UFCW Canada Migrant Workers Scholarships recipients announced

Toronto – September 12, 2014 – The latest recipients of the UFCW Canada Migrant Workers Scholarships have been announced. The recipients are a diverse group of young people from the Global South, ranging in age from 4 to 24 — attending school in Philippines, Guatemala, Jamaica, Kenya, and Mexico. Each recipient was nominated by a family member working as a migrant or temporary foreign worker in Canada. The recipients in this latest round of scholarships include John Sidney Pearl Aragon, Daniel Barranco Rodriguez, John Mark Cabilin, Daila Cortazar Chiclin, Adrian Drummond, Rosalia Jimenez-Sanchez, Maria Magdalena Mach Rac, Kendrei Akia P. Andrade, Jorge Daniel Pirir Sirin, Zoe Sandow, Egor Shurygin, Jose Armando Tafollo Otero, Jordan Thomas, Carlos Anibal Tot Siquic, Estefany Tzuquen Aguilar, Douglas Edgardo Vallecillo Licona, Allan Velasco, John Wanjiru, and Adelso Yaqui Cun.

UFCW Canada launched the first-ever Migrant Workers Scholarships in 2010. Since then, we have received over 15,000 applications and have now awarded scholarships to benefit 65 children's' educational efforts in their home countries. Migrant workers coming to work through the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program, or through the Temporary Workers Program have cited the top reason for migrating is to improve their family’s livelihood back home and help their children have a better future.

In upcoming editions of  Directions, we will be bringing you the stories of five migrant workers, who as nominators of their family members, made the decision to toil in Canada — away from their families –  in order to provide them more security and opportunity. 

Any migrant or temporary foreign worker in Canada can nominate a family member in their home country for the scholarship. The nominee must be between 4 and 25 years of age; attending or planning to attend an educational institution; and is either the child, grandchild, sister, brother, niece or nephew of the nominator.

The deadline to apply for the 2014 round of Migrant Workers Scholarships is December 31, 2014. To find out more about the UFCW Canada Migrant Workers Scholarships program, and to download applications or apply online, visit ufcw.ca/migrantscholarship.