Migration and Development Consultations

By Ellene Sana

“Help is Just a Text Away” has been selected to be showcased at the first “Migration for Development Knowledge Fair” in Brussels, Belgium. The Fair, organized by the European Commission and the UN partner agencies, as part of the new EC-UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative, will be held at the Musee du Cinquantenaire in Brussels, Belgium from 1st-4th December 2008.

The SOS SMS was launched on February 14, 2006. After the first year of activation, CMA's intake of cases of distressed migrants increased by 500%, with a thousand SOS SMS cases, or 86% of all cases of CMA for 2006. Sixty-six percent of these cases were from Saudi Arabia. One reason for this is because the SOS SMS project was an initiative of our OFW partners (the Pusong Mamon Task Force - anginyonglingkod.org) in Saudi Arabia -- hence it is most popular in Saudi; and of course, another explanation is that considering 1 in 4 OFWs is in Saudi, most of the distressed OFWs are there.) 

For our first year report on sos sms, you may check out our ajg forum series 2, year 2007 on promoting and fulfilling the human rights of migrants... please visit our website at:
http://www.pinoy-abroad.net/lungga/index.shtml?apc=i---1-
The SOS SMS project works because of the committed networks and partners of CMA worldwide. Special thanks to the SOS SMS-PMTF team in Saudi, Ana, CMA case worker and to Bobby Soriano in manila who make ICT works for the human rights of migrant workers. Thanks also to DFA Oumwa who also receives the SOS SMS.