UFCW Canada Migrant Workers Scholarship winners announced

UFCW Canada Migrant Workers Scholarship winners announced	Toronto – July 3, 2017 – UFCW Canada is proud to announce the 20 winners of the 2016 UFCW Canada Migrant Workers Scholarship. Since 2010, the UFCW Canada Migrant Workers Scholarship program has provided financial assistance to migrant workers and their families to assist with their educational pursuits. Over the last seven years, 140 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 Scholarship 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. 

Hundreds of entries were received for 2016, and we are happy to announce the following successful nominators:

Ma Miela Fabito; Juan Carlos Bonilla Zamitiz; Jasmin Reyes; Salome Gichuki; Nackchul Song; Maria Martinez; Hilarion Moneda; Welma Chen; Jason Bryan; Crispin Martinez; Victoria Acosta Cortes; Horace Thomas; Diego Barrera Cruz; Jesus Acevedo Ortega; Courtney Hines; Eddy Ariel Cuxil Miza; Rufino Tarton; Aquileo Gomez Morales; Luis Flores Amayo; Elito Alexis Pleitez Perez. 

Diversity in scholarship applicants for the 2016 year is reflective of the diversity of temporary foreign workers employed in various sectors of the Canadian economy. For example, this year included representation from the Philippines, Mexico, Kenya, Korea, El Salvador, Jamaica, Guatemala, and Honduras. 

“The success of the UFCW Canada Migrant Workers Scholarship 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, and our union is proud to play a leading role in building better futures for migrant workers and their families,” he adds.

The deadline to apply for the 2017 Migrant Workers Scholarship is December 31, 2017. 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.