Embassy officials and leaders of Filipino groups at the event.  Right:  Ambassador Crescente Relacion speaking to the participants of the workshop. PICTURES: Jayaram

By Joey Aguilar/Staff Reporter

The Philippine embassy in Qatar has organised a three-day workshop to orient trainers who will educate overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) on financial literacy.

Embassy officials and  leaders of Filipino organisations attended the event which started yesterday at the Philippine chancery in the Jelaiah area yesterday.

Philippines ambassador  Crescente Relacion told Gulf Times that the programme aimed to assist OFWs in investing their income in “worthwhile” businesses.

“Our long-term goal is to change the mindset of our fellowmen to plan in saving and investing for the future of their families instead of just spending their income without a workable plan,” he said.

The ambassador vouched for the integrity of the lecturer, Mai Anonuevo, who is the executive director of Athika Overseas Workers and Communities Initiative, a non-governmental organisation for OFWs. She is a member of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Board of Trustees.

Relacion  believes that the NGO has the credibility to handle financial literacy trainings which is in line with the Philippine government’s reintegration programme for OFWs. Participants have expressed confidence that it will produce more trainers from different Filipino organisations in Qatar.

Ed Alcantara, adviser of the Foundation for Family and Life (FFL) Migrant Workers, stressed that the workshop’s goals work well with their existing programme.

The group holds free migrant orientation seminars for underprivileged OFWs to assist, educate and provide them with the right information on how to upgrade their skills.

“We learned a lot from the lecture and had a deeper understanding on the social impact of migration,” he said.

Anonuevo cited studies conducted since 1997 to support her lecture.

According to Alcantara, it  also provided  solutions to problems of OFWs.

“I’m glad that this financial literacy seminar is aligned with our present programmes,” he said. FFL Migrant Workers had been partnering with the Philippine government and its attached agencies in educating many OFWs.

Alcantara also said that the training would be useful for the Overseas Filipino Investors and Entrepreneurs Movement (OFIE-M). The group is a  non-profit organisation which aims to educate OFWs on how to manage their  money. It encourages them to start saving and investing in the Philippines while  in Qatar.

Anonuevo  tackled some of the issues confronting overseas Filipinos and their families. A group discussion was held in the afternoon in which she talked about “borrowing and getting out of debt”.

Another lecturer, Antonio Gimena Jr from the Pinoy Worldwide Initiative for Savings, Investment and Entrepreneurship (WISE) International UAE, talked about the “concepts on savings and investing”. He also spoke on  “budgeting, dream map and saving for investment”.

Lecturers are expected to finish three more modules which will include topics on peer counselling. Workshops and role playing on “problem tree analysis” will  be held tomorrow.