It is a well-established fact that immigrants highly contribute to the economic development of their host countries, leading to an increase in productivity and GDP. According to research by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, immigrants constitute around 3.6% of the world’s population. Additionally, the research credits female immigrants to be the protagonists of positive social and cultural changes in their communities, both back home and abroad.
However, moving to a new country is never easy and migrants can take time to adjust. If you are a newly immigrated individual or family looking for ways to contribute to your new community, this article will explore various ways you can do just that.
Start Volunteering
As reported by Grow Ensemble, in addition to making a meaningful contribution, volunteering allows you to connect with your fellow community members, and build strong relationships. When choosing what to volunteer as, it’s best to go for something you are good at, whether that is people skills, marketing, accounting, gardening, etc. However, as a volunteer, you also have the freedom to experiment and take on new challenges. Popular types of volunteering works include:
- Animal Care – Shelters, Wildlife NGOs, Pet Daycares
- Healthcare – Local hospitals, Nursing homes, Community health events
- Education – Children NGOs, Orphanages, Local schools and colleges
Donate When You Can
Donations are a great way to give back to the community and to support the less fortunate. Here are various types of donations to consider:
- Donate directly to the charity of your choice. You can also buy memberships that provide you additional perks.
- Start a crowdfunding campaign for a local cause. This is a good method for those who have a strong social media following as they can raise a significant amount of funds in a short period of time.
- Donate commodities such as clothes, electronics, toys, furniture, vehicles to local shelters and NGOs.
Start a Business
If you immigrated with the intention of starting a business, you will make a great contribution to the community by providing employment and growing its economy. Prior to starting a business ensure that you meet all local and federal requirements.
You can choose to open a small business in the locality or an online business with the goal of hiring workers from the community.
Being in a new country all by yourself can understandably be tough. However, even if you’re hundreds or thousands of miles away there are various ways to stay connected with your loved ones.
Call them Regularly: Having frequent conversations with family in The Philippines is the best way to stay up to date with what’s going on back home and vice versa. While international calling rates are notoriously expensive, an easy way to circumvent them is by using a free internet-based calling platform such as Skype.
Do Activities Together: Browser extensions such as Teleparty allow you to watch the latest episodes of Walang Hanggang with your whole family. It’s the same as going to a movie together, just that each person is watching it from their own device.
Send them Gifts: With the holidays just around the corner, surprise your family with a customized care package including their favorite items such as dry fruits, chocolates, perfumes, etc. When shipping abroad, opt to use services such as LBC Express which provides you the cheapest rates, faster delivery with reliable tracking services.
Support when Needed: From time to time, plan to send money back home to help your family cover expenses, shop, or assist in other needs. Transferring money via banks is always expensive as they levy heavy fees. A better option is to use a service like Remitly, which is a low-fee money transfer service. Remitly does not charge any fees when you transfer funds from your bank account. However, if the matter is urgent you can pay a small charge of $3.99 to expedite your request.
In addition to making a valuable contribution to your community, your efforts will also help you assimilate faster, provide you a sense of fulfillment, and enjoy a higher standard of living.
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