Overseas Filipino and Women Center, Green Valley Subdivision, San Francisco, San Pablo City, Philippines
(049) 521 2194
admin@atikha.ph
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Atikha Overseas Workers and Communities Initiative, Inc.
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PROGRAMS
ADVOCACY, INFORMATION AND RESEARCH

Policy advocacy at the international, national, sub-national and local level on mainstreaming migration in governance, minimizing the social and economic cost of migration, promotion of safe and fair migration, support for gender responsive and development oriented reintegration,  mainstreaming environment protection in development interventions, and promotion of social enterprises among others.

Conduct action research and publish books and manuals on the following field: impact of migration on migrants, families and communities; saving, investing, borrowing and entrepreneurship behavior of migrants and families; environment scanning of origin/destination countries on implementation of migration and development initiatives; situation of migrants, families and migration stakeholders; impact evaluation of migration and development projects and program; mainstreaming migration in governance and setting up one stop migration resource centers.

Provide information and develop materials and videos for social media and training to promote savings and investment consciousness,  gender equality and shared responsibility in addressing family and financial issues, climate change and protecting environment,  success stories of migrants, and families and children on gender responsive reintegration.

ORGANIZING, NETWORK AND PARTNERSHIP BUILDING

ORGANIZING OF CHILDREN

Atikha assists in organizing of the Batang Atikha Savers Club (Youth Savers Club) and PinoyWISE Youth as an association of children in the community and schools as part of the savings consciousness program to combat the growing dependency on remittance, lavish spending and negative values of materialism.

There are more than 2000 children involved in this program with pooled savings of more than Php 8,000,000 from Central Luzon and CALABARZON Region. Batang Atikha Savers Club for elementary and junior high school students while PinoyWISE Youth are for senior high school and college students. The savings campaign aims to reach more regions and engage more OFW children.

ORGANIZING OF MIGRANTS AND FAMILIES

Atikha assisted in organizing of Pinoy WISE or Pinoy Worldwide Initiative on Investment, Savings and Entrepreneurship as a SEC registered organization of overseas Filipinos in destination countries and OFW families in source provinces who undergone PinoyWISE financial education. It has chapters at the level of their municipality, province or organization to be able to leverage their resources with government and other agencies in creating and managing social enterprises.

Pinoy WISE links members to various trainings, counselling, investment and business opportunities, and business coaching.

Atikha also assisted the setting up of OFW WATCH GROUPS composed of migrant returnees and families and members of the community who are engaged in counter-trafficking in person. 

NETWORKING AND PARTNERSHIP

Atikha networks  and forge partnerships with various migration stakeholders including local, sub-national and national government, NGOs, cooperatives, migrant and family organizations and other community based organizations. It  assists in creating technical working groups and committees to facilitate its advocacy work and programs. 

Support the Migration and Development Initiatives of Hometown Association, LGUs    and other Development Agencies.  Atikha  helps forge partnership between the hometown associations, local government units and the various development partners in the communities. 

In partnership with migrant organizations, Atikha assists in mobilizing and linking diaspora philanthropy to migration and development initiatives in the areas that would create jobs and economic opportunities in the communities where the migrants are coming from.

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SOCIAL ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT

Atikha conducts training on social entrepreneurship for NGOs, faith-based, community-based and migrant organizations.  It promotes the 3P’s objectives of social enterprises:  Profit, People and Planet.  It mainstreams the need for gender equality and environment protection in setting up and managing business.  

Atikha manages a 30 hectare property entrusted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Iloilo.  It is developing this into  agro-forestry farms that can serve as model for farmers as alternatives to monocropping which destroys the environment. 

Atikha initiated an integrated farm in Laguna that is used for to pilot climate resilient agri-business.  Atikha promotes green value chain among its participants. 

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TRAINING AND MENTORING

Conduct training and mentoring for migrants and families and training of trainers among migrant leaders and migration stakeholders in destination and/or origin country on the following:

  • Pre-Migration Orientation Seminar is designed to augment the existing Pre-Migration Education training – Three-day Training of Trainers is designed for front line migration personnel at provincial and municipal level. It includes basic information on migration, goal setting, financial planning, health and wellness issues. It also discusses opportunities for training, business and investment in the area that could be linked with the OFWs and families to encourage left behind members to earn income in the Philippines and not be dependent on remittances.
  • Financial Education and Nurturing Family Relations – Three-day Training of Trainers is designed to capacitate migration stakeholders in educating OFWs and families on saving, investing, borrowing and in addressing family issues related to financial management and gap in relationships.
  • Reintegration Planning and Mentoring – Three-day Training of Trainers is designed to equip the frontline personnel and organization leaders in assisting OFWs and families in planning for reintegration. Options are discussed on possible skills training, jobs, investment, business opportunities. It also provides link to various service providers that could help OFWs and families in the process of reintegration.
  • Organizing, Leadership and Conflict Management – This two-day training is for leaders of OFWs and family organizations. The content includes basics of community organizing, leadership techniques and strategies on conflict management. The training aims to establish harmonious relationship among leaders and members of organizations.
  • Case Management – The three-day training is for migration stakeholders in the provincial and municipal level. The training introduces the different government agencies, NGOs and stakeholders involved in pre-departure, on site and return phase of migration. Topics cover anti- trafficking, common case of OFWs, handling of cases and referral network.
  • Migration and Development 101: This is a two to three day seminar and study mission that discusses the link between migration and development and showcases the different good practices of migration stakeholders of regional government agencies, local government units, NGOs and private sectors.
  • Mainstreaming Migration in Governance: This is a three-day seminar specially designed for local governments of provinces, cities and municipalities with high concentration of migrants. It discusses the processes and strategies in implementing programs and services for migrants and their families. It includes study missions to local government units which have mainstreamed migration and development in their plans and governance.
  • School-based Program for Children of Migrant Workers – This is a three-day training for teachers in implementing values formation and education activities for children of migrants. It includes assistance in schools in setting up of school based program to help address the social cost of migration on the children left behind.
  • Environment Consciousness – This is a one day training provided to migrants and families including children that discusses the impact of climate change and various ways to help protect the environment.

Atikha mentors all the trainers it has trained to ensure that they are able to implement the training program to their beneficiaries. 

CONSULTANCY SERVICES
Provide consultancy services for national and local government agencies, international development organizations, migrant organizations, private sector  on the following: 
  • Project management in economic empowerment of migrant women in ASEAN for migration stakeholders in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, Lao PDR and Cambodia.
  • Mainstreaming migration in local governance for stakeholders in Indonesia
  • Training trainers in conducting Pre-Migration Orientation Seminar for prospective migrants and families and Reintegration and Financial Planning
  • Training and Mentoring on Social Entrepreneurship