Unlad Kabayan, Taiwan partners strengthen MSAI

Melanie Valenciano (center, in stripes) with the ‘Savers for Good’ savings group at a dormitory in Hukou, Taiwan

Unlad Kabayan and Hope Workers’ Center (HWC) continue to strengthen the Migrant Savings for Alternative Investment (MSAI) campaign in Taiwan.

On January 5-21, 2008, the Savings and Investment Mobilization (SIM) Officer of Unlad Kabayan, Melanie Valenciano, conducted a series of meetings and MSAI seminars among overseas Filipino workers in Taiwan. HWC in Chungli and Migrants Desk Center in Hsinchu helped in organizing migrant investors, savings groups and potential migrant investors. 

At least 10 meetings and seminars were conducted during the two-week visit. From the pooled savings in Taiwan, investments were mobilized from individual and group migrant savers, to be invested in the Matin-ao Rice Center. A community enterprise in Surigao del Norte, it is owned solely by migrants and managed by Elsa Belarmino, a returnee who worked as a caregiver in Taiwan for seven years.

Meanwhile, HWC reaffirmed their commitment to a continued partnership with Unlad Kabayan in spearheading the MSAI campaign Taiwan.

The MSAI campaign helps prepare migrant workers for their eventual return and reintegration by developing their capacity to build and mobilize their savings wisely. Through this campaign, Unlad Kabayan and its partners in Taiwan assist Filipino migrants and their families to build their savings and invest in social enterprises in the Philippines.

Bringing MSAI to more Taiwan cities

May-an Villalba and Bernice Roldan with migrant investors organized by Hope Workers Center in Taiwan

From January to February 2007, May-an Villalba (Executive Director) and Bernice Roldan (Advocacy Officer) went on a visit to various cities in Taiwan to mainstream the Migrant Savings for Alternative Investment (MSAI) program, in partnership with Hope Workers Center (HWC). Activities included a trainers’ training for church and social workers from Catholic churches in various cities organized by HWC, as well as church and dorm visits and meetings with migrant investors for updates on the social enterprises supported by Unlad in the Philippines. Unlad worked closely with Beth Sabado, MSAI coordinator of HWC, during the visit.

Previous visits of Unlad were concentrated in Chungli City, where HWC is based. On this visit, MSAI seminars reached out to other cities (Hsinchu, Taipei and Changhwa). Fr. Peter O’Neill, previously the director of HWC and a strong partner of Unlad in MSAI since 1996, was promoted as head of the Columban archdiocese in Taiwan and is now working with the Hsinchu Catholic Diocese Migrants and New Immigrants Service Center. Previously a church-based center providing services to Filipino migrants, the Hsinchu office has immediate plans to reach out to Vietnamese, Thai and Indonesian migrants. Sr. Doris Zahra has been the director of HWC since 2006.

With Fr. O’Neill’s promotion, he facilitated the introduction of MSAI seminars in churches in other cities. This, coupled with Unlad’s repackaging of the MSAI seminars, led to an increase of the reintegration and savings groups (RSGs) in Taiwan:

Hsinchu - 90 members from 7 RSGs

Chungli - 60 members from 5 RSGs

Changhwa - 7 members from 1 RSG

Taipei - 11 members from 1 RSG

At present, Unlad and HWC are scoping out the possibilities for an RSG from Invista Far Eastern dorm to put up a noodle factory group enterprise in Cavite, to replicate a previous project of two seafarer brothers from Davao City. The Jandug brothers’ noodle factory, which has since branched out to producing food preserves for halo-halo, employs 22 people in the community and is managed by another brother, Jaime Jandug, who used to be a teacher.