The West Java Manpower Office requested for the training from GAMD to learn from the experiences of NGOs and local governments in the Philippines in mainstreaming migration in local governance. Atikha, a member NGO of GAMD designed the training program in collaboration with GAMD consultants from the Philippines and Indonesia.
The training was participated by 23 migration stakeholders from West Java Manpower Office, Department of Education, Cooperative and Small Medium Enterprise Office, migration centers, technical vocational schools, banks, migrant organizations and NGOs.
Participants from different stakeholders from national to village level shared initiatives, challenges and recommendations to ensure that migration will contribute to the development of the migrants, their families and communities.
Mr. M Ade Afriandi, Head of the West Java Manpower Office accepted the challenge of leading the mainstreaming of migration and development initiatives in West Java. Requests of the different migration stakeholders for support to ensure their participation was positively accepted.
Feedback from Migration Stakeholders
“Global Academy on Migration and Development (GAMD) activities provide practical and tested solutions to problems related to migration and development. Through the sharing of experiences, continuous improvements on the solutions to address Migration and Development problems are harnessed. GAMD activities recognize the importance of different contexts of sending countries, thus, the experiences of countries need to be customized when these are implemented in other countries”.
“My participation in the training conducted in Indonesia as resource person on the experience of the Philippines particularly the CALABARZON Region in mainstreaming Migration and Development has been very fulfilling as the participants showed much interest and commitment to adopt. The participants were able to realize that while the role of the Indonesian’s Planning Ministry is crucial in ensuring that Migration and Development is mainstreamed at the national and sub-national plans, the West Java Region, under its autonomy powers can pursue Migration and Development initiatives that can even serve as model for the country. The bottom-up approach, if supported by capacity development by the GAMD would be viable given the interest and commitment of the participants”.
Donald James Gawe
Assistant Regional Director Region 1
National Economic Development Authority
Philippines
“As head of the West Java Manpower office, I am so glad for having the opportunity to have this conference. This has helped me in setting the direction of the work that we need to do for the migrants in our office. Migration has full of problems but full of potentials too. I have renewed motivation and aspiration to ensure the success for our migrant workers. We can help in the development of the sending and receiving countries. As a father figure, I commit myself and our staff that we will work hard to advocate for the welfare migrant workers and their families. I learned here that, ‘No one is left behind’. We will develop the services of the West Java Migrant Service Center so that no one should be left behind”.
Mr. M Ade Afriandi
Head, West Java Manpower Office
“This is an extraordinary forum, very effective system and I love how it was conducted. GAMD, Atikha, GIZ invited different stakeholders and everybody can say what they want from national to local level. I gained new knowledge and new friends. I realized I can do many things to prepare our manpower and I can collaborate to produce the curriculum for the training”.
Mr. Drs. Agus Bachtiar, M.Pd
West Java Manpower Office
“I learned a lot of information and it opened doors for sustainable collaboration of NGOs and government agencies. I am so grateful that I learned the experiences of Atikha and it serves as an inspiration and a role model for us. Philippines and Indonesia share the same experiences and Filipino and Indonesian migrants can collaborate. I will support the recommendations of this conference to achieve our dreams for the migrants together”.
Mr. Biben Fikriana
Migrant returnee
APPI-JABAR
(migrant returnee organization)