COVID-19 restrictions, I could not hold in-person meetings with workers and had to rely on telephone calls to see how the workers were doing. During the lockdown, many workers wanted to return to their countries but could not travel because the airport was shut down. I had to explain the difficult situation and offer counsel to these workers, who often remained stranded in Jordan.

Looking ahead

Helping and empowering migrant workers has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Being able to act as their representative gives me a sense of purpose and motivates me to keep moving forward.

I am also happy to be able to continue to send money back to my family in Bangladesh and feel pride in my representation of other Bengali people.

I plan to become a trainer so I can help migrant workers even more. I also want to do a degree in psychology, which will help me understand people better.

I think that my success in becoming a union organizer is a success for all of us who are migrant workers in Jordan.”

A version of this story first appeared on the website of our colleagues at the International Labour Organisation (ILO).