The many faces of migrants in the Netherlands
The political and economic environment in the Netherlands changes remarkably in the course of time so is the way the Dutch government responds to migrant and migration issues. When the first wave of guest workers arrived in this country forty years ago, the Dutch government did not realize the great impact they would create. At present, the Dutch government has to deal with various complex social problems such as integration, family reunification, and the second generation.
As globalisation and cross-border migration increase, the face of the migrant community in the Netherlands has also changed significantly. When we speak of cultural minorities in the Netherlands now, we can no longer speak of the more dominant minority groups such as the Turks, Moroccans, Antillians, and Surinamers alone. There are Latin American, African, and Asian migrants including 12,000 Filipinos. The migrants maybe have common reason for coming and staying in the Netherlands –whether documented or undocumented - each group has its own distinct issues and concerns. It is, therefore, over-simplistic for the Dutch government to implement a unified approach to the migrants problems. A multicultural community requires a multicultural approach in dealing with migrant issues.
The Filipinos in the Netherlands are aware of the need to deepen their understanding of the Dutch culture and to integrate with the Dutch society. They also see the need to relate and establish solidarity with the other migrant communities in the Netherlands. To achieve this however, vigorous awareness building among the Filipino community is needed.
Common Issues and Concerns of the Filipino Community
There is also a need to stimulate active participation among the Filipinos to enable them to participate actively in the migrant discourses so that they could effectively express their own issues and concerns to relevant government and migrant-related institutions which are in a position to effect some meaningful changes and positive impact on their lives as migrants.
In the course of our migrant work, we realize that we do not only deal with issues and concerns in the Netherlands but also we have to understand the push and pull factors that lead to Philippine migration. We view Philippine migration as a direct result of the inadequacy of the Philippine government to provide sufficient employment and economic security to a large segment of the population.
Measures to guarantee protection to overseas Filipinos and contract workers are not in place. Covenants and international agreements to protect migrant workers are not signed or not being implemented.
Active but neglected Filipino volunteer workers
In order for the Filipino community in the Netherlands to effectively express and respond to their issues and concerns, Filipinos have formed themselves into various organizations that have wide and varied focus of activities. Most of these organizations are self-organized and others are already successful in responding to some immediate needs such as dealing with women trafficking issues, abused women, au pairs, seafarers, second generation, etc. Efforts are also being exerted to provide assistance to new-comers and permanent residents in their integration process in the Dutch society. Some like in the case of Stichting Kapatiran, have embarked on small-scale development programs like assisting local communities in the Philippines in setting up income-generating projects for unemployed urban and rural women, providing educational support to less privileged children, and many others.
Most of these self-organizations do not receive any structural assistance from the government nor from any Dutch institutions. Most, if not all, rely on the volunteers who lack basic training in managing volunteer organizations. These leaders of the community have to bear the brunt of, not only providing their precious time and financial resources to migrant work, but also have to share whatever minimal skills and knowledge they have with their colleagues. The volunteers are aware of their inadequacies that they express the need to undergo capacity building training.
Efforts have already been done by some of the organizations in providing skills training to the core leaders. For instance, Stichting Bayanihan has done a lot of efforts in the field of training their volunteers particularly on how to provide assistance to women in need.
Stichting Kapatiran has already conducted a pilot two-day workshop on self-awareness, value formation, conflict resolution, and understanding what it means to be a volunteer. It appears that many leaders and members value these type of seminars. In addition, they express interest in learning various management skills to be able to run and manage their own self-organization more effectively. There is, therefore, a felt-need to improve, systematize and regularize this sort of capability training program as an important component of the overall strategy of empowering self-organizations.
Stichting Kapatiran believes in the importance of volunteers. Their contribution to the migrant work must be recognized, valued, harnessed, and enhanced. At present, Kapatiran is looking for ways and means on how to respond to these particular needs.
Kapatiran is proposing for the setting up of a management development program for Filipino volunteers where they can undergo tailor-made trainors’ training in the fields of management, leadership, communications and presentation skills, organization, change management, and project management. After the course, participants should be given a certificate that would show they are already qualified trainors. But Kapatiran cannot do this alone. Cooperation and willingness on the part of the Filipino volunteers to undergo such kind of training are needed. And more importantly, we need the support of middle fielders - migrant-related organizations in the Netherlands - which can possibly share their expertise and provide technical support.
The year 2001 has been declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Volunteers. This is an opportune time for the Filipino migrant organizations in the Netherlands and elsewhere to give due recognition of their precious human capital.
Realizing that the Dutch government at present is focusing its resources to assist mainly refugees and political asylum seekers, the Filipino community and most certainly other migrant groups who do not fall under the category of refugees and asylum seekers are feeling more and more disenfranchised and marginalized. If the core leaders of various organizations are provided with the necessary training on how to properly manage their own organizations, we still have a chance to help self-organizations to survive and flourish.
2001
Author's Note: The author was a member of Kapatiran until 2000.
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