Filipina domestic workers succeed in WeRise Nanny Training!

“I wasn’t able to graduate elementary and high school, but I was able to graduate [WeRise Nanny Training] with the help of Damayan,” Ate Alma, Damayan Member and WeRise Nanny Training Graduate. (“Hindi man ako nakapag graduate ng elementary at high school naka graduate naman ako [sa WeRise Nanny Training] ng tulong ng Damayan,” Ate Alma Damayan Member and WeRise Nanny Training Graduate)

Last Saturday, April 27, Damayan celebrated the graduation of 18 Filipina domestic workers who completed nine Nanny Training modules in collaboration with WeRise and Cornell ILR. We welcomed families, youth, allies, and new and long-standing members, including Assemblymember Steven Raga! AM Steven Raga surprised our graduates with Certificates of Merit –recognizing their commitment to the training, the community, and Damayan. Overall, the power and bond of the Damayan and Filipino migrant worker community shone in our event. 

Our graduates are mothers, grandmothers, professionals, and working-class domestic workers. For some, this was their first graduation as they were forced to migrate to the U.S. to provide for their family in the Philippines and did not have the opportunity to continue their education. Today, they are equipped with extensive training and expertise in social communication, healthcare, and how to demand higher pay and benefits as nannies. Our graduates are now raising the standards in the labor industry! 

As our community grows, Damayan will continue to empower our members to build their knowledge on immigration, health, and labor to instill confidence and demand respect and dignity. Damayan members are ‘rising’ up and helping others rise with them, too! 

For our community members whose days are spent working long hours to provide for their families back home in the Philippines, their health sometimes takes a backseat. They are especially vulnerable and at-risk if they are uninsured or undocumented. Pls join our Free Health Screening on Saturday, May 11, 10-2pm, in front of Amazing Grace, 69-02 Roosevelt Avenue, Woodside, Queens, NY. We hope you can stop by!