UFCW Canada Migrant Workers Scholarships winners announced

Toronto – May 24, 2016 – Canada’s leading union is proud to announce the winners of the UFCW Canada Migrant Workers Scholarships. Since 2010, the UFCW Canada Migrant Workers Scholarships program has provided financial assistance to migrant workers and their families to assist with their educational pursuits. Over the last six years, 120 UFCW Canada Migrant Workers Scholarships have been awarded to the children of migrant seasonal and temporary foreign workers in Canada.

As part of the UFCW Canada Migrant Workers Scholarships program, workers who labour under Canada’s Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP) – such as live-in caregivers, seasonal migrant agriculture workers, and temporary foreign workers in other industries – are eligible to apply for the scholarships by nominating their children, grandchildren, sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews for the bursaries. Every year, 20 scholarships worth $500 each are awarded to the family members of migrant workers to help them reach their educational goals.

The following is a list of this year’s successful nominators:

Isaac Marban; Clairlawrence Cabrera; Elma Ceruma; Sungjin Myung; Pauline Mbugua; Zenaida Angeles; Dennis Timpug; Karen Mon; Salvador Fuentes Rodriguez; Jorge David Orizabal Chan; Rene Cruz Gudiel; Leon Patzan Guamuch; Efrain Con Ticun; Nestor Sebastian Gomez Ruiz; Camelia Soto; Donovan Johnson; Pedro Antonio Chavez Santos; Luis Bolom Jimenez; Dias Dochery; and Rodolfo Hernandez Reyes

“The success of the UFCW Canada Migrant Workers Scholarships program is a reflection of the strong ties that our union has built with migrant workers across the country,” says Naveen Mehta, Director of UFCW Canada’s Human Rights, Equity, and Diversity department. “This year’s nominators come from a diverse array of countries – including Mexico, Philippines, South Korea, Kenya, Guatemala, and Jamaica – and our union is proud to play a leading role in building better futures for migrant workers and their families,” he adds.

“With a commitment to justice, we continue to ensure that more workers entering Canada under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program are empowered to improve their lives, and the lives of their families, through the UFCW Canada Migrant Workers Scholarships program,” says Paul Meinema, the National President of UFCW Canada.

The deadline to apply for the 2016 Migrant Workers Scholarships is December 31, 2016. To find out more about the UFCW Canada Migrant Workers Scholarship program, or to apply online, visit ufcw.ca/migrantscholarship. And stay tuned for profiles of this year’s UFCW Canada Migrant Workers Scholarship nominators and recipients in upcoming issues of Directions.