LIKE MANY Filipino workers abroad, Eden de Castro Villa realized early the sacrifices she would be making and challenges she would be facing to earn a living in a foreign country.
Working as a domestic helper in Hong Kong, not only did she have to deal with homesickness, she also endured the shabby treatment from her employers. "People look down on you if you are a domestic helper. It doesn’t matter if you are educated or not," she said.
Determined to find respect and a better way to support her family, Ms. De Castro Villa returned to La Union and pursued various business ventures, from opening a small school supply store to starting her own handicraft business, manufacturing hand-woven baskets.
As her family grew, she and her husband started looking for opportunities to expand their small company. She enroled in a technology-training program for Filipino workers abroad called Tulay, hoping to learn how to use a computer. After graduating from the program, she discovered that she could now do more than just operate a computer. She also realized the vast potential of technology to boost their family business.
Tulay is a Microsoft Unlimited Potential Community Skills program that provides Filipino workers abroad access to both technology and technology training. "Through Tulay, we are showing the real-world value of technology and how it changes the way people live," said Mae Rivera-Moreno, PR and community affairs manager of Microsoft Philippines.
"We Filipinos are very family-oriented and this program offers ways for families to remain in touch through E-mail or chat," Ms. Rivera-Moreno said. "Moreover, Tulay broadens career opportunities for [Filipino workers abroad]and helps reintegrate them into the economy upon their return, by empowering them with technology skills," she added.
Eden is one of many Tulay graduates who have successfully applied their newfound knowledge to explore economic opportunities. As a supplier of one of the country’s biggest chain of malls, Ms. De Castro Villa logs on to a Web site where she finds information such as job orders and exhibit venues.
"The site also allows us to collect payment online so I don’t have to travel for hours to claim payment in Manila," she said.
In addition to using the Internet to research and do business, Ms. De Castro Villa also uses Microsoft PowerPoint to create presentations for the Trade department, where she occasionally delivers lectures on basket-making. Having learned a spreadsheet application, she now manages their inventory efficiently as well.
"The Tulay program helped me see how far we could take our business and how we could take advantage of the power of technology to improve our operations," Ms. De Castro Villa said.
Through Tulay, Microsoft provides grants to nongovern-mental organizations operating public centers, where people can gain IT skills and training to help themselves and their communities. The centers are equipped with Internet connection and Web cameras.
Tulay uses the Unlimited Potential curriculum — cus-tomizable training modules developed in the US and used in more than 100 countries — to train Filipino workers abroad and their families in basic computer, Internet, E-mail, and digital media fundamentals, as well as word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and database applications. The curriculum has also been translated into various languages.
Tulay Community Technology Learning Centers (CTLC) are located all over the world, with four new centers opened most recently in Rome, Bicol and Zamboanga. Local centers are also found in the offices of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in Manila, Cebu, La Union, Cagayan de Oro, and at the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) in Ortigas.
Since its launch in 2004, OWWA has been a partner of Microsoft Philippines in implementing the Tulay program and other initiatives for workers abroad. "Our OFWs are modern-day heroes for the Philippine economy," Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said. "They contribute significantly to our economy and it is only proper that we are able to help them to stay in touch with their loved ones left here in the country."
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