‘Last paradise on earth’: From Asia to the Faroes

Nestled between Norway and Iceland in the North Atlantic, the animal residents of the remote Faroe Islands outnumber its human inhabitants, with 80,000 sheep to its 50,000 people.

Due to limited opportunities and a limited gene pool, many local young women have chosen to move abroad over the past two decades, leading to a shortage of women in the Faroes.

So it is no wonder that women from the Philippines and Thailand face no objections when moving to the islands looking for a new life and the prospect of love.

With hundreds of women from Southeast Asia married to local men, the face of the traditional Faroe Islands is transforming into a more inclusive and multicultural one.

These Asian women rely on each other for moral support, friendship and help navigating their new lives. It’s not always easy, but most of them are happy in the Faroes and feel it’s a good place to raise their children.

“Here we are more safe, the Philippines is more dangerous, especially at night time…. I think Faroe Islands is the last paradise on earth,” says Grace, who came to the Faroes six years ago.

For some, the cold, windswept Faroes is a paradise, for others, marriage may not have been written in the stars, but a welcoming new home is. 

ALSO READ: More than a mail-order bride – The Asian women choosing life in the Faroes