Consul General Raly Tejada has green-lighted the Philippine Consulate to serve as the venue for the free financial literacy seminars provided to Filipino domestic workers by Card HK Foundation.
The decision was confirmed after Card HK held its first financial education seminars at the Consulate on Sept 22, with 47 Filipino household workers taking part.
PCG to Offer Fin-Lit Training to OFWs with Partner CARD HK
Prior to the beginning of the seminar, ConGen Tejada had a meeting with a delegation from Card HK who gave an orientation on what the foundation has been doing to help migrants plan for their future and avoid the debt trap, the biggest bane of Filipinos who go abroad to work, as shared in a report by the Sun HK.
Tejada acknowledged the big problem faced by the community in preventing Filipino workers away from high-risk loans and enthusiastically agreed to provide the venue for Card’s future fin-lit seminars.
Meanwhile, the group from Card HK was made up of founder Edna Aquino, Board member Leo Deocadiz, lead trainer Victoria Munar, trainer Marites Palma and Card, Inc. area manager Jireh Duhina, who came to observe the training process.
According to Aquino, more than 3,000 OFWs in Hong Kong have already taken part in Card HK’s fin-lit training since it began nine years ago.
Aquino shared that the distinguishing factor of their program is that migrant workers who had previously undergone the training are now conducting it themselves, like Munar and Palma.
The training structure comes in line with Card HK’s advocacy of empowering migrants not only through emancipating them from money-related problems but also in allowing them to help others by imparting the invaluable lessons they’ve learned through their own journey to financial freedom.
Furthermore, other than the fin-lit program, Card HK also conducts entrepreneurship and livelihood training for OFWs.
For his part, Deocadiz noted Card HK’s tie-up with its mother organization, the Ramon Magsaysay Award-winning micro-enterprise Card MRI in the Philippines, in providing a follow-through mechanism for the families of OFWs who have undergone training.
Interestingly, the 3,040 OFWs who have joined the fin-lit program, Card MRI has managed to visit the families of 2,248.
Of these, 1,621 families have joined Card’s programs, which include savings, loans for business, health care and insurance.
Those who are interested to gain more information about the programs offered by Card HK can visit their official Facebook page, where they post upcoming training schedules and instructions on how to sign up and join the program.
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