The  Migration Lab (MLab) and International Manpower Recruitment (IMR) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative aims to address a key priority in migration: making good overseas employment opportunities accessible to all.

Aspiring migrant workers face various challenges such as lack of proper information, networks and access to finance that can make migrating overseas either impossible, making them immobile, or an incredibly risky endeavor for those who choose to migrate by taking up hefty loans and relying on fraudulent agents. These challenges and risks are further amplified for those from marginalized communities—whether economically disadvantaged, socially marginalized, or residing in geographically disadvantaged areas, among others. These are also the very communities that could benefit the most from good employment opportunities.

IMR and MLab implemented two pilot CSR initiatives in the last 12 months, connecting a total of 68 workers with Malaysia-based jobs:

CSR Initiative 1: Musahar community

The Musahar community in Nepal is one of the most marginalized and vulnerable group in the country. They live in extreme poverty, with little access to education, healthcare, or decent jobs. The term Musahar means “rat-eaters”. Trapped by systemic discrimination and social exclusion, they face extreme hardships in accessing even the most basic of services including education, healthcare and jobs. Most Musahars work in low-paying, unskilled jobs, unable to escape the cycle of poverty and many are still landless.

Our belief for selecting this group: one good migration opportunity has the power to push families out of intergenerational poverty.

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CSR Initiative 2: Jajarkot earthquake victims

In November 2023, the underdeveloped district of Jajarkot in mid-western Nepal was devastated by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake that killed hundreds, injured many, and destroyed infrastructure like homes and schools.

Our belief for selecting this group: good migration can complement recovery efforts post-disaster and provide a long-term reliable source of income to families.

In both the cases, the CSR initiative included the following steps:

• ‍Village Campaign: IMR already relies on village campaigns to inform aspirant workers about available recruitment opportunities to bypass individual brokers who are notorious for cheating migrant workers. As part of the CSR initiative, we were more intentional about choosing localities with vulnerable communities for the village recruitment drives i.e., in Musahar villages and in earthquake ravaged Jajarkot. ‍
• Pre-Interview: Anyone who was interested to apply was given a chance to appear for the pre-screening interview. ‍
• Travel to Kathmandu: Selected candidates had to come to Kathmandu, the capital, for the final interview. The travel and accommodation costs were covered by IMR to ensure internal travel and accommodation cost would not dissuade the selected aspirants from appearing for the interview.‍
• Interview Preparation Training: When willingness to pay is not the factor determining job placement as has been common with migrant workers, candidates have to ensure that they present their best selves during interview sessions. MLab provided interview preparation training to the CSR candidates to ensure that they are well-equipped for the interviews. Interviews can be nerve-wrecking, and the training sessions covered a range of topics such as frequently asked questions, body language, grooming, breathing exercise to calm nerves, mock interviews, among others. This is in addition to the briefing and orientation sessions provided by IMR in partnership with the employers to ensure workers are well aware about the kind of job they are applying for, the terms of the contract, available resources such as hotline numbers.‍
• Pre-departure Motivational Training : The successful candidates were provided pre-departure motivational training classes by MLab designed to help migrant workers become more intentional about this overseas opportunity. When workers don’t have to worry about the debt burden they are trapped in or wonder if they will get the promised job, it frees up mental space to plan better for their overseas journey including during their employment (eg upward mobility, learning news skills, emphasizing savings, etc) and post-return (eg businesses they can setup once they are back).

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Watch our video documenting the Jajarkot CSR project below:

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