Building a New NGO Welfare Organization for Indian Immigrant - Term Paper Example

 Building a New NGO Welfare Organization for Indian Immigrant Introduction In the early 19th century, a small group of Indians was transported to Australia by the British government as convicts. However, in the late 19th-century, additional Indian immigrants arrived in Melbourne and Victoria and to seek for labor and employment as agricultural laborers and hawkers. The Indian immigrants were welcome in India because the country was under the British leadership. After independence in 1947, very many British citizens along with Anglo-Indians migrated to Australia. In 1954, the number of Indian immigrants in Victoria reached 3,000 after the restrictive immigration policies in Australia were amended and became more lenient for the immigrants (Card, Dustmann and Preston, 2005). More Indians in different professions such as teachers, doctors and engineers continued migrating to Melbourne and Victoria in search of greener pastures. By the end of 1973, the immigrants in Melbourne and Victoria reached 12,000 (United Nations. 2009). In the early 1980s, Australia experienced a drastic development in technology. Therefore, the country needed individuals who had the computer and technical skills. The need of such skilled personnel encouraged Indians to migrate to Australia in big numbers. In 2011, the Australian government recorded more than 111,800 Indian immigrants in both Melbourne and Victoria. These two towns have experienced a concentration of Indian grocery stores, restaurants, clothing shops and Indian temples to cater for the increased number of Indians (Castles, 2006). The Indian immigrants in Australia have maintained their vibrant cultures through various organizations and events such as the Academy of Indian Music and the Australia India Society of Victoria. The aim of this essay is to analyze how the Indian community can benefit from welfare organizations. The discussion will be based on the Indian immigrants living in Melbourne and Victoria. The welfare issues faced by this community will be further analyzed. Despite their numerous numbers in both Melbourne and Victoria, the Indian immigrants have continued to face various challenges and difficulties in Australia. Since the time Indians started migrating to Melbourne and Victoria, they have been facing numerous discrimination in almost all the sectors in Australia. For instance, the Australian policy emphasizes and encourages the migration of skilled individuals. It also offers potential immigrants employment opportunities (Arai and Vilhelmsson, 2004). However, when the immigrants arrive in Australia, they find out that they are no longer needed and in most cases, end up doing poor paying jobs. Another problem is the official recognition of their education qualifications. In a scenario where the qualifications are recognized, the local employers may assert that they have never heard the existence of search Indian Universities or colleges. The local employees may also demand that the immigrants must have local work experience. The immigrants are discriminated against the Australian citizens because they are told that they do not have the required local experience. Discrimination is also prominent in the job market, whereby the recruitment officers give the locals the priority. The Indian immigrants have tried to overcome this form of discrimination by adopting Western names. Despite all these challenges and discrimination, the Indian immigrants remain the most successful and skilled of all the migrant groups in Australia (Arai and Vilhelmsson, 2004). International migration is a very complicated issue that is not only facing Australia and India alone, but it is a global problem. This is because it leads to population pressures, and violation of human rights and freedom. The rapid development of both transportation and communication technologies have made it very convenient for individuals to leave their countries in search of social and economic betterment in other countries. Having mentioned this, it is the responsibility of every country to ensure that the needs and rights of the immigrants are considered to deal with the increasing challenge of immigration effectively (United Nations. 2009). The immigrants should not cause countries to be rivals, but every country should put the necessary measures to ensure that the sending and the receiving country benefit from the immigrants. The receiving country should make sure that the immigrants contribute to the social, economic and cultural prosperity in the country. This can be achieved if the receiving country does not allow discrimination against the immigrants and enact policies that advocate for equality. Such a country should fulfill the international duty of protecting the rights of the immigrants. However, due to the increased level of illegal immigration and human trafficking, most countries people view immigrants as lawbreakers (Alba and Nee, 1997). A lot was done to improve the situation of the Indian immigrants in Melbourne and Victoria. The discrimination propelled non-governmental organizations to fight for the rights of immigrants. Between 1901 and 1939, many non-governmental organizations were involved in helping the Indian immigrants. The Commonwealth and the British governments also supported the immigrants financially. This was particularly in 1922 after the enactment of the Empire Settlement Act. The most popular welfare organizations included the Salvation Army, the Country Women's Association, the Sydney-based Million Farms Club and the Child Emigration Society, among others. However, the onset of the great depression caused the financial support to the Indian Immigrants to be curtailed or reduced. Since then the Indians immigrants have not yet established strong welfare organizations to fight for their rights in Australia and most especially in Victoria and Melbourne (Alba and Nee, 2003). Previously, most governments did not view NGOs and welfare organizations as capable enough of dealing with the issues of immigration. Such organizations were viewed as too weak to deal effectively with the immigration menace and therefore, they were viewed as organizations whose main aim was to solicit money from the government or well-wishers (Anita, 2011). However, after intensive analysis, it has been established that most of the challenges that face the immigrants can be solved by welfare organizations or NGOs. The most common challenges posed by immigration at the grass level are usually socially related. Therefore, a welfare organization will be able to point out these challenges and deal with them accordingly. Most of these organizations are very effective because they concentrate on the human element when addressing the concern of the immigrants. An immigrant group, such as the Indian Community in Melbourne and Victoria, faces a lot of challenges and difficulties in Australia because it is not afflicted to any welfare organization (Anita, 2011). Establishing welfare organizations or NGOs can be of great benefit to the Indian Community in Victoria and Melbourne. The main mission and agenda of NGOs is to help individuals build their capacity instead of just imposing solutions. NGOs are not founded for profit purposes, but are aimed at achieving a specific objective. Such objectives may include addressing social injustices and advocating for equality in the society (Arai and Vilhelmsson, 2004). A new NGO welfare organization for Indian immigrants can be informed of associations, professional societies, and community groups or religiously grounded. The NGO can also be a coalition of different organizations aimed at confronting the discrimination issues facing the Indian community. It will make the enormous contribution towards the welfare of this community by promoting social justice and working towards achieving equality. It will achieve this target by raising public knowledge on all the issues affecting the Indian immigrants. Such an initiative can be achieved through publicity and media campaigns, lobbying politicians and council members, and holding petitions and public seminars (Bevelander, 2011). The NGO will most probably work together with the Australian government. The relationship between the NGO and the government is imperative because it can act as a mediator between the Australian and the Indian governments. Therefore, it will play a vital role in the process of public policing. It will submit proposals or make the suggestion to the government regarding the immigration rules, which can later be discussed in parliament, and the necessary changes can be implemented. It can propose the adoption of Multiculturalism, an effective strategy towards resettlement of the Indian immigrants. The NGO will also lobby for the decentralization of power; a strategy that will give the Indian community power to fight for their rights and fight against discrimination. To achieve all these, NGOs should have a high level of transparency and a well set up governance structures (Doh and Teegen, 2003). Most of the Indian immigrants in Victoria and Melbourne are in the private sector. Most of the private sectors do not have well-established rules to prevent the investors from being exploited by the government. If a welfare organization is established, it will act as a facilitator and train the Indian investors identify the market needs and carry out the promotion for their goods and services. Such initiatives will ensure that the immigrants can compete fairly with the locals in Melbourne Australia (Arai and Vilhelmsson, 2004). The NGO will also recognize the appropriate technology to be adopted by the Indian community to improve their business performance. The technology will help the immigrants to be linked to the financial institutions where they can apply for loans or any other form of financial assistance. The NGO will also work with the Australian government and assist the Indian community to expand the Indian banks and other financial institutions in Australia, a move that will make it easy for the Indian immigrants to send and receive money to and from their country. Such financial services will help the Indian community to take control of their lives, skills, knowledge, and ability hence becoming self-reliant and empowered (Femida, 2006). The NGO can also target the poor Indian immigrants especially the women by establishing micro-credit institutions. Such institutions will alleviate poverty among the Indian immigrants and boost capacity building. NGOs are famous for supporting the minority groups in the society hence liberating them from poverty and daily suffering. Most scholars view microfinance as a very effective way of empowering minority groups in a society. It seeks to deliver financial support to the minority groups that are continuously ignored such as the Indian community in Victoria and Melbourne. The microfinance will grant financial services to the Indian immigrants who cannot get such help from the formal banking sector. It will also provide saving opportunities to the immigrants who are usually excluded from commercial, financial services (Nilsson, 2004). In most cases, NGOs adopt microfinance as a development inclusion approach of assisting the disadvantaged groups in a society. Apart from being used as a strategy of financial support to the Indian immigrants, the NGO will also use the microfinance to fund the education of the Indian immigrants, promote income-generating activities and create jobs for them. This is evident since micro finances have helped to eradicate poverty in most parts of the world, including countries such as People's Republic of China (PRC) and Sierra Leone. The microfinance will ensure that the Indian community will get access to productive capital, hence strengthening their dignity and empower them to take part in economy building in Australia (Snehlata, 2003). Building a new NGO welfare organization for the Indian Immigrants living in Melbourne will help in capacity building. This implies that the NGO will bridge the gap between the Australian citizens and the Indian immigrants. Capacity building is a strategy that helps to build self-dependence or the ability of the welfare organization to strengthen the abilities of a minority group in a society through skill training, education and organizational support. By using this strategy, the NGO is capable of strengthening the development abilities of the Indian immigrants through organizational support. However, before the welfare organization can commence on capacity building, it needs to identify the already existing structures, resources and partnership with the Indian community. Capacity building will assist the Indians in Melbourne and Victoria to increase their abilities to perform important functions, define and solve problems hence being able to achieve their objectives (Sooryamoorthy and Gangrade, 2001) By developing capacity building, the NGO will ensure that the Indian immigrants will attain sustainable development. This is because the role of the welfare organization will be to help the Indian community in Melbourne and Victoria and to motivate them to participate in the establishment of income-generating projects, which will eventually improve their living standards (Arai and Vilhelmsson, 2004). In other parts of the world, NGOs have been able to help the poor and discriminated groups through capacity building. Similarly, the new NGO welfare will be able to assist the Indian immigrants through skills training and exchange of experiences. The welfare organization will also play a vital role in advocating for education provision for the Indian community. Very many Indians were born in Victoria and Melbourne. Some of them cannot access education as the Australian citizens because of discrimination. Therefore, an organization to fight against this form of discrimination is necessary. This can be done by proposing the establishment of an Indian learning institution in either Victoria or Melbourne (Snehlata, 2003). The NGO will boost the level of self-reliance among the Indian community in Melbourne and Victoria. The concept of self-reliance will help the Indian community to attain sustainable development because self-reliance is the key factor in effective community development. The NGO will intertwine the concept of self-reliance with other concepts such as community participation and mutual help to ensure that the Indian immigrants express both social and economic progress. By using the concept of self-reliance, the NGO will encourage the Indian immigrants to use their abilities and local initiatives to boost their poor living conditions in Australia. To attain self-reliance, the NGO and other welfare organizations must establish strategies to use the available resources to boost the potential of the Indian community in Melbourne and Victoria. This can be done by mobilizing the Indians to be self-reliant and motivating them to participate in the development activities. When a community is relying on its resources, it becomes very independent, and it is no longer prone to discrimination. Therefore, the Indian community will depend on their technology and resources, which they can manage and control (Kerwin, 2009). The self-reliant strategy will require the NGO or the welfare organization to use the available human resource to the maximum. The aim of doing this is to ensure that the Indian community achieves a high level of independence. If the community relies very much on external resources, it will lose its independence and autonomy. The Indian community can only flourish in Australia if it does not expect to be helped by the Australian government. The NGO and other welfare groups will put much focus on developing the abilities of the Indian immigrants. The community has enough ability and potential, but it remains dormant because of the massive isolation and discrimination in Melbourne. However, through the intervention of welfare organizations and NGOs, the community will realize its potential through education and introduction of soft loans. Therefore, the NGOs will achieve sustainable development among this community through its continuous project sponsorship, evaluation processes and monitoring the progress of the Indian immigrants in Melbourne and Victoria (Kerwin, 2009). The Indian community will also benefit from NGOs because the welfare organizations will support peace-building programs. Such programs will be aimed at ensuring that the Indian immigrants and the locals in Melbourne and Victoria live together peacefully. The NGO will be involved in democratic programs that are aimed at airing the views and the interests of the Indian immigrant group in Melbourne and Victoria. The NGOs are capable of initiating a process of ensuring that the Australian government adopts policies that are more democratic. The policies will also emphasize on community reunification (Alba and Nee, 1997). Some of the members of the NGOs should also belong to the Indian immigrant group, a strategy that will ensure that the voice of the Indian community is heard. This form of democratic participation will ensure that the interests and wishes of the immigrant groups are addressed fully and dealt with appropriately (Kilby, 2010). The Australian government has been keen on pointing out the roles played by welfare organizations or NGOs on issues regarding the Indian immigrants. The government has come to realize that NGOs offer crucial information regarding the challenges facing the Indian immigrants in Melbourne and Victoria. The Australian government has seen the capability of welfare organizations in dealing with the social problems associated with the integration of the Indian immigrants in Australia (Anita, 2011). Australia is a democratic country, which has experienced both the advantages and disadvantages of immigrants. It has enjoyed the social, cultural, and economic contributions of the Indian immigrants. This implies that any welfare organization that is established to deal with the issues of immigrations will have an informed grasp of the realities of immigrants in Australia. Therefore, if the welfare organization consults well with the government, it can contribute positively towards the immigrants’ safety and their well-being (Kerwin, 2009). The government, in collaboration with the NGOs, can provide temporary shelter, food and other essentials to the Indian immigrants. Such actions will facilitate smooth integration and settlement of the Indian immigrants in Melbourne and Victoria. The NGOs can be established to represent specific ethnic and religious groups or assist the immigrants basing on the background, hence making it easier for the immigrants for undergo a smooth cultural transition to the main Australian cultures. It will also help the immigrants preserve their religious and ethnic identities and their association with their home country (United Nations. 2009). Conclusion Melbourne and Victoria have experienced a massive increase of Indian immigrants in the past three decades. The most discouraging thing is that since the time Indians started migrating to Melbourne and Victoria, they have been facing numerous discrimination in almost all the sectors. Immigration is a very complicated issue, and it is not facing Australia and India alone, but it also other countries all over the globe. The rapid development of both transportation and communication technologies have made it very convenient for individuals to leave their countries in search of social and economic betterment in other countries. However, to solve the challenge facing the Indian immigrants in Melbourne and Victoria, there has been the need for establishing NGOs or welfare organizations. NGOs will be able to point out these challenges and deal with them accordingly. The NGOs will play a vital role in the process public policing whereby it can act as mediator between the Australian and the Indian government. The NGOs will establish microfinance to fund the education of the Indian immigrants, promote income-generating activities and create jobs for them in Melbourne and Victoria. Such initiatives will bridge the gap between the Australian citizens and the Indian immigrants. The NGOs and welfare organizations will be able to assist the Indian immigrants through skills training and exchange of experiences. These skills will improve self-reliance among the Indian community, which is a key factor in effective community development. Therefore, it is necessary for the Indian immigrants in Melbourne and Victoria to establish a welfare organization or NGOs as indicated in the essay because of their enormous benefits. Bibliography Alba, R., and Nee, V., 1997. Rethinking assimilation theory for a new era of immigration. International migration review, pp. 826-874. Alba, R., and Nee, V., 2003. Remaiking the American mainstream. Assimilation and Contemporary Immigration, Cambrige, Mass: Harvard University Press. Anita, A., 2011. Formation and management of NGOs: non-governmental organizations. New Delhi: Universal Law Pub. Co. Arai, M. and Vilhelmsson, R., 2004. 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