2018 Damayan Special General Assembly

DAMAYAN MIGRANTS | May 10, 2018

Damayan held a special General Assembly on April 29th and 30th in order to unite the membership on the mission and vision of Damayan as we move forward into this important year of organizational and movement growth. Convened annually, the General Assembly (GA) is Damayan’s highest policy-making body and is composed of the dues-paying and voting members of the organization. This year, Damayan is celebrating 16 years of struggle and victories, and the 2018 Damayan Special General Assembly was a critical event for forging unity towards more victories!

The 2018 Damayan GA, which was held at The Nature Conservancy in Manhattan, brought out new and long-time members who gathered to meet their fellow Damayan members, celebrate Damayan’s accomplishments of 2017, view presentations on Damayan’s work and the 2017 financial report, make important organizational decisions and set the direction of the organization for 2018-2019. 

2017 was a year of heightened fear and struggle for the migrant worker community, but it also included victories and triumphs of solidarity and mobilization of the worker community. For Damayan, 2017 included the signing of the MOU, rallies, trainings, shared stories, family reunifications, marches, and  -visas and unpaid wages won. 

To date, Damayan has helped 34 survivors receive Trafficking Visas, 22 of them reunited their families, including 42 children and 13 spouses and we have helped to have $850,000 recovered in stolen wages. The 2018 GA provided the chance for the membership to come together to unite and plan for the struggles and victories that are to come.