Bansalan is a second class municipality located some 72 kilometers south of Davao City. The most recent statistics pegged the population at 51,781 with 11,073 households. Aside from the stay-at-home population, Bansalan also has its share of residents who have moved out of the community. There are no data on the exact number of Bansaleños who migrated and the amount of remittances they send back home. Thus, it is not possible to measure the impact of their contributions to the development of Bansalan. Recently, Bansaleños from different parts of the globe and the Philippines formed the Association of Bansaleños Worldwide (ABW) to give something back to the hometown that nurtured us in our formative years.
The ABW is a virtual community composed of former residents of Bansalan, Davao del Sur now living in other countries or in other parts of the Philippines. ABW started in cyberspace with a simple website (http://www.bansalan.com), created by Edwin Bibera, a Bansaleño based in Fullerton, California. Little did he know that the site, which was created as an Internet class project, would attract the attention of Bansaleños worldwide. Word-of-mouth about the website's existence triggered a snowball effect, connecting Bansaleños based in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and Asia. Classmates were reconnected, friends were reacquainted, and Bansaleños who used to be strangers to each other were introduced. These connections paved the way to rekindle kinship and camaraderie, which materialized into various reunions held in the US and Europe.
The Challenge of Community Building
Out of this loosely-knit bunch of Bansaleños scattered all over the world, the ABW was born. Through e-mail exchanges, they mapped-out their mission and vision, formulated strategies and activities, and set the association's vision, hopes, and dreams for a better Bansalan. ABW aims to unite Bansaleños around the world and support the advancement of the quality of lives of the people of Bansalan by initiating and supporting sustainable projects intended to spur a vibrant economy, to promote a healthy environment and ultimately, to foster social equity.
The ABW members have different professional backgrounds and are engaged in different types of jobs. ABW has about ninety members – http://www.bansalan.com/members.htm - who presently reside in different states in USA, Canada, Germany, UK, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Singapore, and different cities in the Philippines. The Board is composed of 6 people and 10 others representing geographical locations (Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, Asia, Philippines, USA (East Coast, West Coast, Midwest, and Southwest). In the process of planning and implementing projects, they were able to discover untapped talents, hobbies and interests. They found out that they have excellent fund raisers and event organizers in their midst. All these skills proved to be useful in their campaigns.
Being a virtual community, coordinating with members residing in four continents is not easy, especially when projects are implemented from a distance. Face-to-face meetings are not possible, therefore all communications are done through e-mail messages. The elected officers, acting as a virtual team, are based in different countries and in different time zones. It was extremely difficult for them to decide where to register ABW as a foundation or a non-governmental organization. One solution was to add a discussion forum in the ABW website, where members can post messages and interact with each other. The group also realized that there was a need to have a local counterpart, which will manage their various projects and to have its own bank account where they can send their contributions to.
Faced with these constraints, ABW International decided in 2006 to register ABW Bansalan Chapter with the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission. The local chapter, thus, acts as the implementing arm of ABW International. The officers of ABW Bansalan identify and recommend poor but deserving pupils who will receive the educational fund, monitor the progress of the children, and send a report at every end of the school year to ABW International. After the report has been approved by the board, it is posted on the website to inform the general membership on how the funds were allocated.
The website and the Internet are extremely important for ABW to maintain close contacts with the members and to assume accountability for the projects. They do not only discuss about projects but they also share news they receive from home, and announce social events and life cycle transitions, such as births, weddings and deaths of family members. The website became the hub where transnational networks like ABW bridge distances to generate new ideas, support each other and strengthen their ties.
Helping the Local Economy
Long before the ABW launched its various "Give Back Campaigns," several members were already involved in various family and community projects. Through regular e-mail contacts, more stories about examples of migrant giving were gathered.
Those working abroad have been known to use a portion of their remittances to improve the economic condition of their families. Thanks to the "start-up capital" from relatives abroad, new small businesses (restaurants, photo services, small printing shops, bakeries, grocery stores, and transportations, among others) have been set up, which stimulated local economic activities and created jobs in the town. A case in point is a small enclave in Bansalan, where row of well-appointed houses was built from the money sent to their families by Bansaleños working in Japan. In building the houses, temporary jobs were created for local carpenters and laborers.
Beyond helping their families, there are also many examples of Bansaleños contributing to uplift the well-being of their townmates. Member Jean Metilla from Germany built from her own money a kindergarten school for poor children located in a piece of land she donated. She sends money regularly to pay for the salaries of the teachers and for the maintenance of the school. The pupils attend classes without paying any school fees. She also spearheads the ABW annual free clinic consultations and distributes medicines which she and her cousin Cherfield Metilla (now living in Australia) collect from various donors. Jean is also an investor. She just opened a store in Bansalan. Others like the Niques (Jane, Ann, and Jeffrey) and Florence Dacanay, all based in New York, pooled their resources together to support 20 pupils in their own barangay (village). Tune Sonza Inumerable made a yearly pledge to help the education of 15 pupils in the barangay where she came from. Migrants have also contributed to some renovation projects of community facilities. For instance, the list of donors who contributed to the renovation of the church in the capital includes many names of families who have relatives overseas.
The aforementioned examples suggest that Bansaleños are not different from African, Latino and other Asian migrants who form hometown associations to help their communities of origin. Although they have left, they are still very much part of the community. They also want to share the blessings they enjoy with those whom they left behind. Perhaps, some unconsciously give back because they might return to the place one day. Whatever their motives, Bansaleños are making a difference but not without reason. The formation of ABW was instrumental in moving towards more collective giving and more concerted efforts in supporting community projects.
The first ABW project was the "Give Back Campaign: Renovate ABC Gym Project" which was initiated in 2006. In less than a month, the group raised PHP155,212.00, which was almost eight times more than the amount originally proposed. The members agreed to embark on this project because the ABC Gym has a sentimental value for them. Before the project was implemented, ABW sought the cooperation of the municipal government unit by asking them to provide the labor while ABW members would provide the materials needed. A memorandum of agreement was signed and the project was successfully implemented.
Aside from renovating the gym, the ABW also decided to conduct an annual fund-raising drive to support the education of poor but deserving children in Bansalan. In 2007, its "Give Back: Literacy Project" raised almost PHP200,000, which supported the education of 73 elementary school pupils for school year 2007-2008. The ABW also succeeded in partnering with Damayan, a Filipino migrant organization based in the Netherlands, and together they raised funds for the literacy project which enabled them to secure matching funds from Wilde Ganzen, a Dutch development agency. Wilde Ganzen (Wild Geese Foundation) gives premium equivalent to 70% of the money raised by ABW after deducting 9 per cent of the gross amount raised as administration cost. This program started since last year. In school year 2008-2009, ABW was able to raise Euro 4,964.34 including the 70 per cent premium from the Wilde Ganzen.
Some Milestones and Future Plans
In December 2007, ABW organized its first Grand Reunion attended by about 50 Bansaleños and their families and friends from various countries. Aside from the reunion, they also organized free medical and dental clinics, distributed books, conducted ikebana and bonsai workshops, and sponsored Cebuano Christmas carols contest (to revive the traditional practice in Bansalan).
To raise funds for the literacy project, members sold raffle tickets, with the prizes donated by the ABW members. Suggestions on what activities would be conducted during the reunion were discussed through e-mail exchanges, but the actual work was only done two weeks before the event. Despite the short preparation, all of the activities were successfully conducted. This positive experience encouraged and motivated ABW members to continue with their work.
The reunion and other activities were fully supported by the town mayor, the members of Sangguniang Panglungsod (City Advisory Council), and the local volunteers. Edwin Reyes, the new town mayor, was quick to realize the vast potentials of Bansaleños in supporting the development of the town. He presented the development plan of Bansalan which includes the development and promotion of eco-tourism and marketing of locally-based products like organic coconut sugar. He believes that the Bansaleños can play an important role particularly in promoting Bansalan as an eco-tourism destination and as a center for marketing products. He also noted that during the brief period in December, revenues in the town noticeably increased and this contributed hugely to the town's economy.
Mayor Reyes encouraged the ABW to support the plans of the town and the ABW agreed to help spur development in the community. However, the ABW expects the local government will take the lead and show commitment to realize the goals. The ABW members are willing to support but they still believe that it is the primary task of the local government to initiate any development plan. Gradually, the ABW is starting to influence policy in the town, though not yet in a systematic manner nor targeting larger issues. Political discussions, such as during election time, are more limited to knowing who the candidates are, but campaigning openly for particular candidates has yet to happen. Bansalan is a small town and everybody knows everyone. The ABW members tend to be on the neutral side. Whether this position will change in due time remains to be seen.
Compared to Mexican hometown associations like the Federacion Zacatecanos del Sur de California, the ABW is relatively new. Due to diverse locations of its members and limitations to conduct face-to-face meetings, organizational issues and concerns are not thoroughly and openly discussed. Making choices of what project to support is not easy either and this often leads to choosing the easiest project to manage, like the financial literacy project. Embarking on larger projects such as income-generating projects are more complex and still need confidence-building among the members. There is also a lack of available responsible and qualified people on the ground who can manage these projects. Since all members of the ABW – both international and local – work on a voluntary basis, the idea of launching larger productive projects is not easy and will not be feasible on a short term basis.
However, it is possible to encourage individual enterprising Bansaleños to invest in Bansalan and to let these investments be managed by their families or other reliable and qualified people. Some have actually tried to support their families by financing livelihood activities, but not all became successful. The lack of skills and knowledge in managing business is the main cause of the failure. For instance, the ABW members have already discussed the possibility of pooling their resources to invest in Bansalan, such as building a lodging house since there is no hotel in the area, but it is difficult to reach into consensus. They also cannot find people who are qualified and capable to manage the project on their behalf. Moreover, the lodging house project is only viable if the identified eco-tourism destination is already developed and infrastructures are in place to ensure the success of the project. The mayor of the town is looking into opening a new trail to Mt. Apo - Bansalan is located at the rolling foothills of the country's highest peak.
The questions that the association are now grappling with touch on the challenges of how local, regional and national governments, as well as development organizations can help create an enabling environment for migrants and hometown associations to maximize the benefits of their remittances and philanthropic activities.
Harnessing the Development Potentials of Hometown Associations
Like millions of Filipinos in diaspora, Bansaleños also regularly send money to their families. According to the report, Migration and Remittances Factbook 2008 (World Bank, 2008), remittance flows to developing countries in 2007 were estimated at US$318 billion, of which US$240 billion went to developing countries. These flows, which do not include money sent through informal channels, are now estimated as twice as the foreign direct investment (FDI) and three times the official development aid (ODA), which stood at US$104 billion in 2006. The World Bank (2008) estimates that in 2007, remittances from overseas Filipinos to the Philippines reached about US$17 billion, making the Philippines the fourth top recipient of migrant remittances after India ($27 billion), China ($25.7 billion), and Mexico ($25 billion). Migrant remittances are now considered as a new form of development aid and the lifeline of millions of poor families, most of them living in the rural areas. However, despite the enormous potentials for development, remittances should not be taken as substitute to development aid.
Critics argue that 80 percent of the money sent by migrants to their families are spent on consumption such as food, clothing, and housing and therefore, they are unproductive. Furthermore, remittances do not contribute to the economy at the macro level. Critics also say that remittances hardly contribute to sustainable development. Again, this conclusion is based on a myopic analysis. Remittances are small amounts of money ranging from US$200-300 sent by migrants to their families every month. Considering the high costs of commodities and expensive education and the appreciation of the Philippine peso, surely it is not realistic to expect that families will still have money left over for direct large investments and productive activities.
However, since the money is spent on food, clothing, shelter and education, they contribute to the local and national economy. Food and garment industries thrive because migrants' families continue to buy their products. Building houses creates jobs for carpenters and provide business for construction companies. Schools continue to operate because children of overseas Filipinos can go to school.
These critics fail to see beyond the statistics to appreciate the considerable impact of remittances in improving the quality of life of the poor. There is also evidence to show that aside from direct financial support to their families, migrants also send remittances to support projects that fall into four main categories: charity, infrastructure, human development and investment.
In my view, remittances have a direct impact on the lives of Filipino families. For example, if the 8 million overseas Filipinos were to use part of their remittances to send children to school, at one each child, this translates to 8 million children attending school without relying on the government or development aid. Even if we cut the figure into half, at least 4 million children or young people are able to go to school in the Philippines with the help of remittances. Migrants' families spend a large chunk of the money they receive for food. Millions of families including those in rural areas have food on the table because of remittances. These examples are evidence that migration can contribute to the development of their countries of origin and in achieving the targets of Millennium Development Goals.
To maximize the benefits of remittances and to involve hometown associations in development, there is a need to reduce the high cost of remittance transfer, promote financial literacy, link remittances with microfinance, promote the capacity building of hometown associations, and encourage more productive or developmental uses of remittances such as partnering with microfinance institutions. Likewise, hometown associations must work in tandem with international organizations, governments and the private sector to increase the worth value of their development projects, and forge strategic trade alliances. These are recommendations which policy makers in the Philippines should seriously address with sound policy interventions.
Capturing a share of remittances for development needs transparent and coherent policies, relevant enabling environment, and full recognition and appreciation of the positive contributions of migrants to the development of their countries of origin. Non-government organizations, other development-oriented institutions and the Philippine government should act as environment enablers and should broaden their interest in emigrants beyond remittances by tapping the skills and knowledge of migrants in the field of development and treating them as equal partners. Donor organizations should consider providing seed money, technological assistance and logistical support to build and strengthen diaspora networks that have strong developmental potentials. Equally important is addressing the social costs of migration.
There is a need for hometown associations like the ABW to translate their genuine concern to strategic plans. Capacity building, awareness raising, financial literacy and financial inclusion of migrants and their families are needed. For the time being, raising the organizational capacities to a higher level will be a great challenge. How can the organization be strengthened with membership scattered in different continents and the only medium of communication is through the Internet?
Finally, I would like to conclude that looking back to one’s roots runs deep among overseas Filipinos. Bibera, who maintains the website of ABW during his free time, wrote: "So many memories and some of them pass to oblivion. But in retrospect, I didn't really regret living in Bansalan. In fact, I love it there. Like a tree which roots are firmly grounded in that old town, my travels were like branching out to reach new heights: to see more of the world. But it seems like I never left at all. I am always home." It is a sentiment that is shared by other Bansaleños; more importantly, it is a sentiment that has motivated them to give back. Some questions, however, are worth considering, especially if we think over the long term. How do we transform (and sustain) nostalgic sentiments into strategic development plans? How do we transform dreams into concrete actions? ABW has a long way to go in understanding that, in order to contribute to the development of their hometown, they need to broaden their development goals and collaborative support from other stakeholders.
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Leila Rispens-Noel is the president of the Association of Bansaleños Worldwide. Her services to the association are on a voluntary basis. She is based in the Netherlands and works as a program officer of Oxfam Novib, a Dutch development agency. Her interests are in the areas of microfinance, remittances, migration and development.
Reference
World Bank
2008 Migration and Remittances Factbook 2008. Compiled by Dilip Ratha and Zhimei
Xu. Washington, DC: World Bank Publications. Available also in http://www.worldbank.org /prospects/Migrationandremittances.
2007 Sending Money Home: Worldwide Remittance Flows to Developing Countries.
IFAD, 2007. Available also in http://www.ifad.org/events/remittances/maps/index.htm
Sunday, 10 August 2008
I Shall Pass This Way But Once
GOUDA, The Netherlands (MindaNews/03 April) -- A day before I left for Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, we agreed that we would meet on August 4 at 09:30 in the morning at the hotel lobby. That morning I woke up early and just drank a cup of coffee, afraid of being late for my appointment.
An hour passed but he still had not arrived. I was getting restless; to while away my time, I engaged in a conversation with the concierge of Azalai Hotel Independance where I was billeted. In his heavily French-accented English, he told me that the word azalai refers to the camel caravan routes between Timbuktu and the Taoudenni salt mines in Mali. The caravan sometimes consisted of 10,000 camels bringing salt - referred to as white gold -, as well as slaves, jewelries, etc. It constituted the trade route which linked West African cities with Europe and the Middle East in 300 A.D.
The caravan, he said, usually stopped right in front of the hotel. The hall of this fully refurbished four-star hotel has been named after the renowned Senegalese film maker, Sembene Ousmane, the man who since he arrived at the Ouagadougou African Cinema Week (now called Fespaco) had chosen to sleep in Room no. 1 instead of the duplex he had been given. The concierge captured my interest also because since my high school days I have always fascinated with Timbuktu which is regarded by many as a mythical place which I have been dreaming to visit one day.
My mind wandered between the rich history of Burkina Faso and the man I was supposed to meet. Did he really mean to meet me or did he just simply forget our appointment? I knew he was a busy man. Just as I thought the appointment had been cancelled, he arrived and greeted me warmly. I did not recognize him easily because he was wearing casual safari short pants and an ordinary white cotton T-shirt time unlike the first time I met him in London. I was dressed up for a business meeting. I thought we were going to visit Banque Agricole et Commerciale du Burkina (BACB) where he was working.
I met Wolfgang Heupel last February 2007 during the international conference on remittances in London. It was a brief meeting but we both learned that we were also involved in European Microfinance Platform (E-MFP), a network of Europe-based microfinance institutions. He was one of the key people who founded the platform and I lead the Working Group on Remittances. I was in Ouagadougou to attend the experts’ meeting of International Alternative Financial Institutions (INAFI) on the link between microfinance and remittances. I expected that we were going to talk on that day about INAFI and E-MFP and how we would strengthen the Working Group on Remittances where he was also listed as a member.
He told me he was going to take me around the city for a sight-seeing and I excitedly agreed. It was an easy ride passing through wide tree-lined boulevards. The road was full of motorcycle riders and bicycles. I told him that I noticed there are so many Western Union branch offices and banks in Burkina Faso when the country is supposed to be one of the poorest countries in Africa. Wolfgang answered quickly that Burkina Faso is not really that poor, if only things are done the right way. It has lush vegetation that farmers can plant to a lot of varieties of crops. There are thousands of Burkinabe migrants especially in Italy and France who send money home regularly, which explains why there are so many Western Union outlets in Ouagadougou.
Small and medium enterprises thrive and contribute in wealth and job creation in Burkina Faso, but many of them do not keep appropriate records and still operate in an unconventional manner. This means, while they have a great knack in running the business, they do not keep proper accounting and management records. They keep the information on their head and they usually manage the business alone. He told me the story of an illiterate man, a successful hands-on entrepreneur who is a running a large trucking business. He has no office and he does not have a bookkeeping system but he knows exactly how to manage the business profitably by jumping into the water and getting his feet wet. If he suddenly dies, there are no records of his business and no legal successors have been named to take over the running of the business. This lack of transparency in management and operations is a problem for banks. Wolfgang’s role is to support the capacity building and provide professional coaching to these small and medium enterprises so they can meet bank requirements and ensure continuity of the enterprises.
We passed through FESPACO, the site of the Pan-African Film and Television Festival. It looked impressive, something you do not quite expect in a resource-poor, landlocked, former French colony on the edge of the Sahara Desert. He showed me the main market and I sighed and said to myself that our market in Bansalan is far better than what I saw. The Grande Marché, which is in the centre of the town, remains to be rebuilt after a fire ravaged it in 2003. It was supposed to be one of the largest shopping centers in West Africa.
He kept talking while driving, but our discussion on microfinance was not the one that fascinated me and lingered in my memory. It was why he left his job in Germany and chose to live and work in Ouagadougou. He loved the place and the people. It seems to be very challenging for a European to be working in this place where there is massive poverty and lack of many amenities which can be found in Western countries. Wolfgang thought otherwise. He said he had everything he needed in Ouagadougou and he felt his life was far enriching than staying in Germany. His young son attends classes in Ouagadougou. He talked about the health services in the city. They are not at par with those of Western countries but it was adequate, he said. He bought food and groceries from the public market just like the locals and was happy to be able to live normally like anyone else.
His passion for Africa was contagious and I could not help but admire the man. We drove to several places while he related his own personal journey in this African country.
“Africa is my home and I wanted to stay here in Ouagadougou for as long as I can,” he said. When I heard this I thought I was talking to an African. He took me back to the hotel around 3 pm and we agreed that we meet again in Luxembourg two months later.
When I arrived in the Netherlands, I sent him a short “thank you” note primarily for the rich conversation we had. Wolfgang opened my eyes to the other side of Africa. I was touched by his humble and positive outlook in life and how he was taking life day by day. Apart from his position as microfinance expert and high level staff member of one of the largest banks in Burkina Faso, Wolfgang was a simple man at heart.
We did not meet in Luxembourg last November. I thought he decided not to come at all. I sent him a Christmas card but I did not receive a note back from him. One of those passing encounters, I said to myself. You meet a person and you never hear from him or her anymore. I did not attempt to contact him anymore.
Last March I received from E-MFP a glossy copy of the proceedings of the conference which was held last November. I browsed the pages and on the inside portion of the cover, I was shocked in disbelief to read:
“In memory of Wolfgang Heupel (1956-2007), who played a major role in the creation of the European Microfinance Platform and was highly devoted to the development of the microfinance sector.”
I couldn’t believe he was the same Wolfgang I had met last August, so I contacted Axel de Ville, the director of E-MFP. He was sorry to hear that I learned so late that Wolfgang contracted a tropical virus and died several days later. He died on October 17, which was barely two months after I met him.
I used to take pictures while traveling. I was carrying my digital camera but I never had a chance to take pictures of him nor the places I saw. But I remember him quite well, for what he shared with me cannot be captured by a camera. I closed my eyes and said a brief prayer for his eternal peace. I recalled our conversation and remembered a fragment of the poem that says “I shall pass this way but once; therefore, whatever good I might do, let me do it now, for I will never pass this way again.”
Wolfgang did not know that he had opened the doors for me to Africa -- to appreciate the people, its beauty despite its poverty, and the opportunities for development that remained unleashed. Burkina Faso was the first African country I ever visited. I am grateful that I met him and I know I will remember him vividly when I think of Africa. (Mindanawon Abroad is MindaNews' effort to link up with Mindanawons overseas who would like to share their experiences in their adopted countries.
Leila Rispens-Noel, a native of Bansalan, Davao del Sur, left for the Netherlands in 1979. She was a staff member of Mindanao-Sulu Secretariat for Social Action (MISSSA). Aside from being a wife and a mother of two grown-up sons, she works as programme officer in a Dutch development agency. She devotes her free time in supporting small development projects in Mindanao. Her passion is to encourage fellow migrants to harness the development potential of migration and to harness their skills, resources and talents for the development of the local areas. Visit her blog: http://diasporajourney.blogspot.com . You can contact her at Leila@rispens.tweakdsl.nl.
An hour passed but he still had not arrived. I was getting restless; to while away my time, I engaged in a conversation with the concierge of Azalai Hotel Independance where I was billeted. In his heavily French-accented English, he told me that the word azalai refers to the camel caravan routes between Timbuktu and the Taoudenni salt mines in Mali. The caravan sometimes consisted of 10,000 camels bringing salt - referred to as white gold -, as well as slaves, jewelries, etc. It constituted the trade route which linked West African cities with Europe and the Middle East in 300 A.D.
The caravan, he said, usually stopped right in front of the hotel. The hall of this fully refurbished four-star hotel has been named after the renowned Senegalese film maker, Sembene Ousmane, the man who since he arrived at the Ouagadougou African Cinema Week (now called Fespaco) had chosen to sleep in Room no. 1 instead of the duplex he had been given. The concierge captured my interest also because since my high school days I have always fascinated with Timbuktu which is regarded by many as a mythical place which I have been dreaming to visit one day.
My mind wandered between the rich history of Burkina Faso and the man I was supposed to meet. Did he really mean to meet me or did he just simply forget our appointment? I knew he was a busy man. Just as I thought the appointment had been cancelled, he arrived and greeted me warmly. I did not recognize him easily because he was wearing casual safari short pants and an ordinary white cotton T-shirt time unlike the first time I met him in London. I was dressed up for a business meeting. I thought we were going to visit Banque Agricole et Commerciale du Burkina (BACB) where he was working.
I met Wolfgang Heupel last February 2007 during the international conference on remittances in London. It was a brief meeting but we both learned that we were also involved in European Microfinance Platform (E-MFP), a network of Europe-based microfinance institutions. He was one of the key people who founded the platform and I lead the Working Group on Remittances. I was in Ouagadougou to attend the experts’ meeting of International Alternative Financial Institutions (INAFI) on the link between microfinance and remittances. I expected that we were going to talk on that day about INAFI and E-MFP and how we would strengthen the Working Group on Remittances where he was also listed as a member.
He told me he was going to take me around the city for a sight-seeing and I excitedly agreed. It was an easy ride passing through wide tree-lined boulevards. The road was full of motorcycle riders and bicycles. I told him that I noticed there are so many Western Union branch offices and banks in Burkina Faso when the country is supposed to be one of the poorest countries in Africa. Wolfgang answered quickly that Burkina Faso is not really that poor, if only things are done the right way. It has lush vegetation that farmers can plant to a lot of varieties of crops. There are thousands of Burkinabe migrants especially in Italy and France who send money home regularly, which explains why there are so many Western Union outlets in Ouagadougou.
Small and medium enterprises thrive and contribute in wealth and job creation in Burkina Faso, but many of them do not keep appropriate records and still operate in an unconventional manner. This means, while they have a great knack in running the business, they do not keep proper accounting and management records. They keep the information on their head and they usually manage the business alone. He told me the story of an illiterate man, a successful hands-on entrepreneur who is a running a large trucking business. He has no office and he does not have a bookkeeping system but he knows exactly how to manage the business profitably by jumping into the water and getting his feet wet. If he suddenly dies, there are no records of his business and no legal successors have been named to take over the running of the business. This lack of transparency in management and operations is a problem for banks. Wolfgang’s role is to support the capacity building and provide professional coaching to these small and medium enterprises so they can meet bank requirements and ensure continuity of the enterprises.
We passed through FESPACO, the site of the Pan-African Film and Television Festival. It looked impressive, something you do not quite expect in a resource-poor, landlocked, former French colony on the edge of the Sahara Desert. He showed me the main market and I sighed and said to myself that our market in Bansalan is far better than what I saw. The Grande Marché, which is in the centre of the town, remains to be rebuilt after a fire ravaged it in 2003. It was supposed to be one of the largest shopping centers in West Africa.
He kept talking while driving, but our discussion on microfinance was not the one that fascinated me and lingered in my memory. It was why he left his job in Germany and chose to live and work in Ouagadougou. He loved the place and the people. It seems to be very challenging for a European to be working in this place where there is massive poverty and lack of many amenities which can be found in Western countries. Wolfgang thought otherwise. He said he had everything he needed in Ouagadougou and he felt his life was far enriching than staying in Germany. His young son attends classes in Ouagadougou. He talked about the health services in the city. They are not at par with those of Western countries but it was adequate, he said. He bought food and groceries from the public market just like the locals and was happy to be able to live normally like anyone else.
His passion for Africa was contagious and I could not help but admire the man. We drove to several places while he related his own personal journey in this African country.
“Africa is my home and I wanted to stay here in Ouagadougou for as long as I can,” he said. When I heard this I thought I was talking to an African. He took me back to the hotel around 3 pm and we agreed that we meet again in Luxembourg two months later.
When I arrived in the Netherlands, I sent him a short “thank you” note primarily for the rich conversation we had. Wolfgang opened my eyes to the other side of Africa. I was touched by his humble and positive outlook in life and how he was taking life day by day. Apart from his position as microfinance expert and high level staff member of one of the largest banks in Burkina Faso, Wolfgang was a simple man at heart.
We did not meet in Luxembourg last November. I thought he decided not to come at all. I sent him a Christmas card but I did not receive a note back from him. One of those passing encounters, I said to myself. You meet a person and you never hear from him or her anymore. I did not attempt to contact him anymore.
Last March I received from E-MFP a glossy copy of the proceedings of the conference which was held last November. I browsed the pages and on the inside portion of the cover, I was shocked in disbelief to read:
“In memory of Wolfgang Heupel (1956-2007), who played a major role in the creation of the European Microfinance Platform and was highly devoted to the development of the microfinance sector.”
I couldn’t believe he was the same Wolfgang I had met last August, so I contacted Axel de Ville, the director of E-MFP. He was sorry to hear that I learned so late that Wolfgang contracted a tropical virus and died several days later. He died on October 17, which was barely two months after I met him.
I used to take pictures while traveling. I was carrying my digital camera but I never had a chance to take pictures of him nor the places I saw. But I remember him quite well, for what he shared with me cannot be captured by a camera. I closed my eyes and said a brief prayer for his eternal peace. I recalled our conversation and remembered a fragment of the poem that says “I shall pass this way but once; therefore, whatever good I might do, let me do it now, for I will never pass this way again.”
Wolfgang did not know that he had opened the doors for me to Africa -- to appreciate the people, its beauty despite its poverty, and the opportunities for development that remained unleashed. Burkina Faso was the first African country I ever visited. I am grateful that I met him and I know I will remember him vividly when I think of Africa. (Mindanawon Abroad is MindaNews' effort to link up with Mindanawons overseas who would like to share their experiences in their adopted countries.
Leila Rispens-Noel, a native of Bansalan, Davao del Sur, left for the Netherlands in 1979. She was a staff member of Mindanao-Sulu Secretariat for Social Action (MISSSA). Aside from being a wife and a mother of two grown-up sons, she works as programme officer in a Dutch development agency. She devotes her free time in supporting small development projects in Mindanao. Her passion is to encourage fellow migrants to harness the development potential of migration and to harness their skills, resources and talents for the development of the local areas. Visit her blog: http://diasporajourney.blogspot.com . You can contact her at Leila@rispens.tweakdsl.nl.
Sunday, 30 March 2008
Migrants' Remittances Revisited
The World Bank began working on international migration and remittances issues with the publication of the Global Development Finance 2003. Chapter 7 was dedicated to remittances. The report captured an unprecedented interest from the financial sector, governments, and international organizations. Since then, migrant remittances had become a regular feature in many conferences and policy discussions on migration and development.
In a way, remittances also effectively reversed the tone of the debates. Policy makers are now talking more about the positive contributions of migrants to development because of the money they send home. Migrant remittances sent by an estimated 150 million migrants worldwide have been on top of policy agenda of the policy makers and became the subject of many studies and debates deliberately dissecting their positive and negative impact. Remittances in 2003 were estimated at US$ 200 billion, up from $155 billion in 2002.
The results of these studies were staggering and the conclusion was remittances are twice more than the official development aid which prompted the World Bank to devote its Global Economic Prospects 2006 report to remittances. According to GEP 2006 report, remittance flows to developing countries in 2006 are estimated at US$207 billion. This was a forecast.
The latest report of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) titled Sending Money Home, valued remittances in 2006 more than US$ 300 billion. Asia received almost US$ 114 billion in remittances annually, the highest regional total in the world. This is just the recorded amount sent through formal channels. There is no data of the value of remittances sent through informal channels such as the hawala or padala but estimates pegged them at 50% of the total amount sent through formal channel.
The amount is now estimated as twice the foreign direct investment and three times the official development aid (which stood at US$104 billion in 2006). Migrant remittances are now considered as a new form of development aid and the lifeline of millions of families and most of them live in the rural areas.
Critics of remittances argued that 80% of the money sent by migrants to their families is spent on consumption such as food, clothing, and housing and therefore, they are not productive. Furthermore, remittances do not contribute to the economy at the macro level. The critic has miserably failed to see beyond the statistics the considerable impact of remittances in improving the quality of life of the poor people.
To illustrate, there are 8 million Filipinos living and working abroad. Last year, overseas Filipinos sent the amount of US$ 12.6 billion. Assuming that the amount is spent on education and at least one migrant supports the education of one child; we can conclude that 8 million children go to school funded by remittances without relying on the government or development aid. This is an optimistic estimate. Even if we cut the figures down into half, at least 4 million children or young people are able to go to school in the Philippines with the help of remittances. If this is the case, is this not enough evidence that diasporas contribute to the development of their countries of origin?
The United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals goal number is to achieve universal primary education. Governments, development agencies, civil society, and the general public are being mobilized to help achieve the target in 2015. However, MDGs did not account the impact of migration and its contribution in achieving the targets. It is in the same light that Poverty Reduction Strategy Plan has not incorporated the impact of migration.
Migrants’ families spend a large chunk of the money they receive for food. MDG no. 2 aims to eradicate hunger and poverty. Millions of families including in the rural areas are no longer suffering from hunger because of remittances.
Despite the huge amount of remittances, critics say that remittances do not contribute at all to sustainable development. Again, this conclusion is based on a myopic analysis. Remittances are small amount of money ranging from US$ 200 to 300 sent by migrants to their families every month. Considering the high costs of commodities and expensive education, surely it is not realistic to expect that families have still money left for investments and productive activities.
However, since the money is spent on food, clothing, shelter and education, they do contribute to local and national economy. Food and garment industries continue to thrive because migrants’ families continue to buy their products. Building houses creates jobs for carpenters and construction companies. Schools continue to operate because children of overseas Filipinos can go to school.
What is a big deal if migrants spend their hard-earned money for consumption? And why as if we blame migrants for only spending 20% for productive activities and therefore, they do not contribute to development? Why can’t policy makers tell business companies which earned millions from migrants’ remittances to invest a portion of their profits for productive activities, one which will create jobs and spur sustainable development?
Migrants do not only assist their immediate families. Hometown associations are formed in almost every country where migrants work and live and engaged in diaspora philanthropy. Some provide start-up capital of social entrepreneurial activities. For example in the Philippines, the Coco Natur OFW and Producers Cooperative was established last March 30, 2007 in San Pablo City, Laguna. Atikha stimulates overseas Filipinos to invest in virgin coconut oil enterprise. To be an investor and to join the Coco Natur OFW and Producers Cooperative, an individual has to buy a share at PHP 100 for a minimum of 5 shares. For OFWs, the minimum share is 50 shares or PHP 5,000. Among the first investors are members of Overseas Filipino Workers - Mutual Benefit Corporation OFW-MBC which is based in San Francisco, California. The money raised by holding a benefit dinner.
The lack of opportunity for poor children to school motivated Bansaleños abroad to band together and start raising funds to support the education of the poor but deserving pupils in their hometown Bansalan through their “Give Back Campaign.” The same motivation that prompted the members of Damayan to raise funds in the Netherlands so they can support children in Paquibato (Davao City), Dugong (North Cotabato), and Lake Sebu (South Cotabato). They also support in building a town market in Misamis Oriental. The members of Damayan are mostly from Mindanao.
The efforts of diasporas in Mindanao are finally given a boost when Misamis Oriental governor Oscar Moreno signed a Memorandum of Agreement dubbed as the "Uno Por Uno Initiative." The MOU was signed by Moreno and representatives of Habagat Foundation, Damayan Association in the Netherlands, BisDak Network Netherlands, and the newly formed Overseas Filipino Caucus for Sustainable Development which match peso-for-peso the investments made in the province by OFW groups. It will be a positive action if this initiative will be replicated all over Mindanao similar to the 3 x 1 programme of the Mexicans where local, provincial and national government matches one dollar each to every dollar Mexican diasporas invest on development projects in their respective hometown.
The central bank, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), said it had prepared measures to make more transparent the mechanisms for money remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and to cushion the adverse impact of a strong peso on households supported by OFW incomes. Among the services which BSP proposes to undertake are: improve OFW families’ access to financial services, rural banks will be allowed to service foreign exchange remittances as well as buy and sell foreign exchange; issuance of acceptable IDs to encourage OFWs and their families to use formal banking channels; and conduct massive financial literacy. These plans if translated into concrete action would surely help in the sustainable use of remittances and will benefit migrants’ families and the country in whole.
However, cutting the cost of transaction is not enough to propel development. The government should look for ways and means how remittances could eventually help create jobs and strengthen the local economy by urging migrants to save and invest. Likewise, the government must be able to stimulate highly skilled overseas Filipinos to share their skills and talents for the country.
A lot of recommendations to harness the potentials of remittances have been put forward at the international levels.
The UNDP Africa Regional Conference on Migration, Remittances and Development was held last August in Accra, Ghana to create an intra-Africa dialogue including the diasporas on strategic options for optimizing the development impact of migration and remittances and provide recommendations for actions (including public-private partnerships) to all relevant stakeholders in the context of the outcome of the High Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development convened by the Secretary-General at the United Nations in New York in 2006.
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) hosted the 2007 International Forum on Remittances at the IDB Conference Center in Washington DC, on 18-19 October 2007.
The Forum brought key players together to raise awareness of the challenges and opportunities of remittances and to shed light on the rural dimension of these flows, estimated at 40 per cent of total flows. In addition, the Forum explored the links between remittances and banking, technology and microfinance, and discussed ways to integrate development agencies’ agenda on remittances. The two-day event included a series of roundtable discussions and working groups devoted to an in-depth exchange of ideas and business models for urban and rural remittances worldwide. Sessions within the Forum covered such topics as financial inclusion, migrant investments, gender dimension, technology, innovation and development.
Finally, on November 28-30, the German Government hosted the G8 Outreach Meeting on Remittances in Berlin. The high-level meeting has two objectives: First, the aim is to assess the progress of measures to facilitate migrant transfers agreed at the Sea Island Summit in 2004. Second, the conference is intended to initiate a dialogue on new channels for transferring funds, instruments to promote migrant transfers and other potential measures. At the end of the conference, the participants also underscored the importance of engaging diasporas as partners in development.
The non-state actors are also actively involved in finding ways and means on how to harness the potentials of remittances for development. The International Network of Alternative Financial Institutions (INAFI) organized a global conference on Microfinance, Remittances and Development in Cotonou, Benin last November 7-9. During the conference of European Microfinance Platform in Luxembourg last November 27-29, workshops on financial literacy and mobilizing remittances for investments were conducted.
I had the opportunity to attend as a speaker to all the above-mentioned international conferences. I have been asked to share the experiences of Oxfam Novib in engaging diaspora organisations in development. This effort to involve development agency like Oxfam Novib is recognition that policy makers finally realized the need to engage diasporas in development.
What is still glaringly absent in the international discourses and debates on remittances is the rights-based perspective of international migration, particularly the plight of the female migrant workers. The policy debates are also heavily focused on data collection and reducing the cost of remittances. These projects get a lot of financial support from international donors resulting to the proliferation of money transfer operators and an enormous amount of research work on data collection.
Financial literacy for migrants and their families are often cited as an important part in maximizing the benefits of remittances but there are very few actors which are involved in this work at the grassroots level. Most of the activities are done by the civil society and the diasporas organizations themselves but it is extremely difficult for them to secure financial support from the international donors. Is it because the results of the financial literacy (awareness raising) activities and services difficult to measure unlike supporting financial institutions engaged in providing concrete financial products?
Professor Leonor Briones, co-convenor of Social Watch Philippines aptly described the lack of attention given to the overseas Filipinos when she said “remittances by the OFWs serve as social insurance for their families, shielding them from environmental risks but ironically, they do not get their needed social protection while working abroad and when they eventually come back.”
This lack of protection applies to all migrant workers worldwide. Focusing on financial side of remittances but ignoring the plight of migrants is like killing the goose that lays the golden egg.
The next Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) will be held in Manila in October. The Philippine Government will host the event. This is an opportune time for NGOs, migrant organizations and other stakeholders to push forward some policy recommendations in order to maximize the development potentials of Philippine international migration. Also visit
In a way, remittances also effectively reversed the tone of the debates. Policy makers are now talking more about the positive contributions of migrants to development because of the money they send home. Migrant remittances sent by an estimated 150 million migrants worldwide have been on top of policy agenda of the policy makers and became the subject of many studies and debates deliberately dissecting their positive and negative impact. Remittances in 2003 were estimated at US$ 200 billion, up from $155 billion in 2002.
The results of these studies were staggering and the conclusion was remittances are twice more than the official development aid which prompted the World Bank to devote its Global Economic Prospects 2006 report to remittances. According to GEP 2006 report, remittance flows to developing countries in 2006 are estimated at US$207 billion. This was a forecast.
The latest report of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) titled Sending Money Home, valued remittances in 2006 more than US$ 300 billion. Asia received almost US$ 114 billion in remittances annually, the highest regional total in the world. This is just the recorded amount sent through formal channels. There is no data of the value of remittances sent through informal channels such as the hawala or padala but estimates pegged them at 50% of the total amount sent through formal channel.
The amount is now estimated as twice the foreign direct investment and three times the official development aid (which stood at US$104 billion in 2006). Migrant remittances are now considered as a new form of development aid and the lifeline of millions of families and most of them live in the rural areas.
Critics of remittances argued that 80% of the money sent by migrants to their families is spent on consumption such as food, clothing, and housing and therefore, they are not productive. Furthermore, remittances do not contribute to the economy at the macro level. The critic has miserably failed to see beyond the statistics the considerable impact of remittances in improving the quality of life of the poor people.
To illustrate, there are 8 million Filipinos living and working abroad. Last year, overseas Filipinos sent the amount of US$ 12.6 billion. Assuming that the amount is spent on education and at least one migrant supports the education of one child; we can conclude that 8 million children go to school funded by remittances without relying on the government or development aid. This is an optimistic estimate. Even if we cut the figures down into half, at least 4 million children or young people are able to go to school in the Philippines with the help of remittances. If this is the case, is this not enough evidence that diasporas contribute to the development of their countries of origin?
The United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals goal number is to achieve universal primary education. Governments, development agencies, civil society, and the general public are being mobilized to help achieve the target in 2015. However, MDGs did not account the impact of migration and its contribution in achieving the targets. It is in the same light that Poverty Reduction Strategy Plan has not incorporated the impact of migration.
Migrants’ families spend a large chunk of the money they receive for food. MDG no. 2 aims to eradicate hunger and poverty. Millions of families including in the rural areas are no longer suffering from hunger because of remittances.
Despite the huge amount of remittances, critics say that remittances do not contribute at all to sustainable development. Again, this conclusion is based on a myopic analysis. Remittances are small amount of money ranging from US$ 200 to 300 sent by migrants to their families every month. Considering the high costs of commodities and expensive education, surely it is not realistic to expect that families have still money left for investments and productive activities.
However, since the money is spent on food, clothing, shelter and education, they do contribute to local and national economy. Food and garment industries continue to thrive because migrants’ families continue to buy their products. Building houses creates jobs for carpenters and construction companies. Schools continue to operate because children of overseas Filipinos can go to school.
What is a big deal if migrants spend their hard-earned money for consumption? And why as if we blame migrants for only spending 20% for productive activities and therefore, they do not contribute to development? Why can’t policy makers tell business companies which earned millions from migrants’ remittances to invest a portion of their profits for productive activities, one which will create jobs and spur sustainable development?
Migrants do not only assist their immediate families. Hometown associations are formed in almost every country where migrants work and live and engaged in diaspora philanthropy. Some provide start-up capital of social entrepreneurial activities. For example in the Philippines, the Coco Natur OFW and Producers Cooperative was established last March 30, 2007 in San Pablo City, Laguna. Atikha stimulates overseas Filipinos to invest in virgin coconut oil enterprise. To be an investor and to join the Coco Natur OFW and Producers Cooperative, an individual has to buy a share at PHP 100 for a minimum of 5 shares. For OFWs, the minimum share is 50 shares or PHP 5,000. Among the first investors are members of Overseas Filipino Workers - Mutual Benefit Corporation OFW-MBC which is based in San Francisco, California. The money raised by holding a benefit dinner.
The lack of opportunity for poor children to school motivated Bansaleños abroad to band together and start raising funds to support the education of the poor but deserving pupils in their hometown Bansalan through their “Give Back Campaign.” The same motivation that prompted the members of Damayan to raise funds in the Netherlands so they can support children in Paquibato (Davao City), Dugong (North Cotabato), and Lake Sebu (South Cotabato). They also support in building a town market in Misamis Oriental. The members of Damayan are mostly from Mindanao.
The efforts of diasporas in Mindanao are finally given a boost when Misamis Oriental governor Oscar Moreno signed a Memorandum of Agreement dubbed as the "Uno Por Uno Initiative." The MOU was signed by Moreno and representatives of Habagat Foundation, Damayan Association in the Netherlands, BisDak Network Netherlands, and the newly formed Overseas Filipino Caucus for Sustainable Development which match peso-for-peso the investments made in the province by OFW groups. It will be a positive action if this initiative will be replicated all over Mindanao similar to the 3 x 1 programme of the Mexicans where local, provincial and national government matches one dollar each to every dollar Mexican diasporas invest on development projects in their respective hometown.
The central bank, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), said it had prepared measures to make more transparent the mechanisms for money remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and to cushion the adverse impact of a strong peso on households supported by OFW incomes. Among the services which BSP proposes to undertake are: improve OFW families’ access to financial services, rural banks will be allowed to service foreign exchange remittances as well as buy and sell foreign exchange; issuance of acceptable IDs to encourage OFWs and their families to use formal banking channels; and conduct massive financial literacy. These plans if translated into concrete action would surely help in the sustainable use of remittances and will benefit migrants’ families and the country in whole.
However, cutting the cost of transaction is not enough to propel development. The government should look for ways and means how remittances could eventually help create jobs and strengthen the local economy by urging migrants to save and invest. Likewise, the government must be able to stimulate highly skilled overseas Filipinos to share their skills and talents for the country.
A lot of recommendations to harness the potentials of remittances have been put forward at the international levels.
The UNDP Africa Regional Conference on Migration, Remittances and Development was held last August in Accra, Ghana to create an intra-Africa dialogue including the diasporas on strategic options for optimizing the development impact of migration and remittances and provide recommendations for actions (including public-private partnerships) to all relevant stakeholders in the context of the outcome of the High Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development convened by the Secretary-General at the United Nations in New York in 2006.
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) hosted the 2007 International Forum on Remittances at the IDB Conference Center in Washington DC, on 18-19 October 2007.
The Forum brought key players together to raise awareness of the challenges and opportunities of remittances and to shed light on the rural dimension of these flows, estimated at 40 per cent of total flows. In addition, the Forum explored the links between remittances and banking, technology and microfinance, and discussed ways to integrate development agencies’ agenda on remittances. The two-day event included a series of roundtable discussions and working groups devoted to an in-depth exchange of ideas and business models for urban and rural remittances worldwide. Sessions within the Forum covered such topics as financial inclusion, migrant investments, gender dimension, technology, innovation and development.
Finally, on November 28-30, the German Government hosted the G8 Outreach Meeting on Remittances in Berlin. The high-level meeting has two objectives: First, the aim is to assess the progress of measures to facilitate migrant transfers agreed at the Sea Island Summit in 2004. Second, the conference is intended to initiate a dialogue on new channels for transferring funds, instruments to promote migrant transfers and other potential measures. At the end of the conference, the participants also underscored the importance of engaging diasporas as partners in development.
The non-state actors are also actively involved in finding ways and means on how to harness the potentials of remittances for development. The International Network of Alternative Financial Institutions (INAFI) organized a global conference on Microfinance, Remittances and Development in Cotonou, Benin last November 7-9. During the conference of European Microfinance Platform in Luxembourg last November 27-29, workshops on financial literacy and mobilizing remittances for investments were conducted.
I had the opportunity to attend as a speaker to all the above-mentioned international conferences. I have been asked to share the experiences of Oxfam Novib in engaging diaspora organisations in development. This effort to involve development agency like Oxfam Novib is recognition that policy makers finally realized the need to engage diasporas in development.
What is still glaringly absent in the international discourses and debates on remittances is the rights-based perspective of international migration, particularly the plight of the female migrant workers. The policy debates are also heavily focused on data collection and reducing the cost of remittances. These projects get a lot of financial support from international donors resulting to the proliferation of money transfer operators and an enormous amount of research work on data collection.
Financial literacy for migrants and their families are often cited as an important part in maximizing the benefits of remittances but there are very few actors which are involved in this work at the grassroots level. Most of the activities are done by the civil society and the diasporas organizations themselves but it is extremely difficult for them to secure financial support from the international donors. Is it because the results of the financial literacy (awareness raising) activities and services difficult to measure unlike supporting financial institutions engaged in providing concrete financial products?
Professor Leonor Briones, co-convenor of Social Watch Philippines aptly described the lack of attention given to the overseas Filipinos when she said “remittances by the OFWs serve as social insurance for their families, shielding them from environmental risks but ironically, they do not get their needed social protection while working abroad and when they eventually come back.”
This lack of protection applies to all migrant workers worldwide. Focusing on financial side of remittances but ignoring the plight of migrants is like killing the goose that lays the golden egg.
The next Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) will be held in Manila in October. The Philippine Government will host the event. This is an opportune time for NGOs, migrant organizations and other stakeholders to push forward some policy recommendations in order to maximize the development potentials of Philippine international migration. Also visit
Saturday, 22 September 2007
Out of Africa
In the past, I was not so keen about visiting any African countries because I felt it might just be too depressing for me to see countries poorer than the Philippines.
"Just imagine yourself as Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie doing her rounds among the poorest refugees in Africa. If that is not enough, imagine yourself being married to heartthrob Brad Pitt!" This was what my good friend Karl Gaspar said when I kept on postponing my visit to African countries.
I finally ran out of plausible excuses when my call of duty came. On the first week of August, my baptism of fire on Africa – the so-called "cradle of civilization," the second largest continent, and the home of the world's poorest countries – started in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. But to my surprise, the country was not that depressing as I imagined it to be. On the contrary, I acquired so much inspiration from the said visit that now I crave to see and learn more about Africa.
But that is going ahead of the story. I was invited by the International Network of Alternative Financial Institutions (INAFI International) to attend the Experts Meeting on Microfinance, Remittance and Development. The two-day meeting (August 2-4) went well with the discussion gravitated on how microfinance providers can develop remittance-based financial products and services in helping migrants and their families.
It was great to listen to the ideas of most of the participants who were microfinance and remittance experts. In fact, two representatives from the Benin Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed their full support to hold the INAFI Global Conference on Microfinance, Remittances and Development in their country, particularly Cotonou, on November 6-9.
Now, sort of my travelogue. My journey started from Amsterdam to Paris. The connecting flight from Charles de Gaulle Airport (Paris) to Ouagadougou took about six hours. Unexpectedly, it was raining when we arrived. It was a big disappointment for me since it had been raining almost the whole summer in the Netherlands where I live and was looking forward to a sultry African weather. As a matter of fact, I only packed light summer clothes and a sweater in case cold shivers my flesh while on the plane. The sweater proved to be the most useful thing I brought with me.
I stayed in Azalai Hotel along Av. du Président Aboubacar Sangoulé Laminaza just about 5-minute drive from the airport. It is a beautiful hotel with very rich history. According to Soukeyna Ndiayi Ba, INAFI executive director, the word azalai means "caravan," referring to the camel caravan routes between Timbuktu (a thousand-year-old settlement on the southern border of the Sahara Desert) and the Taoudenni salt mines in Mali. The route linked West African cities with Europe and the Middle East in 300 A.D.
"The caravan had a convoy of as many as 10,000 camels carrying gold and slaves from Ghana, Guinea and Senegal to the North of Sahara. On their way back, they brought with them some goods," Soukeyna added. I listened with much ado all the fascinating information she shared. The caravan, she said, usually stopped right where the hotel is located now. Now, I cannot imagine how the street looked like then thousands of years ago as it was crowded with camels and traders.
Later on, I gathered from various sources that Ouagadougou has a population of around 360,000 in 1985. It is the capital of Burkina Faso, formerly known as Upper Volta. The landlocked country is about eight times the size of The Netherlands and is located geographically in the Sahel.
Founded in the 15th century, Burkina Faso was the capital of the Mossi kingdom of Wagadugu (in 1441). About 250 years later, it became the permanent residence of the Morho naba ("great king"), the Mossi king.
Even today, the Morho naba lives in the city, though with much-depleted powers. In the late 19th century, the country came under French control and ultimately gained independence in 1960. However, it was only in 1984 that the borders of the country were finally defined.
But what amazed me were the wide variety of souvenirs available in the market, among them: wooden statuettes, bronze models, masks, jewelries, fabrics, hand woven blankets and leather goods and crafts, ranging from chessboards to ashtrays. They show a high level of craftsmanship.
Literally, the name Burkina Faso means the "land of upright people." The country is considered is one of the poorest in the world. The UN Development Programme, in its Human Development Report, ranks it 174th out of the 177 countries listed. An estimated 80 per cent of its population live on less than US$2 a day. And yet, you will find so many banks within the city. There is a Western Union office in almost
every block or several offices on every street. This shows that Burkina Faso receives huge remittances from Burkinabes living and working outside of their country.
Contrary to what I believe, Italy, and not France is the major destination of French-speaking Burkinabes who find jobs in agricultural sector. Burkina Faso is next to Mali in the top ten countries in Africa receiving migrant remittances. In the 1990s,remittances comprised about six percent of Burkina's gross domestic product. Although remittances to the country are hard to count, the World Bank estimated that in 1990 Burkinabès sent home US$140 million.
According to Migration Policy Institute, Côte d'Ivoire is the primary source of waged work for Burkinabes and hence of remittances. Burkina Faso is not at all disconnected from the modern world. Every two years, the friendly capital hosts the largest African film festival -- Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO).
After the INAFI meeting, I joined a group visiting a village about an hour-drive from our hotel. The small settlement is composed of clustered mud brick huts with grass roof and small grain stores. Inside the house, you can see several large clay jars and few clothes. Four women sleep inside the hut.
"What are those large clay jars for?" I asked one woman through an interpreter. We used them, she answered in their own dialect, to store vegetables so that they would remain fresh for a couple of days. (This readily reminded me of an article I read long time ago how a farmer in Nigeria refined an ancient technology using jars to keep spinach, tomatoes, onions and other perishable goods for longer periods.
This is something which can be adapted in our rural areas. I tried to find the article via the internet and this is the link: https://practicalaction.org/docs/agroprocessing/food_chain_29.pdf ).
Since it had been raining for the last few days, the fields were green and there were lots of activities. The women and young girls were busy plowing the field. "Where are the men?" I asked but nobody bothered to give me an answer. The weather was unusual because normally, I was told, it should be hot and humid by that time of the year in Burkina Faso.
The young woman, whose name I cannot recall anymore, said that only women sleep in the hut. I asked Soukeyna on our way back why the wife and the daughters sleep in one hut and the father in the other hut.
"The men have usually more than one wife, sometimes up to five," she revealed. "He usually sleeps in his own hut with one of the wives whoever is convenient."
It made me realized that these people need so little in order to live. Ranked by UN as the fourth poorest country in the world, Burkina Faso is a poor country even by West African standard. I wondered if they know what life is outside of their village. Do they read as to what people do, especially those from Western countries? Most children could not go to school beyond primary school. Their needs are small and life is laid back out there. You can breathe fresh air and people are not enslaved by time and the hustle and bustle of urban life.
Having said that, I want it to be known that I don't romanticize poverty. There is still so much to be done to improve the quality of life in the villages. Burkina Faso is poor but it is considered to be one of the safer countries in Africa. The people are very friendly. I came to know two young men although it was not easy to communicate because French is the official language which becomes a barrier in establishing friendship with the local people.
Before I left, two people gave me something: one gave me a necklace and a pair of earrings and the other, a jewelry leather box with my name embossed on the cover.
My recent sojourn was a good introduction to Africa and its people. I still have a secret wish though: to visit Timbuktu in Mali. Why Timbuktu? My father mentioned the place Timbuktu when I was still a child. I thought Timbuktu was just a product of my father's creative imagination. To me, the name alone signifies a mysterious place, a myth, an enigma.
Years later, I learned that Timbuktu indeed exists and it is a place of learning, wisdom and spirituality. I think I should really see the place. Soukeyna, who is based in Senegal, said that we will travel together to Timbuktu one day.
I can't wait for that day to come. With a childlike adventurism, I thought of joining an azalai expedition with thousands of camels up to the fabled city of Timbuktu. I want to see the salt mines and the ancient and endangered manuscripts dating back up to the 9th century.
"No, Leila, joining a camel caravan takes too long. We will go there with 4-by-4 wheel drive vehicle," said Soukeyna, who woke me up from my pleasant imagination. It is a dream though I hope it would come to reality in the near future.
But before Timbuktu, I have to see Accra, the capital city of Ghana in West Africa, first and then Benin come November. Asante sana ("Thanks a lot" in Swahili!) My African safari has just begun.
Pictures of Ouagadougou can be viewed at:
http://sunchild-outofthebox.blogspot.com/2007/08/august-1-6-2007-destination-ouagadougou.html
"Just imagine yourself as Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie doing her rounds among the poorest refugees in Africa. If that is not enough, imagine yourself being married to heartthrob Brad Pitt!" This was what my good friend Karl Gaspar said when I kept on postponing my visit to African countries.
I finally ran out of plausible excuses when my call of duty came. On the first week of August, my baptism of fire on Africa – the so-called "cradle of civilization," the second largest continent, and the home of the world's poorest countries – started in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. But to my surprise, the country was not that depressing as I imagined it to be. On the contrary, I acquired so much inspiration from the said visit that now I crave to see and learn more about Africa.
But that is going ahead of the story. I was invited by the International Network of Alternative Financial Institutions (INAFI International) to attend the Experts Meeting on Microfinance, Remittance and Development. The two-day meeting (August 2-4) went well with the discussion gravitated on how microfinance providers can develop remittance-based financial products and services in helping migrants and their families.
It was great to listen to the ideas of most of the participants who were microfinance and remittance experts. In fact, two representatives from the Benin Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed their full support to hold the INAFI Global Conference on Microfinance, Remittances and Development in their country, particularly Cotonou, on November 6-9.
Now, sort of my travelogue. My journey started from Amsterdam to Paris. The connecting flight from Charles de Gaulle Airport (Paris) to Ouagadougou took about six hours. Unexpectedly, it was raining when we arrived. It was a big disappointment for me since it had been raining almost the whole summer in the Netherlands where I live and was looking forward to a sultry African weather. As a matter of fact, I only packed light summer clothes and a sweater in case cold shivers my flesh while on the plane. The sweater proved to be the most useful thing I brought with me.
I stayed in Azalai Hotel along Av. du Président Aboubacar Sangoulé Laminaza just about 5-minute drive from the airport. It is a beautiful hotel with very rich history. According to Soukeyna Ndiayi Ba, INAFI executive director, the word azalai means "caravan," referring to the camel caravan routes between Timbuktu (a thousand-year-old settlement on the southern border of the Sahara Desert) and the Taoudenni salt mines in Mali. The route linked West African cities with Europe and the Middle East in 300 A.D.
"The caravan had a convoy of as many as 10,000 camels carrying gold and slaves from Ghana, Guinea and Senegal to the North of Sahara. On their way back, they brought with them some goods," Soukeyna added. I listened with much ado all the fascinating information she shared. The caravan, she said, usually stopped right where the hotel is located now. Now, I cannot imagine how the street looked like then thousands of years ago as it was crowded with camels and traders.
Later on, I gathered from various sources that Ouagadougou has a population of around 360,000 in 1985. It is the capital of Burkina Faso, formerly known as Upper Volta. The landlocked country is about eight times the size of The Netherlands and is located geographically in the Sahel.
Founded in the 15th century, Burkina Faso was the capital of the Mossi kingdom of Wagadugu (in 1441). About 250 years later, it became the permanent residence of the Morho naba ("great king"), the Mossi king.
Even today, the Morho naba lives in the city, though with much-depleted powers. In the late 19th century, the country came under French control and ultimately gained independence in 1960. However, it was only in 1984 that the borders of the country were finally defined.
But what amazed me were the wide variety of souvenirs available in the market, among them: wooden statuettes, bronze models, masks, jewelries, fabrics, hand woven blankets and leather goods and crafts, ranging from chessboards to ashtrays. They show a high level of craftsmanship.
Literally, the name Burkina Faso means the "land of upright people." The country is considered is one of the poorest in the world. The UN Development Programme, in its Human Development Report, ranks it 174th out of the 177 countries listed. An estimated 80 per cent of its population live on less than US$2 a day. And yet, you will find so many banks within the city. There is a Western Union office in almost
every block or several offices on every street. This shows that Burkina Faso receives huge remittances from Burkinabes living and working outside of their country.
Contrary to what I believe, Italy, and not France is the major destination of French-speaking Burkinabes who find jobs in agricultural sector. Burkina Faso is next to Mali in the top ten countries in Africa receiving migrant remittances. In the 1990s,remittances comprised about six percent of Burkina's gross domestic product. Although remittances to the country are hard to count, the World Bank estimated that in 1990 Burkinabès sent home US$140 million.
According to Migration Policy Institute, Côte d'Ivoire is the primary source of waged work for Burkinabes and hence of remittances. Burkina Faso is not at all disconnected from the modern world. Every two years, the friendly capital hosts the largest African film festival -- Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO).
After the INAFI meeting, I joined a group visiting a village about an hour-drive from our hotel. The small settlement is composed of clustered mud brick huts with grass roof and small grain stores. Inside the house, you can see several large clay jars and few clothes. Four women sleep inside the hut.
"What are those large clay jars for?" I asked one woman through an interpreter. We used them, she answered in their own dialect, to store vegetables so that they would remain fresh for a couple of days. (This readily reminded me of an article I read long time ago how a farmer in Nigeria refined an ancient technology using jars to keep spinach, tomatoes, onions and other perishable goods for longer periods.
This is something which can be adapted in our rural areas. I tried to find the article via the internet and this is the link: https://practicalaction.org/docs/agroprocessing/food_chain_29.pdf ).
Since it had been raining for the last few days, the fields were green and there were lots of activities. The women and young girls were busy plowing the field. "Where are the men?" I asked but nobody bothered to give me an answer. The weather was unusual because normally, I was told, it should be hot and humid by that time of the year in Burkina Faso.
The young woman, whose name I cannot recall anymore, said that only women sleep in the hut. I asked Soukeyna on our way back why the wife and the daughters sleep in one hut and the father in the other hut.
"The men have usually more than one wife, sometimes up to five," she revealed. "He usually sleeps in his own hut with one of the wives whoever is convenient."
It made me realized that these people need so little in order to live. Ranked by UN as the fourth poorest country in the world, Burkina Faso is a poor country even by West African standard. I wondered if they know what life is outside of their village. Do they read as to what people do, especially those from Western countries? Most children could not go to school beyond primary school. Their needs are small and life is laid back out there. You can breathe fresh air and people are not enslaved by time and the hustle and bustle of urban life.
Having said that, I want it to be known that I don't romanticize poverty. There is still so much to be done to improve the quality of life in the villages. Burkina Faso is poor but it is considered to be one of the safer countries in Africa. The people are very friendly. I came to know two young men although it was not easy to communicate because French is the official language which becomes a barrier in establishing friendship with the local people.
Before I left, two people gave me something: one gave me a necklace and a pair of earrings and the other, a jewelry leather box with my name embossed on the cover.
My recent sojourn was a good introduction to Africa and its people. I still have a secret wish though: to visit Timbuktu in Mali. Why Timbuktu? My father mentioned the place Timbuktu when I was still a child. I thought Timbuktu was just a product of my father's creative imagination. To me, the name alone signifies a mysterious place, a myth, an enigma.
Years later, I learned that Timbuktu indeed exists and it is a place of learning, wisdom and spirituality. I think I should really see the place. Soukeyna, who is based in Senegal, said that we will travel together to Timbuktu one day.
I can't wait for that day to come. With a childlike adventurism, I thought of joining an azalai expedition with thousands of camels up to the fabled city of Timbuktu. I want to see the salt mines and the ancient and endangered manuscripts dating back up to the 9th century.
"No, Leila, joining a camel caravan takes too long. We will go there with 4-by-4 wheel drive vehicle," said Soukeyna, who woke me up from my pleasant imagination. It is a dream though I hope it would come to reality in the near future.
But before Timbuktu, I have to see Accra, the capital city of Ghana in West Africa, first and then Benin come November. Asante sana ("Thanks a lot" in Swahili!) My African safari has just begun.
Pictures of Ouagadougou can be viewed at:
http://sunchild-outofthebox.blogspot.com/2007/08/august-1-6-2007-destination-ouagadougou.html
Mindanawon's Transnational Engagement
Ever heard of diaspora philanthropy? This collective donation by migrant communities to their homeland is increasingly becoming part of the global philanthropic landscape. Sometimes called “transnationalism,” diaspora philanthropy is defined as the process by which immigrants from the same region form a group and pool their resources together to help their hometown as their way of maintaining links with their place of origin.There are also groups which do not necessarily help communities where they come from but according to where they think their contribution is needed most. This happens especially when natural calamities occur and during economic crisis.
Today, some of the donations and development projects initiated by migrant Filipinos have begun to make a difference in small towns and cities in the Philippines.
In 2006, overseas Filipinos sent through official channel a total amount of US$12.8 billion in the form of remittances to support their nuclear and extended families. These remittances, equivalent to 10-percent of the gross national product, became the top source of foreign exchange for the country. In fact, the amount dwarfed the total foreign development investments (reported at US$2 billion for the same period) and official development aid (an annual average of US$1.5 billion).
“Over a 13-year period,” said Jeremaiah Opiniano of the Manila-based Institute for Migration and Development Issues (IMDI), “the Link to the Philippine Development of the government-run Commission on Filipinos Overseas has received about 1.3 billion pesos from overseas Filipinos to underwrite projects in education, disaster relief, health, infrastructure, and livelihood generation.”
Not included are those undocumented initiatives, in which the collective remittances go straight from the donors to their local partners. “There are 46 countries around the world we have identified as sources of Filipino diaspora philanthropy,” Opiniano reported. “This includes the Faroe Islands which is located just above Scotland and in between Iceland and Norway.”
Like many other Filipinos in diaspora, Mindanawons – or those coming from Mindanao -- also remain connected with their homelands despite the distance and long absence.
For instance, the Damayang Pilipino sa Nederland (DAMAYAN) and Association of Bansaleňos Worldwide (ABW) launched a joint-fund raising drive in the Netherlands to assist poor children in the provinces of Davao del Sur, North and South Cotabato. DAMAYAN was established in 1986 to collectively respond to countrymen in distress both here and back home and ABW is a virtual hometown association of former Bansalan residents who now live abroad and other parts of the Philippines. Some members of Damayan originally came from different provinces of Mindanao.
The project, dubbed as “Gintong Aral,” aims to support poor elementary school children. It also encourages children to get involve in environmental program by maintaining school vegetable backyard through EcoKids Club.Most of the recipients are children from the indigenous, Christian and Moslem communities in the area. These children come from poverty-stricken families who, despite free elementary education in the Philippines, could not afford to buy uniforms, books, and school supplies and pay some contributions to the school.
This school year 2007-08, DAMAYAN and ABW (through its own “Give Back Campaign”) are sending a total of 140 poor but deserving children in four villages in Bansalan (Davao del Sur), Paquibato (Davao City), Lake Sebu (South Cotabato), and Dugong (Matalam, North Cotabato). In Bansalan alone, ABW supports 84 children including two high school students.DAMAYAN and ABW work in tandem with teachers and parents in implementing the projects with support from the local governments. Take the case in Dugong Elementary School. The barangay council agreed to match the 56 children supported by DAMAYAN by supporting another 56 pupils. All in all, there are already 112 poor children in this school alone supported by this initiative.
DAMAYAN calls it “1x1 program.” This means that for every one child sponsored by DAMAYAN, the barangay will also sponsor another one. The name is patterned after Mexico’s “Tres por Uno program” where every dollar invested by Mexican migrant for development project in their hometown, the local, state and the federal government matches another dollar each.The program started in 1986 when newly elected governor of the Mexican State Zacatecas decided to travel to Los Angeles to meet the migrant workers from Zacatecas living in California. This invitation gave rise to a programme with two objectives: Supporting associations of Zacatecanos (natives of Zacatecas) living in California and the funding of local development projects in Zacatecas in the regions of origin of those concerned. The program later developed into 3 x 1 program when the local and the federal governments joined the program.
Aside from tapping support from the Filipino community, DAMAYAN and ABW also work hard to find sponsors from various Dutch schools, friends, and other sponsors. Locally, the management of the project has always been in the hands of the school principals. There are also focal persons for every school whose primarily role is to liaise with the school principals. A project coordinator oversees the proper implementation of the project and maintains good contacts with the school and various focal persons.
“The financial support to poor students has great impact on the children and motivates teachers to work harder,” says the project coordinator. In fact, inspired by the program, some teachers also decided to adopt and support some pupils not covered by “Gintong Aral”. Last school year, Dugong Elementary School topped the different Achievement Tests (NAT) in the division with 100% of the graduates passing the NAT. Some of the scholars received high honors.
The scholars become automatically members of EcoKids Club. In Dugong, the school set aside a portion of the land at the back of the school for vegetable gardens. Children are taught how to plant different kinds of vegetables. Tree planting is also part of the program.
“We have just an election and we now have new sets of officers of our EcoKids Club,” informed Cyrel Defensor, principal of Dugong Elementary School. He also said that different activities of the EcoKids Club will be given top priority and will be integrated in the environmental awareness program in the teaching of Health and Science. DAMAYAN and ABW hopes that this laudable program can be replicated in other schools.Aside from these initiatives, DAMAYAN and ABW are joining efforts to address poverty of the parents. In separate programs, DAMAYAN members also support the construction of a market place and the renovation of a school in Misamis Oriental. The idea is to provide mothers with start-up capitals so they can set up small micro-enterprises. In doing so, families could little by little build up their household income and eventually be able to send their children to school. Meanwhile, ABW is planning to explore cooperation with the municipal government for future projects.
The literacy project is also part of the over-all goal of DAMAYAN and ABW to assist in building empowered and sustainable local communities in Mindanao.
The combined efforts of the Mindanaoans enabled them to raise a total amount of Euro 3,510 (Ph 210,000) which was matched by The Wild Geese Foundation in the Netherlands. This enable Damayan to and ABW to increase the number of scholars.
“It is heartening to see that we can support some pupils but at the same time I feel so sad to note that there are more children who need our help but we simply can’t do so because of our limited resources,” said Doris Alfafara, a former Davao City resident and DAMAYAN member and now based in the Netherlands. She made the observation after her recent field visit in Dugong and Paquibato.
The help maybe small but, as one Spanish adage puts it, “whatever we do, no matter how small, it will always be more than nothing.”
Remittances and diaspora philanthropy are the human side of migration. But then, both are among the main reasons why Filipinos still dream to work abroad despite the negative consequences such as family separation, danger, abuse and exploitation.
Bansalan on my mind
A few years ago, a group of friends who planned to visit Bansalan told me that they had difficulties in finding my hometown on the Philippine map. I told them where the town is geographically located and assured them that one day Bansalan will be placed on the national map.
Bansalan, with a total land area of 20,770.1966 hectares, is subdivided into 25 barangays. The town is the boundary between the provinces of North Cotabato and Davao del Sur. It is sandwiched by two cities: Kidapawan and Digos, probably the reason why progress in the town is so slow. Vehicles do not linger long enough in the town. Passengers from North Cotabato are eager to reach Digos or Davao City, while passengers bound for North Cotabato are raring to reach Kidapawan City and further to Cotabato City. It has never been a place where passengers stay longer for one reason or the other. Business activities remain in the hands of the local enterprising people. And so the town remains largely rural and agricultural and still waiting for a miracle for the local economy to pick up.
The tragic bombing incident last June 15, which claimed 10 lives, made headlines not only in the Philippines but in other countries as well. It was not exactly the idea I have in my mind for Bansalan to be known around the world. For all we know, the town could be listed by the Western countries as one of the dangerous places to visit in the Philippines.
After reading the news, my first reaction was a total disbelief. This incident should never happen in my hometown. But I was thankful that the bomb was not strong enough to hit the two nearby gasoline stations. After all, Bansalan is practically not prepared to deal with a disaster of this magnitude. The municipality has only one ambulance which is ill-equipped and does not even have simple first aid kit. Sometimes the driver is nowhere to be found. There is no para-medic team to attend to patients. In more instances, the ambulance has no gasoline.
The local people were generally calm after the incident. Randy Albores, chair of the Bansalan chapter of the Association of Bansaleños Worldwide (ABW), reported that the town's parish priest, Rev. Fr. Cristito Carmona, DCD, declared June 17, 2007 as mourning day in honor of the victims of the Weena bus bombing. During the 8 a.m. Mass, prayers were offered to the victims and peace for our town. After the Mass, a procession was held from the church to the bombing site. There was a short liturgical service. Prayers, flowers and candles were offered. A small white cross was erected at the site.
This bombing incident is regrettable since Bansaleños abroad have been trying their best to stimulate local tourism to enhance revenues for the town. As a matter of fact, Bansaleños abroad are preparing for their first grand reunion this coming December and planning to invite their families and friends to visit the town.
However, “out of sight, out of mind” may not aptly describe the attitude of ABW members. The longer they live abroad, the more they are drawn to this sleepy town like falling in love for the first time and falling in love all over again.
ABW members launched the “Give Back” campaign since two years ago to help the development of their hometown. They have finished the re-painting of the ABC Gym (check http://www.bansalan.com/giveback_abc_evolution.htm ) in cooperation with the municipal government.
They also support poor but deserving pupils in their hometown. This school year (2007-2008), they were able to raise enough funds to buy uniforms, school bags, school supplies, and pay school contributions of 84 pupils (please visit http://www.bansalan.com/literacy/abw_scholars.htm ).
They were able to raise almost P200,000 after conducting a fund-raising campaign from December 2006 – May 2007. A funding agency based in the Netherlands matched 70 percent of the net amount they actually raised.
ABW members have many dreams for their beloved town: they want to send books, set up a learning center, build waiting sheds, and improve the Rizal Park. Some are seriously thinking of investing to spur the local economy. One member based in Germany already built a nursery school, the Metilla Day Care center, and in fact shoulders the salaries of the teachers.
The bombing incident clouds a bit of these dreams. However, I know Bansaleños are resilient people. The incident may inspire them even more to work harder and support the development of their hometown.
Perhaps, ABW members could explore with the municipal government unit what measures to be taken to protect the lives of the local people. For instance, the municipal council can conduct disaster preparedness campaign to teach people to become more vigilant in dealing with terrorist attacks.
If they find a suspicious bag or box, the first thing they should do is not to touch or open it. They should vacate the area carefully but quickly without moving the object.
In developed countries, the first thing people do is to call a bomb demolition team. But in Bansalan, is there such a team or a person who knows? And if there is, do people know whom to contact? Anyhow, this is easier said than done. “Curiosity kills a cat,” so goes a saying and our tendency is to satisfy our curiosity first but the consequence can cause many innocent lives. Even if one calls a bomb squad, probably the instruction might be “open it first to be sure that it is a bomb!” For all we know, it is too late.
It is important that peace and order must be restored. Engagement of local government officials to the development of the town is equally important.
ABW members will explore possibilities in establishing such cooperation with the local officials in identifying projects that will improve the quality of life of the local people.
Now, where is Bansalan exactly located?
From the ABW website, I found this information:
“In the lowlands of Mt. Apo lies the rural town of Bansalan. Despite being considered an agricultural economy, it is one of the progressive municipalities in the province of Davao del Sur.
"Legend has it that Bansalan got its name from a Bagobo chieftain (datu) named 'Dansalan' whose tribal folks were the original inhabitants of the place. A so-called reporting error by the early surveyors transposed the name to Bansalan and somehow became the official name on record.
"Bansalan is also formerly called 'Miral' and some local folks still refer to this former name. Visitors to this rustic town would notice that in public transportation the signboard still says Miral instead of Bansalan.
"Bansalan is about 72 kilometers south of Davao City and is very accessible by land transportation mostly by buses going to Cotabato City, Kidapawan City, and Tacurong. Bansalan is about 12 kilometers northwest of the capital city of Digos. Her neighboring towns include Makilala, North Cotabato in the north; Magsaysay, Davao del Sur (formerly called Kialeg) in the west; Matanao, Davao del Sur in the south; Mt. Apo and parts of Digos City in the east.
"The town of Bansalan is a second class municipality which means its income level is between 27 million to 35 million pesos. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 51,781 people in 11,073 households.
"Agriculture is the major source of income for this town. Bansalenos grow rice, corn, banana, fruit trees, coconut, sugar cane in the lowlands. Coffee, vegetables and fruits are grown in the colder highlands of Mt. Apo.
"Bansalan is also keeping up with the times in terms of technology. It has access to cable television, computers, and cell phone sites. It may not be at par with the big cities but it's getting there. Gone are the days when radio was the only source of mass media communications.”
Bansalan, with a total land area of 20,770.1966 hectares, is subdivided into 25 barangays. The town is the boundary between the provinces of North Cotabato and Davao del Sur. It is sandwiched by two cities: Kidapawan and Digos, probably the reason why progress in the town is so slow. Vehicles do not linger long enough in the town. Passengers from North Cotabato are eager to reach Digos or Davao City, while passengers bound for North Cotabato are raring to reach Kidapawan City and further to Cotabato City. It has never been a place where passengers stay longer for one reason or the other. Business activities remain in the hands of the local enterprising people. And so the town remains largely rural and agricultural and still waiting for a miracle for the local economy to pick up.
The tragic bombing incident last June 15, which claimed 10 lives, made headlines not only in the Philippines but in other countries as well. It was not exactly the idea I have in my mind for Bansalan to be known around the world. For all we know, the town could be listed by the Western countries as one of the dangerous places to visit in the Philippines.
After reading the news, my first reaction was a total disbelief. This incident should never happen in my hometown. But I was thankful that the bomb was not strong enough to hit the two nearby gasoline stations. After all, Bansalan is practically not prepared to deal with a disaster of this magnitude. The municipality has only one ambulance which is ill-equipped and does not even have simple first aid kit. Sometimes the driver is nowhere to be found. There is no para-medic team to attend to patients. In more instances, the ambulance has no gasoline.
The local people were generally calm after the incident. Randy Albores, chair of the Bansalan chapter of the Association of Bansaleños Worldwide (ABW), reported that the town's parish priest, Rev. Fr. Cristito Carmona, DCD, declared June 17, 2007 as mourning day in honor of the victims of the Weena bus bombing. During the 8 a.m. Mass, prayers were offered to the victims and peace for our town. After the Mass, a procession was held from the church to the bombing site. There was a short liturgical service. Prayers, flowers and candles were offered. A small white cross was erected at the site.
This bombing incident is regrettable since Bansaleños abroad have been trying their best to stimulate local tourism to enhance revenues for the town. As a matter of fact, Bansaleños abroad are preparing for their first grand reunion this coming December and planning to invite their families and friends to visit the town.
However, “out of sight, out of mind” may not aptly describe the attitude of ABW members. The longer they live abroad, the more they are drawn to this sleepy town like falling in love for the first time and falling in love all over again.
ABW members launched the “Give Back” campaign since two years ago to help the development of their hometown. They have finished the re-painting of the ABC Gym (check http://www.bansalan.com/giveback_abc_evolution.htm ) in cooperation with the municipal government.
They also support poor but deserving pupils in their hometown. This school year (2007-2008), they were able to raise enough funds to buy uniforms, school bags, school supplies, and pay school contributions of 84 pupils (please visit http://www.bansalan.com/literacy/abw_scholars.htm ).
They were able to raise almost P200,000 after conducting a fund-raising campaign from December 2006 – May 2007. A funding agency based in the Netherlands matched 70 percent of the net amount they actually raised.
ABW members have many dreams for their beloved town: they want to send books, set up a learning center, build waiting sheds, and improve the Rizal Park. Some are seriously thinking of investing to spur the local economy. One member based in Germany already built a nursery school, the Metilla Day Care center, and in fact shoulders the salaries of the teachers.
The bombing incident clouds a bit of these dreams. However, I know Bansaleños are resilient people. The incident may inspire them even more to work harder and support the development of their hometown.
Perhaps, ABW members could explore with the municipal government unit what measures to be taken to protect the lives of the local people. For instance, the municipal council can conduct disaster preparedness campaign to teach people to become more vigilant in dealing with terrorist attacks.
If they find a suspicious bag or box, the first thing they should do is not to touch or open it. They should vacate the area carefully but quickly without moving the object.
In developed countries, the first thing people do is to call a bomb demolition team. But in Bansalan, is there such a team or a person who knows? And if there is, do people know whom to contact? Anyhow, this is easier said than done. “Curiosity kills a cat,” so goes a saying and our tendency is to satisfy our curiosity first but the consequence can cause many innocent lives. Even if one calls a bomb squad, probably the instruction might be “open it first to be sure that it is a bomb!” For all we know, it is too late.
It is important that peace and order must be restored. Engagement of local government officials to the development of the town is equally important.
ABW members will explore possibilities in establishing such cooperation with the local officials in identifying projects that will improve the quality of life of the local people.
Now, where is Bansalan exactly located?
From the ABW website, I found this information:
“In the lowlands of Mt. Apo lies the rural town of Bansalan. Despite being considered an agricultural economy, it is one of the progressive municipalities in the province of Davao del Sur.
"Legend has it that Bansalan got its name from a Bagobo chieftain (datu) named 'Dansalan' whose tribal folks were the original inhabitants of the place. A so-called reporting error by the early surveyors transposed the name to Bansalan and somehow became the official name on record.
"Bansalan is also formerly called 'Miral' and some local folks still refer to this former name. Visitors to this rustic town would notice that in public transportation the signboard still says Miral instead of Bansalan.
"Bansalan is about 72 kilometers south of Davao City and is very accessible by land transportation mostly by buses going to Cotabato City, Kidapawan City, and Tacurong. Bansalan is about 12 kilometers northwest of the capital city of Digos. Her neighboring towns include Makilala, North Cotabato in the north; Magsaysay, Davao del Sur (formerly called Kialeg) in the west; Matanao, Davao del Sur in the south; Mt. Apo and parts of Digos City in the east.
"The town of Bansalan is a second class municipality which means its income level is between 27 million to 35 million pesos. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 51,781 people in 11,073 households.
"Agriculture is the major source of income for this town. Bansalenos grow rice, corn, banana, fruit trees, coconut, sugar cane in the lowlands. Coffee, vegetables and fruits are grown in the colder highlands of Mt. Apo.
"Bansalan is also keeping up with the times in terms of technology. It has access to cable television, computers, and cell phone sites. It may not be at par with the big cities but it's getting there. Gone are the days when radio was the only source of mass media communications.”
Sunday, 29 July 2007
The Sin of Omission
by: Margaret E. Sangster
It isn't the thing you do, dear,
Its the thing you leave undone
That gives you a bit of a heartache
At setting of the sun.
The tender work forgotten,
The letter you did not write,
The flowers you did not send, dear,
Are your haunting ghosts at night.
The stone you might have lifted
Out of a brother's way;
The bit of heartsome counsel
You were hurried too much to say;
The loving touch of the hand, dear,
The gentle, winning tone
Which you had no time nor thought for
With troubles enough of your own.
Those little acts of kindness
So easily out of mind,
Thoes chances to be angels
Which we poor mortals find
They come in night and silence,
Each sad, reproachful wraith,
When hope is faint and flagging,
And a chill has fallen on faith.
For life is all too short, dear,
And sorrow is all to great,
To suffer our slow compassion
That tarries until too late:
And it isn't the thing you do, dear,
It's the thing you leave undone
Which gives you a bit of heartache
At the setting of the sun.
Its the thing you leave undone
That gives you a bit of a heartache
At setting of the sun.
The tender work forgotten,
The letter you did not write,
The flowers you did not send, dear,
Are your haunting ghosts at night.
The stone you might have lifted
Out of a brother's way;
The bit of heartsome counsel
You were hurried too much to say;
The loving touch of the hand, dear,
The gentle, winning tone
Which you had no time nor thought for
With troubles enough of your own.
Those little acts of kindness
So easily out of mind,
Thoes chances to be angels
Which we poor mortals find
They come in night and silence,
Each sad, reproachful wraith,
When hope is faint and flagging,
And a chill has fallen on faith.
For life is all too short, dear,
And sorrow is all to great,
To suffer our slow compassion
That tarries until too late:
And it isn't the thing you do, dear,
It's the thing you leave undone
Which gives you a bit of heartache
At the setting of the sun.
Wake Up Call
Harnessing the Human Capital of Volunteers
Why despite the heavy demands of family life and work for those who are employed, volunteers still find time to attend meetings; lend helping hand to Filipinos/as in need; and provide assistance in many community activities? On the other hand, it also happens and it is already happening that some organizations regardless of their orientations or focus activities, the number of their active members who are willing to assume responsibilities is rapidly dwindling. What keep volunteers stay and what hold them back from getting more involved?
I came across a book title Human Capital[1]written by Thomas Davenport, principal of TowersPerrin, a consulting firm specializing in Human Resources. I had also the opportunity to attend his lectures in Rotterdam. Davenport points out that in the corporate world many companies claim that their employees are their most important assets. But the metaphor “workers as assets” Davenport argues while it represents a worthy elevation of employees to the status they deserve being people after all, are the chief engine of prosperity of organizations, is outdated and misguided. Assets refer to tangible things such as office equipment, furniture and fixtures, buildings, etc. They are at the ready disposal of the company. They can either be used or abused. A better metaphor, Davenport says, to worker employees should be more free agent owners of investable capital. Their capital is the ability, behavior, effort, and time they contribute to a company.
While reading Human Capital, I transposed my mind to my experiences in working with volunteers and as a volunteer myself. We also call the volunteers as assets of the organizations. There are similarities indeed between the employees as human capital investors as described by Davenport and the volunteers. The latter brings different human drives, energies, talent, treasures, skills, time, and motivations to the organizations as well. The only difference between volunteers and employees is that the former do not receive remunerations and tangible rewards for the services they render. In the absence of tangible rewards, the burning questions remain: What keep the volunteers then stick to their organizations? If they invest time, talent, and treasure, what is their return on investment (ROI)?
Davenport explains that attractive salaries and fringe benefits alone are not enough for the company to find and hire their best people. They must have engagement and commitment. Engagement can be defined in various ways but it is best summed up as a sense of identification with interest in, and enjoyment of the activities associated with the content and results of work. People with high engagement, Davenport describes, are those who care a lot about what they do; they may or may not care about where they do it.
This differ somewhat, says Davenport, from the related notion of people commitment which has more to do with a sense of connection to the organization itself, acceptance of its goals and direction, and a strong need for membership. Commitment arises from an emotional, social, or intellectual bond linking with the organization. Thus, one may be committed but not necessarily engaged. The other believes in the principle of the organization but is not prepared or willing to do or have less time to achieve organizational goals. Thus, commitment is the driver to join the organization, while engagement is the act of transforming ideas and vision into reality.
But what does it take to build engagement and commitment? Davenport says that contributions to reach engagement and commitment are found on the non-traditional reward areas of work environment and learning and development such as:
1) Satisfying and challenging work
2) Developmental assignments to provide learning opportunities
3) Opportunities to advance in various fields
4) Performance feedback and coaching
5) Effective leadership
6) Recognition programs that reflect achievements
7) Variable rewards that meet needs
The right kind of environment and rewards help produce commitment and engagement that in turn, encourage investment of human capital on the part of workers and enhance performance.
Using Davenport’s arguments to migrant work situation, I am wondering if the dwindling interest of volunteers lies on the fact that they are not attended and supported adequately to enhance their human capital. Regretfully, most of us who are engaged in volunteer migrant work do not have adequate skills yet to analyze deeper the human aspect of volunteer work. But serious attempts can be done to use the tool kits developed by Davenport and apply them to our work.
We have to search answers to the following questions:
1) Why there seems to be lack of interest of new members to assume more responsibilities that current leaders are forced to prolong their term of office?
2) Do the members really identify themselves with the goals and objectives of the organization and at the same time are the outflow of diverse ideas and approaches being encouraged? If they do and yet they remain non-engaged, then perhaps organizations do not have the needed organizational environment which motivates members to invest their human capital.
3) Does the organization provide the necessary learning activities and programs to develop its members?
4) Why there are so many committed members – those who accept the goals and direction of the organization – and yet only a handful is engaged? Do they really identify with the goals and objectives of the organizations or they just express the needs of others? What about their own peculiar needs and aspirations?
5) What organizational environmental and development should organizations create to encourage volunteers to invest their human capital?
I have been talking with some volunteers to find out how they see themselves as volunteers. The following are some of their answers:
1) Involving with migrant organizations have helped them find their own self-worth and provide opportunities for self-development which they could not get in their home situation.
2) Spending time with co-Filipinos eases the feeling of homesickness.
3) By doing volunteer work, they can make use of their skills and talents to help the overseas Filipinos air out their issues and concerns.
4) Some simply like doing migrant work but have not thought of yet about the deeper meaning of their involvement.
5) It is simply fun to be with compatriots or they have nothing else meaningful to do.
6) Commitment to the cause especially to those who are politically oriented.
I also asked those who are not quite active anymore and those who are contemplating of taking a low profile, how come that they are no longer as active as before. Their answers are:
1) Family demands. There are small and teenage children to attend to.
2) Family and work allow very little time for volunteer work. Volunteer work is stressful and time-consuming.
3) Setting new priorities in life. Plans to study, to find jobs, etc.
4) Other members are no longer active which demotivates leaders t continue with their work knowing that implementation of the activities will lie on their shoulders alone.
5) Internal conflict in the organization and the constant arguments and bickering without reaching constructive solutions that meetings no longer mean anything which members can look forward to with great anticipation.
6) Individual proposals, needs, and ideas are not adequately responded to.
7) Blurred perspectives. Activities are too issue-oriented but less practical actions that produce concrete results are being undertaken.
8) Leadership styles and differences in approaches and methods of work.
9) Poor health. Illness in the family or simply burnt out.
10) Lack or recognition. You try your best and yet what he or she is doing is never good enough. Constant pressures from peers to do more, to do better but for what?
11) Unfounded accusations and criticisms by some people who do not understand their work.
12) Jealousy. Mistrust. Lack of team spirit.
13) Lack of new leaders who will assume responsibilities.
14) Differences in social and political orientations. Values.
There are many more reasons. It seems to me the answers I gathered are reasonable and understandable enough. Nobody says openly though that they are no longer committed to their respective organizations. They still are only reluctant to assume more responsibilities. Instead of accepting the answers as they are, I believe concerned leaders and members must find ways and means to study and explore practicable solutions to the expressed needs and problems.
Davenport offers useful insights on how to find and keep valuable and performing employees. Could we do the same in our migrant work? Perhaps, we need to reinvent volunteer migrant work. Jonas Riddersråle and Kjell Nordström, both teaching at Stockholm School of Economics and author of Funky Business[2], say that “reinvention is not changing what it is but creating what is not. Reinvention entails a series of continuous metamorphosis of this magnitude over time.”
We should put back the pleasant environment in our groups to make members feel at ease and make meetings and implementation of activities events to look forward to whether to plan for the next social activity or to discuss serious migrant issues and concerns. We should bring back the fun and the spirit of camaraderie during meetings for without this pleasant and relaxed ambience people will be discouraged to attend meetings so they can avoid more unpleasant confrontations. Since we rely so much on the goodwill of volunteers, we also have to find out how we can improve the organizational environment in such a way that volunteers could keep their enthusiasm. In the past workshops I attended, it has been expressed several times that leveling of awareness and understanding of goals and objectives are necessary to motivate members. This is true but only a small part of the whole complex process in insuring success of the organization. We need to go beyond than just awareness building. For what use would it be if someone understands the goals and objectives of the organizations and yet the how of doing is weak and confusing? The process becomes the message.
Little has been done too, in providing the volunteers with a road map, a hands-on guide and training on how to manage their respective organizations; on how to plan, implement, monitor, evaluate, and report their agreed objectives and programs; on how to raise funds; improve communications skills; team building, etc. Most workshops always focus on the long-term objectives, ideals, issues, and concerns of overseas Filipinos but less time is being spent on the methods on how to achieve them. Let us face the fact that advocating issues and concerns of the overseas Filipinos is laudable but active leaders and members who are engaged in advocacy and lobby work are generally not the direct beneficiaries of the campaigns in the short term. Poverty alleviation takes place in the Philippines not in the Netherlands. Most volunteers are permanent residents who are quite integrated in the Dutch society and stable enough that is why they have the time to do volunteer work.
It is quite understandable for the volunteers to expect short-term tangible results and at the same time hope to gain new skills and knowledge in the process. Volunteers need a large amount of inspiration to be able to plan for the next short-term activity while they aim for the long-term goals of the organizations. By focusing activities only on the long-term targets which results usually may or may not happen only after a considerable length of time. They have grown tired and burnt out. The flipside of this is the danger if too much concentration is given on immediate and short-term results. Volunteers become eventually myopic and will soon loss sight of the whole perspective of migrant work and the deeper meaning why they are engaged in spontaneous actions and small-scale activities. All activities must reinforce and fit in perfectly into the whole strategy of migrant work like jigsaw puzzles. In short, we must be able to distinguish the trees from the forest. We must have a long-term vision.
Most of the volunteers are not prepared when they assume their new tasks. They have the commitment but they lack the necessary skills. This poses problems in the future. If the volunteers are properly trained, guided, and prepared adequately for their new tasks and responsibilities, we could at least help them not to commit major failures. We can prevent them from being exposed to criticisms that unless constructively and tactfully resolved, may dampen their spirits that may provoke them to give up volunteer work. If volunteers are adequately prepared, they will learn how to overcome and deal with difficulties while implementing their assigned tasks with less stress and pressure. If they could deal with the immediate tasks and goals with much ease, the more they can sustain their enthusiasm to work for the long terms ones. If all these conditions are met, unnecessary frustrations, dissatisfaction, decrease in self-worth, and “lost-at-sea” feeling which partly attribute to the waning interest of the volunteers to assume more responsibilities can be timely avoided. Above all, by preventing unnecessary conflict, the whole organization and the other members will not suffer.
We are aware that the strong bond that binds the volunteers together could snap out anytime but we cannot really take the blame on anybody else for this. Leaders and members alike who are engaged in migrant work have to start practically from the scratch. We all have to undergo on-the-job training, learn and improve from our failures and successes as we go along. We learn to stand up after we fall and to grapple with complex human interactions and dynamics within the organization. We re-inspire ourselves after committing mistakes and undergoing painful experiences. I am aware every active leader and member who have committed to volunteer work have experienced in one way or the other some moments of doubts whether it is worth carrying on with volunteer work or not. Some have recovered unscathed, unfortunately, some have not.
Volunteer work must provide opportunities for the volunteers to develop themselves, and acquire new knowledge and skills. They help migrant community at the same time they develop themselves. We must break the patron-beneficiary relationship; that one sacrifices for the sake of the other. We should avoid volunteer saying “I spend my time selflessly to serve the migrant community and this is all what I get!” It should be a win-win situation. That is why I believe volunteers must understand first and foremost what return on investment they expect in doing volunteer work considering the diversity of their aspirations and whether they can achieve this by committing and engaging themselves in migrant work. I do believe that volunteers understand it fully well that migrant organizations could not offer tangible or monetary rewards. But there must be a reason that keeps them going. But is it really possible to have ROI in migrant organizations work albeit not in terms of tangible rewards? There must be and they are in various forms, otherwise volunteers will not stick to migrant work. We have find out arduously what they are and try to enhance them.
I wish I have really answers to the questions but I do not have. I myself is in pursuit of the answers of these troubling questions. Sharing experiences and reflections of people involved in migrant work might be of help to come up with a collective solution of the problem and that is the purpose of this article.
Despite its known weaknesses, volunteer work among the Filipino community in the Netherlands has already gone a long way. Volunteers keep the community alive and vibrant. Living and dynamic organizations are those that are capable of gathering and bonding talented, creative people, who are excited and motivated, who trust the organization and are inspired by what they do. Volunteers are people who constantly search for meaning and they have a soul. These tenets must be used as the basis for putting volunteers and their human capital at the center of organizational strategy. However, if the decreasing interest of the leaders and members to invest their human capital persists, migrant organizations in the Netherlands and elsewhere regardless what they do or what they believe in – social, spiritual, cultural, political, charitable, developmental, etc. – will soon face a leadership vacuum and organizational crisis.
If we value volunteers as the backbone and human capital investors of the organizations, we must listen and respond to their needs and aspirations. If no attention will be given to them, volunteer organizations will not last long. I have already seen the rise and fall of many migrant organisations. This is a wake up call.
[1] Human Capital by Thomas Davenport, Jossey-Bass, 1999
[2] Funky Business, Jonas Riddersråle and Kjell Nordström
ft.com/Pearson Education, 2000
2000
Author's Note: Happily, at present migrant organisations in the Netherlands have already many opportunities to attend capacity building training. Dutch development agencies also realized the need to develop the capacities of migrant organisations to ensure success of their initiatives.
July 28, 2007
Empowering Filipino Migrant Volunteers
As Filipinos in the Netherlands, we observe that there are many existing programs sponsored and supported by the Dutch government and civil society. However, perhaps due to lack of understanding, it is difficult for the Filipinos to situate themselves in the overall vision and strategy of the Dutch government’s migrant policy. This lack of understanding is exacerbated by their marginal participation in the migrant policy formulation and discourses.
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
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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