Jiwa is the Indonesian word for soul. We at Jiwa International deeply care for the body, mind, and soul of immigrant workers. We work to identify and meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of vulnerable migrant workers around the world. Our primary work is in Taiwan coming alongside migrant Indonesian workers.
The Taiwanese National Immigration Agency reports that there are 720,000 migrant workers in Taiwan who provide essential functions to the Taiwanese economy. They work as care providers for the elderly and ill, factory workers, fishermen, and in agriculture. Unfortunately, a large portion of these migrant workers face more than just the challenges of moving to a new country in pursuit of better opportunities. Many experience sexual or physical abuse, poor workplace conditions, little to no time off, predatory contracts, passports being confiscated, and unfair fees that lead to burdensome debts.
We believe that there are systematic changes necessary to ensure that these people are protected from such environments and abuses. But, unfortunately, change is slow. While governments and private citizens take on this situation there are many people who are hurting and need help. Jiwa desires to meet these migrant workers where they are while change is still on the way. To do this, we C.A.R.E.
ABOUT
We C.A.R.E by...
-
Creating Community through social media groups that provide daily encouragement for migrant workers in their own language. When these workers have time off, we pursue creating meaningful and encouraging relationships. The truest and strongest community is found through and in deep faith and so we work to build faith in all those we interact with.
-
Advocating to local and national leaders about the abuses many migrant workers experience.
-
Resourcing migrant workers with debriefs and ways to process everything from culture shock to traumatic situations. We also help churches and other community organizations create action plans to reach out to the migrant workers within their own area.
-
Educating the global community about these injustices. The more knowledge people have of the situations migrant workers experience the sooner these problems will be solved. We publish a quarterly newsletter that tells the stories of migrant workers around the world. We also provide language classes to Indonesians living in Taiwan so that they can better communicate with their employers and those they care for.