Capacity building program for migrant workers.

WIMLER HK conducts regular training and workshops on the following fields:

  • Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship (LSE)

An empowerment program, LSE is a joint initiative of the Ateneo University School of Government (ASoG) with the Overseas Filipinos Society for the Promotion of Economic Security (OFSPES), the Social Enterprises Development Partnerships Inc. (SEDPI) and Ugat Foundation in collaboration with the Philippine Consulate, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in Hong Kong. The course is organized and coordinated in Hong Kong by WIMLER Foundation HK.

The LSE was first conducted in Rome, Italy in 2008 and has since reached out to other overseas Filipinos (OFs) in Naples, Milan, Florence, Turin, Dubai, Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels, and Macau. By December 2014, over 800 would have graduated from the course.

The LSE course covers 12 sessions each, two Sundays per month over a six-month period. Sessions last from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. The program covers three modules: financial literacy, leadership and social entrepreneurship. The LSE aims to develop the leadership skills and potentials 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.

A certificate is awarded by the ASoG and other partners to trainees who attend all the sessions at a graduation ceremony at the end of the course. Successful LSE course graduates and those who completed the practicum program, who are college graduates, will be granted LSE diplomas. So far, eight graduates qualified to receive their diploma.

The course is open to all Filipino migrant workers in Hong Kong, especially those who are seriously planning for their return and reintegration. Only a limited number of participants can be accommodated.  

  • Gender, Remittances, Loans and Debt Management
  • Project management and team building                                                                                                          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.
  • Mentoring and Coaching (Return and Reintegration) WIMLER has a pool of professional mentors and coaches who can conduct group mentoring in relation to return and reintegration plans of migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong.
  • Effective Communication

Other programs

Fund Raising Campaign for “Send a Child to School” project    
Tutorial Class                                                                                                                                                                                         In Hong Kong, children must be taught how to speak and write English and Mandarin. Children of Chinese descent lag behind in English, while non-Chinese immigrant children, need to improve their Mandarin. Children usually find it difficult in coping with their subjects. Being a charity registered in Hong Kong, WIMLER decided to support tutorial classes to give the children the much needed support.

Since early 2014, WIMLER Foundation HK supports two tutorial classes for 20 secondary students from low-income families living in the Sham Shui Po, one of the most depressed areas in Hong Kong. WIMLER funded two, 12-week course classes attended by an average of 6-9 students per class, for a total of four classes. Each class meets once a week for an hour. This project is in partnership with Hope of the City Foundation.

Due to the tutorial class, some students have gained more confidence in speaking English. However, there are still challenges with grammar and more work and time is required before the students’ English levels show any significant improvement.