WIMLER HK believes in a holistic approach to development so we strive to conduct the following programs:

  • Support and initiate customized capacity building training programs for migrant workers and their organizations in Hong Kong (e.g. transformational leadership, team building financial literacy, social entrepreneurship, and project management);
  • Engage and stimulate active involvement of migrant organizations of various nationalities, concerned individuals, academe, policy makers, and the private sector to promote the well-being of migrants and their families as well as promote sustainable development in countries of origin;
  • Empower and enhance the capacities of community organizations and their constituents to enable them to support sustainable livelihood initiatives through microfinance and social enterprises;
  • Launch fundraising activities to support community-driven projects in migrants’ countries of origin especially in the areas of education of poor children and economic empowerment of local communities;
  • Conduct workshops or seminars on the link between migration, gender and development with a focus on the role of migrants and how to harness the potentials of hometown associations as agents of development;
  • Provide technical assistance, consultancy services and conduct research related to migration, microfinance, remittances, and development and disseminate them for knowledge sharing and influencing policies and practices that affect the lives of the poor;
  • Encourage and promote corporate social responsibility to help poor communities to rise up from poverty; and
  • Establish strategic alliances with organizations which share similar vision and mission with WIMLER.

Our Programs

ALSE OF-LIFE is an empowerment program initiated by the Ateneo University School of Government (ASoG), the Overseas Filipinos Society for the Promotion of Economic Security (OFSPES), the Social Enterprises Development Partnerships, Inc. (SEDPI), and Ugat Foundation. Together, they collaborated with the Philippine Consulate, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO), and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in Hong Kong. The course is then organized and coordinated in Hong Kong by WIMLER Foundation HK in partnership with the Southeast Research Center (SEARC) of the City University of Hong Kong.

The ALSE OF-LIFE course covers 12 sessions each, two Sundays per month, in the course of a six-month period. The sessions last from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The program covers three modules: financial literacy, leadership, and social entrepreneurship. The LSE aims to develop leadership skills and potential among overseas Filipinos and their families, provide knowledge and skills in savings and investments and other financial matters and develop and/or enhance their entrepreneurial skills.

WIMLER HK conducts fund raising campaign to support the education of underprivileged children in the Philippines.

Learn More About This Program

This a course that explores and discusses the basic concept of gender and its surrounding social issues. It discusses the correlation of gender and poverty, as well as the impact of gender on the financial behavior of people who migrate, either temporarily or permanently.

In 2013, Hong Kong is home to around 320,000 foreign domestic workers. Of which, nearly 50% were Filipinos (Al, 2013:5), almost all women. Prior to and during migration, women domestics have to shoulder huge expenses to fund migration as well as for the expenses of the family they left behind. The overseas Filipinos in Hong Kong have remitted to the Philippines more than US$690 million in 2014 (BSP, 2014). These have greatly contributed and resulted to increased income, improved health, and better access to education in the families back home. Not to mention the remittances sent by hometown associations, which help build schools and classrooms, and fund scholarships, among others.

However, researches show that despite the financial capacity of women migrants to be the breadwinners, there is a growing concern of how remittances (and loans taken in Hong Kong) are channeled to productive purposes and investments that would eventually help them financially secure future reintegration.

This course then is set to discuss the following:

  • What is gender and why it matters
  • What is the impact of gender on remittances and loans
  • What is the debt situation of OFWs in Hong Kong
  • How could gender influence your migration project
  • What ways and strategies can be done to address gender issues on remittances and loans

This is intended for hometown associations which aim to sharpen their vision and mission and clearly identify realistic goals and objectives within their mission and how to achieve them in a defined time frame within the organization’s capacity for implementation. In addition, this workshop trains participants how to communicate those goals and objectives to the organization’s constituents and develop a sense of ownership of the plan. It will further assist them to identify key and measurable indicators whether their plans are executed or not. By working together around agreed objectives and activities, the workshop assists building a cohesive team work.

WIMLER has a pool of professional mentors and coaches who can conduct group mentoring in relation to the return and reintegration plans of migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong.