Today is International Migrants’ Day!
We at SaverPacific are excited to celebrate it with migrant communities and reflect on the year that we have had. International Migrants’ Day was established by the United Nations in 2000 to highlight the experiences and contribution of the large numbers of migrants around the world[1]. As of 2020, there were 281 million migrants around the world, which is 3.6% of the global population[2].
This year the COVID-19 Delta waves have changed things for migrants and deepened the impacts of the pandemic on migrant workers’ health and livelihoods. Many migrant workers have returned to the Pacific to be with their families but are often facing unemployment at home. Migrant workers have faced hardship in Australia and New Zealand too, lockdowns leading to job insecurity for some, while others are working even harder and longer hours to support their families back home. As we come to know migrant communities more deeply, we are inspired by their spirit, resilience, and commitment in the times of crisis and feel renewed in our convictions. We want to keep building on the ambition and determination of migrants by equipping people with the skills and resources they need to be able to manage their finances in a foreign country and send money home to their loved ones.
That is why we launched SaverPacific this year; to be able to empower migrants from Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu who are living in Australia and New Zealand with a clear and accurate summary of remittance options to family and friends back home. We have been pleased to be able to partner with several money transfer operators in the last six months to be able to provide live service and pricing data, meaning that we can provide the most accurate information available. We’ve been able to assist with pre-departure training programs for labour migrants from Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu by creating videos and resources that explain the processes involved in sending money – foreign exchange rates, fees and methods of sending. We’re also trying to make financial services easier to access and understand, that’s why we’ve put together a range a how to guides that walk through the registration process of the most common services for Pacific migrants. All of these resources are available in English, Tongan, Tuvaluan and Bislama on our website and app.
It has been such a relief to begin to be able to plan to meet migrant workers again in person in Australia and New Zealand, as lockdowns have eased and vaccination rates have risen.
We’re only just getting started, stay tuned for more updates! Let us at SaverPacific know what you’d like to see and how we can keep providing information and support to help with migration challenges.
Happy International Migrants Day!
[1] https://sdg.iisd.org/events/international-migrants-day-2021/