Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship (LSE) Training Program starts on March 1 in Hong Kong

The fifth batch of the Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship (LSE) Training Program in Hong
Kong will start on March 1, 2015.

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) an with support from BNP Paribas and Prime Credit. 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 30 in Hong Kong follows the successful LSE 12, 15, 16, and 22.

The LSE 30 covers 12 sessions each, two Sundays per month over a six-month period starting on March 1, 2015. Sessions last from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. All sessions will be conducted at the Migrant Empowerment Resource Center (MERC), 12/F Euro Trade Centre 21-23 Des Voeux Road, Central, Hong Kong.  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.

ORIENTATION SEMINAR

An orientation seminar will be coducted on Sunday, February 15 from 1:30 to 4:30 pm at

Migrant Empowerment Resource Center (MERC)
12/F Euro Trade Centre
21-23 Des Voeux Road, Central
Hong Kong

Interested individuals can already fill up an submit their application forms to the secreariat. Please prepare HK$ 100  reservation fee.

Course Fee:

Participation fee is HK$ 800 for the whole course for migrant domestic workers and HK$ 1,600 for non-migrant domestic workers payable on the following terms:

15 FEB – deadline for registration and payment of $100.00 non-refundable reservation fee, deductible from the tuition fee for those who will actually follow the course.

Mode of Payment:

Course fee is payable in CASH on the following terms:

a) First Payment: $200.00 on or before 01 MAR 2015

b) Balance of $600.00 on three installments:

$200.00 on or before 12 April 2015
$200.00 on or before 10 May 2015
$200.00 on or before 28 June 2015

Admission to the course is on “first come, first served basis” and those who have paid full or partial payment before March 1, 2015 and have met the admission requirements.

Application forms should be sent to lsehk.contact@gmail.com not later than February 21, 2015.
Inquiries on the program can be obtained from the following:

 (LSE HK Secretariat):

Ma. Wilma Padura
Mobile: +852 9386 2514

Anna Martinez:  Mobile - +63 915 908 9476 (whatsapp or Viber ONLY)
Or per email: lsehk.contact@gmail.com

Emilie Veringa-Tobias: emilie.veringa@wimler.org
Mobile:  +852 5191 0902
              +852 5199 0780 (whatsapp or Viber ONLY)

Downloadable documents:

LSE 30 Brochure
LSE Application form

Twenty secondary students in Sham Shui Po attend tutorial class

Hope of the City Progress Report for WIMLER Foundation HK

Report Period: February 15, 2014 to July 2014


WIMLER Foundation HK in partnership with Hope of the City Foundation 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.

The report below is for the period February 15 – July 2014. The second group started last August and will end in January 2015.

1. Summary

a. Description of activities funded by WIMLERPartnership agreement: 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.


Class 1: English Class for Shepherd Church (J-Life)
Course dates: 15 Mar, 2014 – 5 July, 2014 (12 sessions)
Target group: 10 secondary school students

Class 2: English Class for Shepherd Church (J-Life)
Course dates: 11 Feb, 2014 – 5 Aug, 2014 (24 sessions)
Target group: 10 secondary school students

WIMLER Board of Directors visiting the tutorial class
Sam Razim (2nd from left, Richard Rispens, 4th from left and Luz Tan

b. Primary students

20 secondary students from low-income families living in the Sham Shui PO. The 10 students in Class 1 were referred by teachers at Wai Kiu College as students who could benefit from additional support in English language learning. The 10 students in Class 2 were identified and screened           by J-Life community center staff members.

2. Project Status

Class 1 has been completed as of 5 July 2014 (12 sessions = 1 class section) and Class 2 is still ongoing until August 2014 (24 sessions = 2 class sections). A new summer class section will be added from 16 July -  27 August, equating to a shorter 6-week course. This summer class will be
the fourth section to launch and will target primary school aged students from low-income households in Sham Shui Po. The primary school students will likely continue with another 6 weeks of English courses when the new school term commences in September 2014.

3. Project Outcomes

The report showed that there were obvious difficulties in English language ability for the students and that the students are in need of focused help.

The teacher’s comments from the post-course assessment reflect improvements made by the students in the areas of comprehension, vocabulary, and basic English grammar. Some students are also gaining more confidence especially 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.

Class 2’s Course Progress Report will be presented in the next report after all 24 sessions are completed.

4 Project Impact


Shepherd Church (J-Life) and the students are very grateful for the opportunities presented to
them through the English classes sponsored by WIMLER Foundation HK. The story below
describes two of the students enrolled in one of the courses funded by WIMLER and the impact that the course has on their learning.

Kit and CY – English Class Beneficiaries

Growing up in single parent homes, CY and Kit spent their early high school years playing computer games and working part-time jobs.

They did not realise their English ability would be so important in determining future opportunities. By the time this reality set in, their English foundations were weak and when they tried asking their school teachers for help, no answers were given.

 Kit shared,“I grew up in China where I only learned my ABC’s in second
grade. I was so far behind.

 The look of appreciation on their faces after the first English tutoring class said it all

 “At school, there are 40 students. Here, we only have 10 and I can actually ask questions. The tutor will explain to me word by word what I don’t understand. At least now I understand what the teacher
is saying. I was able to feel the difference even after one lesson!”

Kit dreams to be a fireman but will need to pass in all his core subjects, including English. He hopes it is not too late for him to catch up and pursue his dream.

”Website: http://hopeofthecity.com/

WIMLER Foundation HK starts tutorial class for non-Chinese primary students

WIMLER has two main programs in Hong Kong: capacity and empowerment program for migrant workers and raise funds to support education for less privileged children. WIMLER has been supporting the education of poor children in the Philippines since 2011 with the help of its donors and sponsors.  

Being a charity organization registered in Hong Kong, it is also part of WIMLER’s mandate to initiate programs in Hong Kong. It is for this reason that since last year WIMLER HK in partnership with the Hope of the City Foundation supported English two tutorial classes for Chinese migrant children (see related story). Since November last year, WIMLER also supports tutorial class for non-Chinese primary students this but in Chinese language and eventually, other relevant subjects too.

The Hong Kong Government through the Education Bureau (EDB) has launched several support services for newly arrived or non-Chinese speaking (NCS) children with the aim to integrate them smoothly into the local education system. 

EDB provided funding for schools like the School-based Support Scheme Grant, funding for Professional Support, After-school Extended Chinese Learning Project, among others. They also provide grants to non-governmental organizations that provide tutorial services for ethnic minorities/NCS like International Social Services HK – HOPE Center, Christian Action, HK Christian Service-CHER Centre, to name a few.

However, the schools and NGOs that provided support to NCS are concentrated in schools around Wan Chai and in selected areas in Kowloon and Tuen Mun that WIMLER decided to pilot tutorial classes to accommodate other children from the Quarry Bay area.

The first WIMLER HK’s Chinese tutorial project for Filipino migrant children was conducted last November 22, 2014 with three kids. Since WIMLER does not have a permanent venue for the tutorial activities, the tutor and the kids met at the Pacific Coffee shop in Tai Yau Plaza in Wan Chai. So far, ten hours of tutorial sessions were conducted in the month of November.  (Nov 22, Nov 28 and two sessions in Nov 29). The Quarry Bay tutorial session started last November 28. 

In late November 2014, Joy Tadios-Arenas, WIMLER director and project manager, approached the Filipino-Chinese of Taverna Spanish Restaurant in Quarry Bay if she would allow the tutorial to be conducted before the restaurant’s time of operation.  However, conducting classes at the Pacific Coffee in Quarry Bay is not practical. There were times that two sessions are conducted: one in the morning and one in the afternoon or an extended one when four kids showed up instead of the confirmed three. Moreover, the coffee shop gets crowded around lunch time and it was challenging to do tutorials with the noise and crowd. Taverna’s owner agreed to provide the venue for the tutorial on December 13, 2014. With a bigger venue, we were able to sign up eight students and hired three tutors on the same date. 

Currently, the established sessions are held every Saturday morning/afternoon in Wan Chai and Quarry Bay. While other schedules - for instance Wednesday or Friday with additional session in North Point – are added when tutors are available or when kids needed additional ones during exam period. Confirmed sessions depend on the number of kids available as some have activities in their school on a Saturday. 

It was challenging to do the logistics – arrangement with individual parents as well as the tutors. Schedules are adjusted weekly. But it is worth all the effort and time. WIMLER is able to help Filipino kids studying in local Chinese schools and bilingual schools. Some of them are kids of friends of WIMLER.

Tutorials held in Taverna Spanish Restaurant

AUCTION: ORIGINAL WORK OF ART BY SHEILA LUIS TIANGCO

Help “Send a Child to School”

An auction of donated original work of art by SHEILA LUIS TIANGCO, one of the known Filipino visual artists will be held on December 12, 2014 at  United Services Recreation Club (USRC) at 1 Gascoine Road, Jordan, Hong Kong. She has donated her huge painting “Sampaguita, Paborito ni Tatay”. This is a large piece. Round, 36" in diameter. Acrylic on canvas.

You get the beautiful painting and you send children to school, that's the difference.

If you want to bid  for this painting and make a difference, please contact Emilie Veringa:

emilie.veringa@wimler.org
Mobile:  +852 5191 0902; +852 56607706  (whatsapp or Viber)

-------------------------------

Sheila Luis Tiangco is one of the known and established Filipino visual artists.  Flowers have always been the subject of Sheila’s art. Rendered in larger-than-life illustrations, her works are inspired by the beauty of nature, in response to the awesome magnificence of the One who created it. 

Sheila's blooms are characterized not so much by color, but more by the boldness and daring in which her works are magnified. There is nothing small about her flowers. For Sheila, each piece of work represents an outpouring of prayer, a celebration of life, her worship and intimate dialogue with her God, to whom she attributes all things. Flowers symbolize life. When offered, they express feelings which the giver hopes to convey in the most eloquent way.

Sheila is a member of the Saturday Group Artists, the oldest and most prestigious group of critically-acclaimed painters, sculptors and mixed media artists. The group takes pride that 8 of Philippine National Artists in the Visual Arts came from the Saturday Group.

Through the Saturday Group of Artists, Sheila participates regularly in various arts exhibits. The most recent is Lingkod: An Art Exhibit” held last Nov. 15 to 22, at Greenbelt 3 lobby in Makati organized by ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation Inc. (ALKFI).  

Sampaguita, Paborito ni Tatay

Size: 36” in diameter

Medium: Acryclic on Canvas

Year: 2012

A very generous person, Sheila regularly donates some of her paintings for charity. WIMLER Foundation Hong Kong is very grateful to receive one of her paintings to be auctioned on December 12, 2014 during the charity dinner to be held at USRC. The proceeds of the painting will support WIMLER’s “Send a Child to School” project.

Own this beautiful painting. BID NOW!

“I did choose to support WIMLER because I want to be a part, even in a small way, of the good work it is doing for the underprivileged.”                         

  – Sheila Luis Tiangco 

“The works of Tiangco, though encapsulated in still-life genre, are potentially alluring to the viewer. A wife and a doting grandma who dabbles in flower painting, Tiangco comes off as a realist who, like Georgia O'Keeffe, magnifies her subjects by rendering them in larger-than life and allegorical mode.”

New date set for the conference

Due to typhoon Hagupit (Ruby),  the  conference titled "The Role of Migrants and their Remittances in Sustainable Development"  originally scheduled last December 6-7, has been postponed to  JANUARY 24-25, 2015.

While we believe that the impact of the typhoon is minimal in Davao City, we cannot risk the lives of our speakers and participants who will be flying during the weekend of December 5-6 morning from Manila , Iloilo, Cebu, Samar, Dumaguete, and other provinces outside Mindanao. Many also preferred to stay with their families during this uncertain time.

We cannot also afford to act as if "business as usual" when we know that some people living in threatened areas have to experience severe conditions. It is not also responsible for speakers and participants get stranded in Davao City as many have other commitments after the conference.

Davao del Sur was  placed under Alert B and this can mean a lot. It might be that the weather is just fine with some rains and thunderstorms but it can also be worse (flooded) We cannot predict what will happen. We chose to take the safe side. We cannot afford to see the participants worrying about their families when the weather gets worse, So we follow the official directives. Be prepared.

We believe that this is the right thing to do. We are ready for the conference but the threat is also real. Better safe than sorry.

I hope you understand our decision.

Participants who have already registered will be contacted soon. The organizers still welcome new participants. Please contact :

Jose Miguel Lisbona
Mobile: +63 920 967 5082 |
Email: jmlisbona@gmail.com

We hope to welcome you on January 24, 2015!

WIMLER Christmas Charity ball

It's the magical time of the year!

The Wimler Christmas Charity Ball “Frozen in Time” will take place on Friday, December 12, 2014 at the Garden Marque, United Services Reaction Club, 1 Gascoine Road,  Jordan, Kowloon from 6:30 pm to 11:30 pm. Adults and children are welcome to this event which includes cocktails, silent auction, dinner, dancing, and door prizes.

Tickets are sold at HK$ 800 (adult) and HK$ 400 children (6-12). Children from 3-5 years old, FREE. The price includes buffet, unlimited drinks for the whole night, dancing and entertainment. 

All proceeds from “Frozen in Time” charity dinner will benefit WIMLER's “Send a Child to School” project. WIMLER Foundation Hong Kong was established in 2011 and support the education of poor children.

For ticket reservation, please contact:

Emilie Veringa  - +852 5191 0902

Luz Tan - +852 96309311

Myrna Pama Hill - +852 9803 8049

www.wimler.org

                                     Support a child now

                                                 so no child is left behind

For HK$500/year you can provide a child a school bag, school supplies, uniform, a pair of shoes and pay for her or his school fees.









Please send your donation to:

Account name: WIMLER FOUNDATION HONG KONG LTD.
Account Number:  801-079963-838
Bank: HSBC Hong Kong
BIC code bank (SWIFT address): HSBCHKHHHKH
Bank Address: 1 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong (SAR)

Donating to disaster relief: Sending goods back home ‘expensive’

HONG KONG—In the lead up to the first anniversary of typhoon Yolanda’s destruction of the Visayas islands, a Filipino donor group in Hong Kong had to learn the hard way how in-kind donations from abroad may be best sent back home.

WIMLER Foundation Hong Kong was able to raise some HK$139,159,70 (P805,526) in cash donations and numerous relief goods from donors in the Crown Colony and in four other countries in the last 11 months since Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) hopped islands in the Visayas and wrought destruction that the world took notice.

Joy Tadios-Arenas, one of the directors of WIMLER in Bantayan, Cebu

Three motorized fishing boats for Banate, Iloilo

But as WIMLER volunteers and donors had been sending these donations to affected residents in the towns of Coron (Palawan province), Bantayan (Cebu) and Estancia (Iloilo), something was more expensive as the relief effort from the group progressed: The sending of the donated goods itself.

“We realized that sending of goods from Hong Kong to the local beneficiaries was not only impractical and complicated but even more expensive,” said Filipina-Dutch Leila Rispens-Noel, WIMLER co-founder.

What happened was some of the cash donations raised was used to defray the costs of shipping relief goods to WIMLER’s beneficiary-municipalities.

For example, about HK$6,575 (some P38,059) was spent to ship tents, 12 boxes of baby milk and four boxes of Nestogen (an adult milk brand), 18 feeding bottles and medicines to Coron. A separate HK$16,700 (P96,668) was spent to ship goods and purchase of blankets, and tents benefiting 150 families in Bantayan. (Also in Bantayan, WIMLER handed out 20 small fishing boats to affected fishermen in the area.)

Rispens-Noel wished that all the cash donations raised could have been used to buy goods in affected areas —for as long as the recipient of such amounts is well-trusted.

If another natural disaster happens, “it is better to collect the funds and send the money to the contact person/s and who shall then be tasked to buy the goods locally instead of sending goods from Hong Kong,” Rispens-Noel said.

Nevertheless the lesson learned, WIMLER continued to attract donations to Yolanda-stricken areas. Like for the beneficiaries from Estancia, Iloilo, WIMLER’s young volunteers based in Hong Kong organized organizing a Dodgeball tournament. With the help of such tournament, some HK$37,584 (P217,555) was raised and eventually used to buy 38 sacks of rice, 150 pieces of blankets, 12 boxes of Bearbrand milk, 100 pieces of aluminum kettles, and 20 liter kerosene. Some of that amount was also used to hand out three motorized fishing boats complete with fishing gears, support organic farming project, as well as provide financial support to 20 Estancia-based pupils who are victims of Yolanda.

Apart from  the above fund campaigns, WIMLER also received a total of HK$78,300.70 (P453,244) from individual and corporate donors —including Filipino-run firms— based in Hong Kong, Netherlands, Belgium, the United States and Mexico.

On Nov. 8, 2013, Yolanda had left 11 million people have been affected and many have been left homeless. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that at least 6,268 died, 28,689 were injured and 1,061 were missing given the wrath of the world’s strongest weather system to hit landfall. Damage in agriculture and infrastructure is estimated at US$ 878.86 million.

But months after some billions of donations had been raised worldwide, there are still concerns surrounding the judicious use of donations on the ground after a natural disaster. Even a recent report by the Commission on Audit (COA) showed that over-PhP741.59 million in quick response funds that were coursed through the Office of Civil Defense and the NDRMMC have yet to be spent.

On the part of Filipinos abroad and their organizations, known to be frequent donors to the motherland right after natural disasters strike, they continue to send in-kind donations.

But given its own experiences in response to Yolanda relief efforts, Rispens-Noel of the three-year-old nonprofit WIMLER Foundation Hong Kong (www.wimler.org) says a “good” agreement with relevant parties, persons or group beneficiaries must be done before sending any goods.

“Haste makes waste. Things not clearly communicated will not only resort to more confusion but would make the shipment of goods more expensive.”

More news about the campaign:

http://wimler.blogspot.nl/2014/05/twenty-fisherfolks-in-bantayan-cebu.html
http://wimler.blogspot.nl/2013/12/wimler-distributels-second-wave-of.html
http://wimler.blogspot.nl/2013/12/wimlers-local-partners-distribute-900.html
http://wimler.blogspot.nl/2013/11/dodgeball-tournament-for-cause-sunday.html
http://wimler.blogspot.nl/2013/11/wimler-finally-connects-with-local.html
http://wimler.blogspot.nl/2013/11/wimler-extends-aid-to-bantayan-islands.html

About WIMLER Foundation HK:

WIMLER Foundation Hong Kong Ltd. was officially registered in 2011 as a non-profit and charitable organization which primary objective is to support the capacity building and empowerment of migrant communities regardless of nationalities and to promote cultural diversity in Hong Kong based on mutual respect, solidarity, and shared empowerment among peoples.

For more information about WIMLER Foundation Hong Kong, visit www.wimler.org and/or http:/wimler.blogspot.com or contact WIMLER at info@wimler.org.