Singapore is a beautiful concrete jungle made up of amazing skyscrapers and buildings. Many of these buildings are constructed by migrants. While many of us travel to work in the comfort of our cars or in the safety of our public transport, migrants in Singapore travel to their work in lorries. There has been an increase in advocacy on safety measures and speed limits. However, accidents still occur. Too many lives have been lost as a result of this.

The JbL team is of the firm belief that no one should be transported in lorries and while we call for stronger measures towards a safer and better transport system for migrants, we also seek your support for this event, as a form of solidarity.

A Journey by Lorry is an arts competition with a theme that revolves around the transport management system in relation to migrant workers. With this arts competition, we invite participants to address the issue of having to travel to work by lorry and to use this platform as an opportunity to express themselves freely. We also invite observers to immerse themselves in our world as we dive into the difficult but important topic. We encourage everyone to join us, to listen in order to understand, and to experience our fears, needs, hopes, and dreams from our point of view.

The funds will be used for:
1. Campaigning in dormitories
2. Flyers to give out during our campaigns
3. Transport costs for when we visit the dormitories
4. Venue booking for the prize giving ceremony
5. Banner for the ceremony
6. Certificates for the participants and winners
7.  Prints of the artworks for the prize giving ceremony that will also include an art exhibition
8. Logistics for art exhibition
9. Translators
10. Prize money.

As such this fundraiser will go a long way in helping us to bring this competition to the migrant workers, our community leaders and the general public. We hope that the physical event can provide them with an opportunity to meet their friends and new people while immersing themselves in this experience so that we develop a greater awareness of the issue at hand and can work together to bring about positive change through the arts.

About the Organisers

A Journey by Lorry team is a 3-person team and is made up of MD Sharif Uddin, Ripon Chowdhury, and G Kethlyn Gayatiri. 

MD SHARIF UDDIN is from Bangladesh. He arrived in Singapore in 2008 and works as a supervisor in the Construction and Tunneling sectors. In his spare time, Sharif writes short stories and poetry and his write ups have been published in journals and anthologies in Singapore and Bangladesh. Sharif was a finalist in numerous competitions. His book “Stranger to Myself” won him the Singapore Book Awards in 2018. In 2021, he published his second book, “Stranger to My World” with the Singapore Landmark Books.  

RIPON CHOWDHURY has been working in Singapore since 2010 as a quality controller. He is a passionate online activist and writes about contemporary, social, and political issues amongst others. He is also the founder of Migrant Workers Singapore. Ripon continues to advocate for migrant rights through his writing and online activism.

G KETHLYN GAYATIRI is an accredited Mediator and Educator with a Law Degree from the National University  of Singapore (NUS). During her time in NUS, Kethlyn worked closely with marginalized groups such as Persons with Disabilities, Migrants, Refugees, Sex Workers and members of the LGBTQ+ Community. Kethlyn continues to advocate, educate, and collaborate with individuals from these communities. She believes in equity for all people and does what she can in this lifetime to enable that.

We can be contacted via our Instagram page and Facebook.

About Ray of Hope

100% of your donation goes to the beneficiary and 100% of our campaigns are verified by case workers. Ray of Hope does not take a cut from your donation and we cover the credit card fees, should you choose not to.

Ray of Hope is a registered charity and a member of the National Council of Social Services. We take donor accountability seriously, with strong governance in place and accounts audited yearly.