TORONTO -- Throughout her career, registered psychotherapist Elda Almario has spent a great deal putting the mental health of children she works with ahead of her own. But during the pandemic, she says, it鈥檚 become even less likely for her to 鈥渢ake a break and reflect.鈥�
Over the past few months, Filipina front-line workers like Almario have found an outlet to relieve bottled-up anxiety, loneliness and fear: Writing their stories down and sharing them.
鈥淎llowing space for my experience to come to the surface became a form of self-care for me,鈥� Almario told CTVNews.ca in an email. 鈥淚t was great to have a voice and be heard especially during a time when I have been so focused on my work due to increased demands and complex needs.鈥�
The 鈥淪tories of Care鈥� writing initiative, run through North York Community House in Toronto, virtually brings together front-line workers such as nurses, retail workers, at-home caretakers, dental hygienists, and cleaners, to share burdens they鈥檝e mostly carried alone.
鈥淚t gives me strength, I feel encouraged because I know that no matter what we are facing, we face it with courage, resilience, and positivity and we continue to love what we do,鈥� Olivia Dela Cruz, a paid caretaker of a household of six children, told CTVNews.ca in an email. 鈥淢y respect [is for] all frontline workers because they all put others before themselves.鈥�
Jennifer Chan, the lead organizer of the initiative, told CTVNews.ca in a video interview that the writers 鈥渇eel seen and heard in a completely different way.鈥� She said one participant told her, 鈥渋t was so meaningful to get to write my story and just spend time thinking about me.鈥�
Filipinx people play a crucial role on Canada鈥檚 front lines, making up one in 20 health-care workers, . A third of internationally trained nurses in the country are from the Philippines, according to the ; with Filipinos making up providing in-home care under Canada鈥檚 Caregiver Program.
EXPERIENCES CAPTURED IN ART
Chan was inspired to start the program through her work with North York Community House, where she regularly consults with caregivers from the Philippines, who need help filling out government documents.
She and her colleagues were noticing 鈥渁 lot of stuff coming to the surface鈥� and they wanted to give them an outlet.
鈥淪tories of Care鈥� began last summer as a six-week writing course for a few Filipina front-line workers, and has since grown in attendance and centred on less-time-intensive sessions.
As of last Friday, some of the stories are now featured in a , based on three Filipinx artists who 鈥渞ead the stories [and] took inspiration from them,鈥� Chan said.
鈥� a term for Filipinx people living outside of the Philippines -- shows a fruit falling to the ground, turning into a box, crossing the sea, hitting the shore and growing into a tree. This signifies people starting a new life in Canada. The title also refers to the care packages or 鈥淏alikbayan boxes鈥� that are sent back to the Philippines.
features an animated circle of faces encircling alternating excerpts about workers鈥� fears, including getting COVID-19 on the job.
Another piece holding a sign reading, 鈥渨e love to deliver,鈥� contrasted with alternating English and Tagalog phrases such as: 鈥淚 need to sacrifice my comfort for my family,鈥� 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to move to Canada鈥� and 鈥淢igration is no guarantee for a better future.鈥�
鈥淗aving artists make renditions of our stories gives us the validation that our stories are valuable,鈥� Gretchen Mangahas, a communications specialist and newcomer to Canada, told CTVNews.ca in an email.
鈥淚 felt the power of stories in the shared lived experiences of my Filipina sisters,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 knew that I was not alone, and that the connection opens opportunities to learn how to navigate in a new country I would call home. It has also created friendships and new avenues for sharing with others.鈥�
FILIPINX FRONT-LINE WORKERS FEEL 'OVERSIZED TOLL'
Last fall, the Migrant Workers Alliance For Change alleging that throughout the pandemic, migrant care workers were subjected to entrapment, long hours, and thousands of dollars in stolen wages by exploitative employers.
Chan said some writers 鈥渨ere feeling stuck in their employer situation鈥� and thought about quitting, but knew it would mean they couldn鈥檛 provide for family back home and might potentially lose permanent residency status.
Medical news publication also reported that COVID-19 has taken an 鈥渙utsized toll鈥� on mental and physical well-being for Filipino front-line workers in the U.S. Chan said the same could be seen in Canada.
鈥淭hey need an outlet to reflect through their own stories鈥� we鈥檙e not hearing enough from them,鈥� she said. Chan said attendees had a lot of cultural habits to overcome initially, including so-called 鈥渢oxic positivity鈥� and the 鈥渙ngoing feeling that these women feel that they have to feel grateful to be here.鈥�
Many worried about their families back home in the Philippines, which was hit by multiple . Chan said others wrote about the strict lockdown measures in the country and about 鈥渘ot being able to go home. Not feeling safe here or there.鈥�
Although most people today are only being able to connect with family over video or the phone, that鈥檚 what immigrants have done for decades, said magazine editor Justine Abigail Yu, who facilitates the writing workshop in both English and Tagalog.
鈥淟oving from afar鈥� was a big theme in their writing, she told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview. 鈥淥bviously the conditions are quite different on an extreme level, but we鈥檝e always had to show our family who are living in entirely different countries how we care for them and how we love them.鈥�
The organizers said front-line workers鈥� feelings of isolation and homesickness while living in Canada have only been amplified by the pandemic.
Yu, the founder of magazine Living Hyphen, created an environment where Filipina workers could open up to themselves and to others.
鈥淪o many of these caregivers and our immigrant families, we just want to survive. We move to Canada, work our asses off to get by and to make sure that we鈥檙e providing for our children and there鈥檚 no room to tell stories,鈥� she said. Yu's role involved 鈥渂reaking down that barrier first and foremost.鈥�
And the investment appears to have paid off.
鈥淚n more ways than one, we deeply resonated with each other鈥檚 experience,鈥� Almario said. 鈥淚 gained a sense of belongingness and community, the feeling of not being alone.鈥�
Caregiver and single mother Dela Cruz agreed, saying being a part of this project 鈥渂rings back so many memories that I thought completely forgotten. Stories about me that I never thought I will have the courage to share.鈥�
