• A fire extinguisher mounted on a wall next to multilingual safety instructions and a rack of colorful fabric samples.
    Diary - Migrant Education - Research - Writing

    #9 Learning Journal: Taoyuan’s Fabric Factory

    November 17, 2024 - By 

    The day started early, with a quiet ride on the high-speed rail to Taoyuan. By 7:20 AM, I had joined a small group at Exit 4 of the station, ready to take a taxi to a nearby factory. This was the kickoff for One-Forty’s paThWay Program, a partnership with VF Corporation—the company behind brands like Vans and The North Face—designed to support Southeast Asian factory workers in Taiwan. The program provides lessons in Mandarin, financial literacy, and personal development to help workers make the most of their time in Taiwan and beyond. The entrance to the factory where the paThWay…

  • A photograph by a Filippino migrant worker
    Diary - Home - Migrant Education - Research - Writing

    #6 Learning Journal: Photovoice

    September 19, 2024 - By 

    Did you know that among Taiwan’s 23 million people, over 760,000 are migrant workers employed in low-skill, low-paying industries like domestic care and factory work? This means that 1 in 33 people in Taiwan is a migrant worker, most of whom come from Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. Migrant workers in Taiwan Vietnam: 256,576 Indonesia: 255,874 Philippines:154,027 Thailand: 67,954 Taiwan employs a “guest worker” system, a prevalent labour migration model in many Asian countries. Under this regime, migrant workers are hired on temporary contracts and are not allowed to immigrate or become naturalized citizens. This approach is common in…