.html

In this third series, we would like to hear your experiences or views about diaspora organizations and their existing initiatives. It would be interesting to know some concrete examples of HTA (Hometown Associations)-driven projects or initiatives from different countries, particularly in the rural areas.

We will try answer two key questions, namely:

1) What existing initiatives (best practices) do we know initiated by diaspora organizations which benefit their respective countries/communities of origin?
2) How are the diaspora organisations organized and how they interact with other migrants and local communities of origin?

For more information, kindly read the short background note on theme 3 here below.

We would like to thank those who have contributed to the previous discussion. Please note that contributions related to the first and second themes are still welcome.

We look forward to an animated discussion on this third theme during the next two weeks.

For more information kindly visit: http://consultation-migration-en.blogspot.com/

Best regards,
On behalf of the organizers



Leila Rispens-Noel
Coordinator, E-Consultation
Senior Advisor
International Network of Alternative Financial Institutions
Dakar, Senegal
E-mail: leila.wimler@gmail.com
E-mail: consultation-migration@cta.int
Weblog: http://consultation-migration-en.blogspot.com/
------------------------

Theme 3: Role of migrants and Diaspora groups in rural development The term “diasporas” refers to expatriate groups which, in contrast to “migrants”, applies to expatriate populations abroad and generations born abroad to foreign parents who are or may be citizens of their countries of residence[1]

Sheffer defines diasporas as a “socio-political formation, created as a result of either voluntary or forced migration, whose members regard themselves as of the same ethno-national origin and who permanently reside as minorities in one or several host countries. Members of such entities maintain regular or occasional contacts with what they regard as their homeland and with individuals and groups of the same background residing in other host countries”[2]


A potent benefit of high-skilled migration is the creation of a large, well-educated diaspora, which improves access to capital, information, and contacts for firms in countries of origin. Immigrants play a role in facilitating trade by providing information and helping to enforce contracts and by acting as intermediaries that can match buyers with reliable local suppliers. Some studies emphasize that diasporas can act as “first movers” who catalyze growth opportunities and make connections between markets that otherwise would not exist. Others cite the importance of diasporas in generating possibilities for co-development between firms in the countries of origin and destination, and expanding technical cooperation as seen in the increasing number of hometown associations, diaspora organizations, or philanthropic migrant organizations. However, despite the broad agreement on the importance of diasporas and the many anecdotal comments on how they have assisted development, it is difficult to quantify these benefits[3]

(1) IOM, Engaging Diasporas as Development Partners for Home and Destination Countries: Challenges for Policymakers, IOM Migration Research Series, No. 26, January, 2007
(2) SHEFFER, Gabriel, Ethnic diasporas: A threat to their host? In Weiner, Myron (ed), International Migration and Security. Boulder, CO, Westview Press, 1993.
(3) World Bank, Global Economic Prospects. Economic Implications of Remittances and Migration, 2006,http://go.worldbank.org/0ZRERMGA00



QUESTIONS:

* At the meso level, many communities benefit from development projects initiated and funded by associations of migrants overseas. What existing initiatives (best practices) do we know initiated by diaspora organizations which benefit their respective communities of origin?
* How are the Diaspora groups organized and how do they interact with migrants and local communities in regions?

*******************************

Chers participants,

Nous avons le plaisir de lancer la discussion sur le troisième thème de notre e-consultation, notamment le rôle des migrants et des groupes de diasporas dans le développement rural

Il existe de nombreuses études sur la contribution des transferts de fonds des migrants au développement. Toutefois, beaucoup de ces débats politiques ont tendance à séparer les envois de fonds des migrants, ou pour mieux dire, ils parlent de transferts de fonds mais pas des expéditeurs des ces transferts.

Katleen Felix, du Fonkoze Haïti, a écrit sur ses pages de Facebook ses impressions sur le récent sommet des décideurs et des organisations d'aide internationale à Montréal, au Canada, pour discuter de la façon de répondre aux besoins des victimes du séisme. Parmi les 700 participants, seulement 10 étaient des diasporas. Les migrants haïtiens ont été invités seulement à la première partie de la réunion et à la conférence de presse à la fin de la journée.

Katleen a déploré que le fait qu'au niveau international, les diasporas ne sont pas vraiment reconnus comme des partenaires de développement. Les Diasporas haïtiennes qui ont les compétences, l'expertise et les connaissances ne sont pas (encore) ciblées pour être impliqués dans le processus de secours et de reconstruction d'Haïti.

La Banque mondiale estime que les Haïtiens à l'étranger envoyent de 1,5 milliard à 1,8 milliard de dollars par an en transferts d'argent. C'est beaucoup plus du montant total d'aide étrangère qu'Haïti reçoit et représente une source important de revenus pour des millions de familles en Haïti, tributaires de transferts de fonds. L'aide des donateurs internationaux à la suite du tremblement de terre est mise en évidence par les médias. L'appui fourni par la diaspora haïtienne aux zones rurales touchées par le séisme est à peine reconnu. Un article intéressant sur cette question peut être consultés à l'adresse: www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/columnists/let-haitians-already-in-u-s-help-rebuild-195030.html

Au cours de cette troisième partie de la consultation, nous souhaitons connaître vos expériences ou avis sur les activités et les initiatives des organisations de diasporas. Il serait intéressant de connaître quelques exemples concrets de projets ou initiatives gérées par les associations des villes natales dans différents pays, en particulier dans les zones rurales.
Nous allons essayer de répondre à deux questions clés, à savoir:

1) Au niveau méso, de nombreuses communautés bénéficient de projets de développement lancés et financés par des associations de migrants à l'étranger. Quelles sont les initiatives existantes (meilleures pratiques) entreprises par des organisations de diasporas dont bénéficient leurs communautés respectives d'origine?
2) Comment les groupes de diasporas sont-ils organisés et comment se relationent-ils avec les migrants et les communautés locales dans les régions?

Pour de plus amples renseignements, veuillez lire la note d'information sur le thème 3 ci-dessous.

Nous tenons à remercier ceux qui ont contribué à la discussion sur les thèmes précédents. Veuillez noter que les contributions portant sur le thème 1 et 2 sont encore les bienvenues.

Au plaisir de lire vos contributions au cours des deux prochaines semaines,



Cordialement,
Au nom des organisateurs


Leila Rispens-Noël
Coordinatrice, e-consultation
Senior Advisor
International Network of Alternative Financial Institutions
Dakar, Senegal
E-mail: leila.wimler@gmail.com
E-mail: consultation-migration@cta.int
WEBLOG: http://consultation-migration-en.blogspot.com/