In an effort to promote greater integration and understanding between locals and migrant workers, the Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) has collaborated with unions, local community organisations and schools to create a series of “Migrant Workers Giving Back” events. These events provide migrant workers and Singaporeans the opportunity to interact and contribute back to the community together. It also allows migrant workers and Singaporeans to come together through a common social and community objective.
In conjunction with SG50, the first “Migrant Workers Hari Raya Give Back” event was held at the Jamiyah Children’s Homes and Nursing Homes concurrently. 30 Bangladeshi workers, who are union members of the Building Construction and Timber Industries Employees' Union (BATU) and Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Employees’ Union (SMEEU), volunteered their services at the two Homes, bringing warmth and joy to the over 200 residents there.
At Jamiyah Children’s Home, 20 Bangladeshi volunteers worked hand in hand with 10 student volunteers from Raffles Institution and Republic Polytechnic, to clear out weeds and plant a Garden of Hope. With help from the volunteers, the once barren patch was turned into a fruitful garden learning ground for the children of the Home. After the volunteers tidied and spruced up the garden, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General, Zainal Sapari, together with the Chairman of MWC, Yeo Guat Kwang, planted the sapling of a ‘Diospyros Blancoi’ or commonly known as the ‘Velvet Apple’. As the tree grows under the care of the children, it will remind them to stay strong and persevere through adversity, just as the resilient Velvet Apple tree. The volunteers then broke fast together with the children and staff of the Home.
Mr Yeo Guat Kwang said, “Migrant workers have contributed to the building of our country since the Singapore story began. In recent years, we have heard or seen them giving back to our society … cleaning up beaches and even risking their own safety to help nab criminals or save children from falling from heights. We wanted to provide an opportunity to demonstrate this desire among migrant workers to give back to their adopted home by helping the less-privileged Singaporeans. We hope this grows the seeds of a virtuous cycle of ‘paying it forward’ as we celebrate Singapore’s 50th birthday together.”
At the Jamiyah Nursing Home, 10 Bangladeshi workers also worked together with 20 student volunteers from Raffles Institution to clean up the common areas and activity areas of the nursing home. The residents also enjoyed performances and game items put together by the volunteers, with the students facilitating communication between the elderly residents and the migrant workers. The workers and students then broke fast together with the residents.
23 year-old Sapan Miah, a Bangladeshi worker who has been working in Singapore for the past two years, was happy and thankful for the opportunity to do something for the local community. He volunteered immediately when he heard that the MWC and BATU were looking for volunteers to help out at Jamiyah Children’s Home. He said, “I have been doing the same work every day in my two years here, I feel good to be able to do something different and do some good deeds to help those in need. As this is the month of Ramadan, it is also the perfect opportunity for me to give back to the society that I am living in.”
“Migrant workers contribute significantly to the economic development and physical infrastructure of Singapore. At Jamiyah, we have created several platforms for migrant workers to be involved in our activities such as Ramadhan celebrations, family days and other social events. We hope these platforms will create the opportunities for migrant workers to enhance their social skills so that they can continue to contribute further in our multiracial society," said Dr HM Saleem, Vice President of Jamiyah Singapore.
The MWC is encouraged by the increasing number of locals who want to volunteer and work with migrant workers. We believe this will help to bridge the gap between migrant workers and locals as we continue to work closely together to facilitate meaningful interactions between the two groups. This is also one of the best ways to foster understanding and acceptance between Singaporeans and migrant workers, as they volunteer together to give back to the community.
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