About One-Forty

We are One-Forty, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering Southeast Asian migrant workers in Taiwan. Since 2015, our mission has been to provide education and practical skills to help migrant workers adapt to life in Taiwan and support their families back home. Our goal is to break the cycle of poverty and open doors to better futures for these workers, their families, and future generations. We also aim to create a more diverse, inclusive, and welcoming society in Taiwan through regular cultural exchanges and interactions between Taiwanese people and migrant workers.

Challenges Faced by Migrant Workers

In Taiwan, over 800,000 Southeast Asian migrant workers seek better opportunities to support their families. However, the labor-intensive jobs available often offer limited transferrable skills, which do not help them secure employment back home. This leaves them with limited options, either continuing in low-paid labor or returning abroad. Many aspire to start small businesses, but lack of basic business knowledge makes it challenging to achieve sustainability. Additionally, the demanding nature of their work—characterized as Dangerous, Difficult, and Dirty—entails significant risks and often lower wages compared to Taiwanese workers. Cultural misunderstandings and biases further exacerbate their challenges, leading to a sense of dislocation and social discrimination.

Our Impact and Achievements

Recognizing these issues, One-Forty is committed to supporting migrant workers through education and skill training. We have successfully helped over 5,000 workers complete our one-year programs. Additionally, 92,000 workers benefit from our online resources, which include over 350 videos with a total of 8,650,000 views (YouTube Channel). We also have organized more than 200 cultural exchange events and exhibitions, engaging over 200,000 Taiwanese participants. We create opportunities to the Taiwanese public and migrant workers to interact, communicate, and empathize with each other, and to bring them to recognize the stories and values of one another.

Success Stories

Our programs have enabled more than 500 alumni to return home and successfully start small businesses. For instance, Adi now runs a ranch with 150 goats and plans to expand to 600. Evi has opened a restaurant, using the skills she acquired to overcome future challenges. Additionally, over five alumni have found stable employment in Taiwanese companies back home, with salaries significantly higher than the average. Yani and Yusni, for example, work as translators and earn $700 a month, three times the typical wage.