News and Articles
Training of Trainers on Financial Literacy in Maribojoc Bohol - March 21 - 24, 2011
The Training of Trainers on Financial Literacy (Level 2) was held in Maribojoc, Bohol from March 21 to 24, 2011. It was participated by Local Government Staffs from Batangas, Laguna, Pampanga and Tarlac. The training aims to capacitate the trainers in orienting OFWs and their families on the various financial and investment instruments available in the market and help them decide on where to invest their savings wherein they can earn additional income.
OFWs Urged to Save for Unrest, Crises
Maricar Cinco (Philippine Daily Inquirer) Posted on March 16, 2011
OVERSEAS Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families should start saving a portion of their remittances so they won’t be caught off guard in case of war or crisis in foreign countries that could result in an emergency repatriation.
Mai Añonuevo, executive director of Atikha, a nongovernment organization based in San Pablo City, Laguna, said the OFWs should be planning for “strategic” financial needs.
Orientation / Advocacy Seminar & Study Tour - February 22 - 25, 2011
The Advocacy Seminar & Study Tour was in part of the MDG Joint Program on Youth and Employment and Migration entitled “Alternatives to Migration: Decent Jobs for Filipino Youth” funded by the MDG Achievement Fund, implemented by the International Organization for Migration, ILO, Unicef and UNFPA, for which one of the outputs is the establishment of One-Stop Shop Resource Centers in the provinces of Masbate, Antique, Agusan del Sur and Maguindanao.
Replicating Initiatives on Financial Literacy in United Arab Emirates - January 28 - February 07, 2011
By Estrella Mai Dizon-Anonuevo, Executive Director, Atikha Overseas Workers and Communities Initiatives
I was surprised to receive a call from Ambassador Grace Princesa, Philippine Ambassador to the UAE and Labor Attache Jeff Cortazar , requesting me to come to Abu Dhabi to meet with representatives of the Ministry of Labor of UAE. Apparently, the Ministry of Labor is interested to conduct financial literacy training of trainers not only for Filipino migrants but also migrants from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and they are looking at Atikha, our NGO to conduct the training.
PINOY WISE Financial Literacy for OFWs launched in Abu Dhabi - February 4 and 5, 2011
The financial literacy campaign named PINOY WISE (Worldwide Initiative for Savings Investment and Entrepreneurship) was launched last February 4 and 5, 2011 at the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi. PINOY WISE is a campaign initiated by a network of NGOs, cooperatives, microfinance institutions in partnership with government and private sector to encourage the OFWs and their families to save and invest their hard earned money. One of the organizers of the financial literacy campaign, Mai Dizon-Anonuevo, executive director of Atikha shared “We coined the word PINOY WISE to remind OFWs the need to be Wise in managing their funds and also to be Wise in caring for their families. We have seen in our work with OFWs and their families that despite their high income, 70% are not able to save and achieve their long-term goals for migration. This is the reason why they are unable to return and reintegrate and be with their family for good.
‘Little Italy’ Rises on Philippine Hillside
By Mynardo Macaraig (Agence France-Presse )
MABINI, Batangas — On an isolated hillside in the Philippines, a tiny slice of Italy has risen from among the vegetable patches and coconut trees, the product of thousands of overseas workers.
Large stone houses — often with brand-new vehicles in their driveways — cover the district, even though the narrow streets can barely accommodate more than one car at a time.
Left Behind, OFW Families also Earn in Low-cost Tours
By Maricar Cinco (Philippine Daily Inquirer) First Posted 20:45:00 11/03/2010
SAN PABLO CITY, Philippines – They may be tourists abroad, but back home in San Pablo City in Laguna, spouses and children of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) play hosts to guests, either as tour guides or as home-stay operators.
At least 10 houses, mostly left idle by migrant workers, have been turned into bed-and-breakfast (B&B) lodges or home-stays to accommodate small groups of tourists. At the same time, the children of the OFWs, aged 18 to 25 years, have been trained and hired as tour guides around this quaint city.
Pinoy Wise Initiated
Atikha and the Philippine Consortium on Migration and Development (PHILCOMDEV) organized the PINOY WISE MOVEMENT (Pinoy Worldwide Initiative on Savings Investment and Entrepreneurship) an information, value formation and education campaign to encourage OFWs and their families to save and invest the hard earned money of the Overseas Filipinos wisely.
Soro-soro Ibaba Development Cooperative Launches Investment Program in Agriculture for Overseas Filipinos
To assist OFWs and help create jobs and economic opportunities for migrant families and rural communities, SIDC, Atikha and the Filipino Women’s Council are launching the SIDC Investment Program for OFWs. Initially the target of the investment mobilization program are migrants from Italy but this investment package is also open to other OFWs willing to invest in agriculture development.
Atikha to Hold 2nd Regional Forum on Migration and Development in Calamba - May 14, 2010
By Carlo P. Gonzaga (PIA)
According to Atikha Executive Director Mai Dizon-Anonuevo, the forum is the culmination of series of migration and development fora and consultations conducted in cooperation with National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Region IV-A and the provincial and selected municipal governments of Cavite, Laguna and Batangas.
