Day 1 Week 1, Jan 2011 Orientation

We have a good group of ladies, but not as many ex-abroads as I was hoping for. We're still experiencing ladies registering for training and not showing up, which is a bit frustrating. Shy and Rowena are here helping. That is a big blessing. We also have an American Pastor and his wife visiting, and they are working to warm up the English of the applicants. 

Usually on Day 1, I don't have great feelings about the applicants, but as the week goes on and they begin to blossom we get a better assessment of their abilities. Training is sooooooooooo essential, not just for work related skills, but even more for attitudes. Getting someone ready to work in a pressure cooker like Hong Kong is not easy, but it is essential. 

Indonesian falls to her death trying to escape her employer

I don't understand how this could happen. Why didn't the maid leave by the main door? Was she locked in? What could have led to such a desperate act?

更新: January 2, 2011 22:26

疑逃離僱主家．被單綁成繩印尼女傭12樓墜死

（布城2日訊）一名印尼女傭，疑為了逃離僱主家，從組屋12樓單位處，用被單結綁成繩子攀爬出來，卻不慎跌死！據悉，該名女傭是昨晚趁僱主不在家時，從12樓單位逃跑，結果跌斃底樓小巷，直至今早7時30分才被人揭發。這事件是發生在布城9區E2座組屋。布城警區主任阿都拉薩助理總監說，女傭身分不明，她的屍體旁有一個行李袋。他說，警方初步調查，死者死因沒有涉及刑事成分，暫列猝死案處理，並將屍體送入布城醫院剖驗。 更新: January 2, 2011 22:26疑逃離僱主家．被單綁成繩印尼女傭12樓墜死（布城2日訊）一名印尼女傭，疑為了逃離僱主家，從組屋12樓單位處，用被單結綁成繩子攀爬出來，卻不慎跌死！據悉，該名女傭是昨晚趁僱主不在家時，從12樓單位逃跑，結果跌斃底樓小巷，直至今早7時30分才被人揭發。這事件是發生在布城9區E2座組屋。布城警區主任阿都拉薩助理總監說，女傭身分不明，她的屍體旁有一個行李袋。

他說，警方初步調查，死者死因沒有涉及刑事成分，暫列猝死案處理，並將屍體送入布城醫院剖驗。 

How To Prepare Your Child To Excel In School By Lau Elaine

All parents would like to see their children succeed. Nothing could be very rewarding than to look at triumphant kids in terms of their academic journeys. And much more will be the joy if you know that you are behind your children's achievement.

Parents can always help their children do well in their academic performance. Here are some things they could do in order to polish their children's road to get high grades in school:

• Spend some time everyday to check on your child's work. See to it that he has answered all the questions asked in the homework. Some children may think that their answers are right but if you know that there is a better way to state the response, then you can modify without scrapping the child's idea.
• Identify areas which the child find difficult to excel in. Some children may be good but not in all fields. Focus attention on the weakness and you might provide some exercises that could support lessons in class regarding this weakness.
• Set up the home with a study corner or a study room. Children will be enticed to bring out their assignments if they have their own working tables or areas.
• Create an atmosphere more conducive to studying. Ask siblings to tone down music or other unnecessary sound during study period so as not to disturb others. Make sure that the room is well ventilated and that other possible disturbances are dealt with accordingly.
• Entice children to study as you prepare great snacks they could munch and crunch while reading their lessons in advance. You can prepare home-made cookies or sandwiches which you all can share even right after the study period.
• Be open for parent consultation during card-giving days. Your child's report card may just be mere reflections of his scores but the chance to talk with his teachers will give you an idea of the entire attitude and performance of your child. This way, you will know their needs and what form of help could you extend to respond to these needs.
• Celebrate your child's achievement. Rewards are efficiently savored when given at the right time. Celebrating does not only motivate but also creates an impression of how much you value your child's efforts.

More than anyone else in this world, parents are the most important people expected to support children for them to achieve good academic performance. Everything will fall into place if parents would believe in their children's abilities and skills from the very beginning.

Lau Elaine invites you to her parenting portal to find out more on guide to parenting gifted children, toddler parenting tips. Sign up for your free membership today at Today's Motherhood free parenting magazine in Singapore and get access to our free subscription magazine plus many freebies and discount vouchers too.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lau_Elaine

Increase the IQ of your baby before he/she is born (Reuter's)

By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Children in rural Nepal whose mothers were given iron and folic acid supplements during pregnancy were smarter, more organized and had better fine motor skills than children whose mothers did not get them, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday. They said ensuring that pregnant women get this basic prenatal care could have a big effect on the educational futures of children who live in poor communities where iron deficiency is common.  

"Iron is essential for the development of the central nervous system," said Parul Christian, an expert in international health at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, whose study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Iron deficiency is the most common and widespread nutritional disorder in the world, affecting 2 billion people, according to the World Health Organization. Early iron deficiency can interfere with nerve development, biochemistry and metabolism, hampering both intellectual and fine motor development.

Christian's team studied 676 school-age children whose mothers had been in a clinical trial in which some got iron and folic acid supplements and other nutrients while they were pregnant. About 80 percent of the children -- aged 7 to 9 -- were enrolled in school. "We had the opportunity to follow the offspring of women who had participated in a randomized trial of iron and folic acid and other micronutrients to assess neurocognitive function and outcomes," Christian said in a telephone interview. "What we showed is prenatal iron and folic acid supplementation had a significant impact on the offspring's intellectual level and motor ability and ability during school age, which was a very exciting finding," she said.  "It had an impact across a range of function, including intellectual function, executive function and fine motor function," factors that could affect a child's later academic success, Christian said.

She said many children in poor communities would benefit from better prenatal programs that include the low-cost nutritional supplements.

"These results speak to a large swath of people residing in that part of the world. Iron and folic acid deficiency are very common," she said. The World Health Organization estimates that in developing countries, every other pregnant woman is anemic and about 40 percent of preschool children are anemic. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.    (Editing by Eric Walsh)

.Help Wanted

Arrow is looking for a customer service representative to help us serve our great family of customers. Applicants need to be fluent in Cantonese and English, love people and have basic computer skills. Working on Saturday is mandatory. If you know someone who is interested ask them to contact Allan @ 2151-1125 or email us at info@arrowes.hk. Thanks!

Breastfeeding vs. Bottlefeeding

Week One of Orientation is Finished (Nov 2010)

Our first week of training is now over. The applicants were a good group, and we think we made a positive impact on their lives. A number of them (see the website) have already found work. At the beginning of the week the internet here again gave us problems, but we overcame them by using a 3G Cell modem and setting up our computer outside to do skype interviews. It was a bit ridiculous at one point. We out in the blazing sun, I was wearing headsets, sunglasses and holding an umbrella. That is not how we want to do business. The center here is in the process of t rying to connect to a fiber optic line which should resolve the problem.. 

Truth to live by

I've signed up for many e-newsletters over the years. Most of them I have unsubscribed from because they fill my inbox with spam and offer little value. The newsletter from Philip Humbert is different. I look forward, and make time to read his weekly advice, but he helps me not only succeed in business, but more importantly, in life. You can check him out on philiphumbert.com. He includes quotes for living, and I found this week's article about attitude very encouraging. Here are some quotations to live by:

"We don't see the world the way it is, we see the world the way we are."
    -- Anais Nin

“Everything can be taken away from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms -- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.”
    --  Viktor Frankl

“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly."
    --  Richard Bach

“Pleasure is not the purpose of man's existence. Joy is.”
    --  David O. McKay

5 Hour Energy - My hero! Wow!

My brother Stephen introduced me to this 5 hour ENERGY drink when I was in the US. I tried it and it really works. I brought a small case back with me, drank a 2 ounce bottle when jet lag was starting to set in at 4 p.m. in the afternoon, and BOOM no jet lag!

I'm now in the Philippines where we are conducting training, and 5-hour ENERGY is really helping me get through the grueling long days. Here is the amazing thing about this: NO SUGAR, 4 CALORIES, Caffeine of 1 cup of coffee, Amino Acids, Vitamin B, etc. 

Here's a commerical. Somebody apply to distribute this in stressful Hong Kong please! You'll become rich!

The Philippines Overseas Employment Agency implements mandatory insurance SCHEME

As of immediate effect, the Filipino Government has implemented compulsory insurance taking effect 8 November 2010. If proof of this insurance is not provided, there will be no exit clearance, and therefore no flights can be booked for your Helper. The insurance must be purchased from one of 3 approved Insurance companies in the Philippines.  They are all charging the same price for the insurance: US $144 for two years or approximately HK$1125. This policy was implemented arbitrarily with no consultation or even having the courtesy to inform the agencies involved. These insurance companies may not even be registered to legally work in Hong Kong yet.

We are deeply frustrated by the lack of communication from the Philippines Government and their lack of integrity regarding the implementation  of this law. However, the arrival of your Helper will be based upon compliance of this law. They are holding a gun to our heads. Buy their insurance or they won’t let the applicants come to Hong Kong.

All new customers need to be aware that there will be a $1000 surcharge added to your agency fee to pay for this unnecessary insurance.

WE are attempting to get a quote on a cheaper price for the insurance, but there seems to be some price-fixing involved because all the approved companies are charging the exact same amount. The South China Morning Post carried a front page article about this change a few days ago.
We urge you to call the Consulate General of the Philippines and speak to the acting Labor Attache to protest this new insurance. Here are the phone numbers, and email addresses.


We apologize for this inconvenience.

Sincerely,

Allan and Ione Smith
Arrow Employment Services

The first week of training (Nov 2010) is almost finished

Nothing EVER goes the way we planned it, BUT everything turns out well. 

We were expecting 40 ladies this week, but the floods and landslides in northern Luzon washed out the roads all transportation from the north ground to a halt. We hope they will find their way to next week'ss training.

 In the Philippines everything is connected to and effected by corruption. They don't have a good north south rail link on Luzon,  because the government wants to "supervise the project". Finances for a railroad line would be coming from the World Bank and other outside organizations, who know better than to give millions of dollars to Filipino government officials. They will fund the project only if, outside contractors like Chinese, Japanese or American companies can bid and control the project. They will not put the project and the money in local hands. They are willing to build and give the Philippines a good railroad,, but they are not willing to line the pockets of government officials. So, the government officials have turned down the gift saying it is an "affront to Filipino dignity". Who suffers? The ordinary people, and the businesses trying to operate here. 

The group of ladies this week have been quite good and receptive. Some of them are already employed and we have a full slate of interviews for Saturday. 

What's Important to Arrow?

I made a graphic presentation of Arrow values. Want to know what we believe? Click through this brief prezi. You can zoom in and out with your mouse, or use the "more" item to have it autoplay.

Your helper is frightened (HK Tour Bus Incident)

Yesterday (Sunday) was a bit strange. It was the first Sunday since the Philippine bus fiasco. The pastor who spoke to our Chinese congregation talked about how to handle your anger over the situation. I spoke to the Filipino congregation about how to handle your fear. The Chinese congregation prayed fervently for the Philippine government and people; and the Philippine congregation prayed for the families of those who were killed and injured.

Among the Filipinos there seem to be two main emotions: fear that someone will take revenge on them or blame them; and shame over their government's handling of the situation.

Many of our employers have already sat down and talked with their helper about the situation. If you have not yet done so, please take a few minutes to assure them that you don't blame them for this incident. They are worried that you will blame them or even terminate them over this issue.

Filipinos also feel a profound sense of shame over the way this was handled. They are so proud of their new president who is beginning to fight corruption, but this incident has exposed them, has shone a bright light on the ineptitude of the government on many levels. They would have preferred to correct things quietly without the whole world knowing, but now the secret is out: The Philippines is broken by decades of corrupt leaders. Very little works as it should, including the police force.

I hope you will pray for the Philippines. Their new president is a man of integrity who is beginning to tackle these problems. There are more and more Christians in places of responsibility, determined to make a positive impact. The people of the Philippines want our forgiveness, and our support as they try to overcome many years of poor governance. Pray for the Philippines!

Homesickness

Ione found a good article on homesickness.  We need to include a session on homesickness in our post-arrival briefing to helpers.  Below is the sidebar of tips they gave for dealing with homesickness: 

TIPS FOR HOMESICKNESS

1. Stay engaged. Take part in college activities or even freshman camps to forget about homesick feelings and make new friends. 

2. Establish a personal routine. "If you are someone who goes to bed early and everyone's staying up late, it's OK to go to bed early," says psychologist Josh Klapow. 

3. Do something to feel closer to home. Write a letter, look at a family photo. 

4. Talk to someone. Seek out people who either understand what you're going through or have similar feelings. Pity parties in this case aren't a bad thing, says Klapow. "It's sort of like a grief support group."

5. Time flies. Think that time is actually pretty short to make time go by faster.

Employers make a difference!

Last Sunday during the sharing time at church, a young lady stood up and showed everyone the simple beaded cross key chain her employer had given her. Mary is a new Christian, and she told her Christian employer that she felt it was difficult to talk about her faith with others. So her employer gave her a small cross made from 5 different colored beads, and taught her how to, using the colors,  share her faith with others. 

The helper was really touched by her employer's kindness, and I was amazed by the synergy that can happen when an employer is concerned about their helper's relationship with God. Another helper shared that her employer gives her money for transportation and lunch every Sunday, because they want her to attend church! Wow! 

We believe that a vibrant relationship with God makes us better people and better workers. It's great when employers also share this belief and put their faith into action. 

Caring maid a millionaire (Hong Kong Standard)

Thursday, July 22, 2010 A devoted Filipina maid has had a S$6 million (HK$33.9 million) windfall from her late employer in Singapore after more than 20 years of service. "I am the luckiest maid in Singapore, with or without the money," the 47-year-old single woman, Christine, told The Straits Times yesterday, while asking that her full name be kept secret. She was left cash and a luxury apartment near the Orchard Road shopping belt by Quek Kai Miew, a doctor and philanthropist who died last year at 66. The maid, who also took care of Quek's late mother, was told she would be a beneficiary when her employer drew up her will in 2008. ADVERTISEMENT "There were no secrets between us," Christine said. "I was not surprised at all when she told me how much I was going to get." But she was devastated when Quek died as the two had been inseparable, and she moved in temporarily with the doctor's nephew for solace. "It was heartbreaking as I saw more years with Dr Quek than with my own mother," she said. "I would break down every time I thought about her. I could not be by myself. I was always beside her." Christine, who is applying for permanent residency in Singapore, said wealth has not changed her. "I am still who I was before," she said. "I cannot behave differently because I have money now. "Even my Filipino maid friends here still treat me the same." AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

The Trouble With Passports

The Philippine Government has recently changed their regulations regarding the issuing of new passports and renewal of existing passport. As usual, when the Philippine government changes something, chaos is the result. We currently have some good ladies waiting in our "Inactive File" because they don't have their passports yet. The ones on the website are those with passports. We will bringing "profiles out of storage" and posting them as they send us their passports. If you are not in a hurry and want to see some of the "inactive ladies" please ask and we'll show them to you. 

Helper Financing

Lately we've had some ladies backing out at the last minute because they have "no money" to pay their fees in the Philippines. Most of our ladies come from backgrounds of extreme poverty, so finding money to pay their fees to our partner agency in the Philippines is always a struggle.  Hong Kong employers worry about helpers having loans, but the truth is that over 90% (my guess) of those who arrives in HK as domestic helpers (no matter where they are from), have borrowed money to get here. So for the first few months of their employment they will be paying off a loan. The Hong Kong governments' "unrealistic" position is that the Hong Kong employer should pay the full cost of employing a helper from overseas, but few employers are willing to do so. Indonesians often pay $20,000 to come to HK. Are you willing to fund their job at that rate? In reality, a helper who pays nothing, often treats the job as a free trip to Hong Kong, and if the going gets "tough" - she can always quit and go home.  

What can we do? Arrow works hard to keep fees for our applicants low. I don't believe there is any agency who has done as much as we have to reduce the burden on their applicants.  At our current level of charges we are only just breaking even (which is not great from a business standpoint), but it is a great help to our applicants. On my last trip I was introduced to two banks in the Philippines who give loans to OFWs at reasonable rates. They are willing to work with our applicants and we hope this will resolve last minute "I don't have any money" -  back outs. 

What can you do? Be realistic. Understand that when your helper arrives she probably has to pay back a loan to someone or some bank. Feel free to ask her about her payment schedule, and be understanding if you find that she has run out of money in the middle of the month. When you feel confident to do so, talk to her about her money management, budgeting etc. She has hopes and dreams, but often lacks the practical money management to reach her dreams. Advice and guidance from you might be the key to lifting her family permanently out of poverty. Don't just give her a job, share your wisdom with her also.  It takes more than a job to lift a family out of poverty. Thanks for your understanding.

Time for little emperors to wise up (from the HKStandard)

Our Arrow staff noted this editorial in the Hong Kong Standard. What are your children learning about life from watching your example: how you treat your helper, how you let the children treat the helper. Here is an excerpt:

In Hong Kong, we no longer see children carrying their younger brothers or sisters on their backs. We see domestic helpers carrying school bags for their young masters and mistresses.

Few parents physically punish their children, but we often see children do so to their domestic helpers.

Parents today receive higher education and know very well that they should listen to their children. But so many children will not listen to their parents.

How do we make our children more competitive?

I believe it is not by asking them to attend tutorials or so-called extra-curricular activities. We should teach them courtesy, respect and gratitude. To say "please" and "thank you," be more respectful, listen and be thankful. Simply by doing these things, they will already be much better than a lot of other people.

The Help

I recently finished listening to the audio version of The Help by Kathryn Stockett. It is the story of black women working as helpers for white families in Mississippi during the 1960's. The story is told from the perspectives of 3 different women and is an insightful look at race relations and helper-employer relations in the South. 

The audio version is fantastic (read by 3 different women), and, if you can handle the accents, I highly recommend it.

Near the end of the story, one of the characters, Momma, is talking with her grown daughter about how their current helper is not as good as the lady who used to work for them. The mother tells her daughter "They say it's like true love - good help - you only get one in a lifetime."

If you are one of those blessed with  "good help", I hope you'll treasure and appreciate them.   Allan