Strengthening Social Reintegration of Returned Migrant Workers through Family Economic Empowerment: A Community Service Program with PCIM Hong Kong

Titi Darmi; Rosidin; Lutvia Liyan Sari; Ella Martina Chayati

doi:10.59535/g7e6dt78

Authors

Titi Darmi Department of Public Administration, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Muhammadiyah Bengkulu, Indonesia Author
Rosidin Department of Public Administration, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Muhammadiyah Bengkulu, Indonesia Author
Lutvia Liyan Sari Department of Public Administration, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Muhammadiyah Bengkulu, Indonesia Author
Ella Martina Chayati Department of Public Administration, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Muhammadiyah Bengkulu, Indonesia Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59535/g7e6dt78

Keywords:

returned migrant workers, social reintegration, financial literacy, family economic empowerment, micro-business planning

Abstract

Returned migrant workers often come home with savings, skills, and international work experience but face immediate decisions concerning household expenditure, livelihood reconstruction, and family expectations. This community service program was designed to strengthen the social and economic reintegration of Indonesian migrant workers returning from Hong Kong through financial literacy, family financial planning, micro-business preparation, and peer-network support. The program was implemented in Bengkulu in July–August 2023 in collaboration with PCIM Hong Kong and involved 30 participants consisting of returnees, family members, and community/diaspora resource persons. A participatory adult-learning approach combined short inputs, applied worksheets, business-model exercises, family action planning, and experience sharing. Evaluation used pre- and post-training financial-literacy indicators, facilitator observations, review of participant outputs, and a four-level training-evaluation framework. Financial knowledge increased from 58% to 82%, budgeting and savings-plan ability from 55% to 80%, awareness of safe financial services and fraud indicators from 52% to 85%, and understanding of borrowing costs from 57% to 79%; confidence in financial decision-making increased from 3.1 to 4.1 on a five-point scale. The program also generated draft micro-business concepts and family action plans. The results indicate that reintegration assistance is more useful when financial capability, realistic enterprise planning, family alignment, and diaspora-supported social networks are treated as mutually reinforcing components rather than separate interventions.

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