April 19, 2020

With your generous support, we’ve reached another milestone!

Dear all,

Kindness has a way of growing. We are truly heartened to receive your generous donations. Without your support, we will not be able to achieve our increased target of $300,000 within 9 days! At the time of writing [18 April 2020, 10:52am (GMT+8)], the Immediate Needs team had successfully provided the following support:

  • Utilised $8,142 to provide and deliver 5,849 meals between 7 Apr 2020 to 17 Apr 2020;
  • Utilised $34,055 to procure 34,562 masks, sanitary and other daily essential items to deliver to dormitories between 7 Apr 2020 to 17 Apr 2020; and
  • Successfully matched 11 requests on essential items such as sanitation products, toiletries and cleaning supplies, concerning 2,138 migrant friends, from employers / dorm operators with offers by generous donors via Majulah Belanja.
  • Supported 48 new casework concerning 259 workers.

Our funds raised has also now been channeled to support bulk purchases and packing from our new warehouse to maximise each delivery to reach more dormitories.  Besides the provision of meals and daily essential items, we also support our migrant friends in being engaged in this time and keep their spirits up. From one of our migrant friends,

“This is not a holiday so I don’t know how to relax. And even when trying to watch bangla movies I watch for 10 minutes then I have no mood.” – I.M.

The Meaningful Occupational Engagement team and Learning Hub team also:

  • Supported 75 cases concerning 571 workers.
  • Launched a Facebook event page to build a supportive community where our migrant friends can engage in daily activity routines, as well as entertainment and relaxation classes by the Art of Living. In our texts and calls with migrant friends, many have expressed interest in exercise, art activities, but also making music and dancing! With our friends’ input, we will keep refining our daily engagement programmes.
  • Expanded the collection of learning resources, which include 21 newly uploaded videos across various modules such as Origami, Language and Fitness, on the previously-launched One-stop Learning Hub for our migrant friends to engage themselves and connect with others meaningfully during this circuit breaker period. Till date, we have up to 961 site visits to all three sites: Bengali, Tamil and English!

We would also like to help you understand our approach to the COVID-19 situation through these 3 key principles that embody our efforts:

  • Scaled-up and efficient operations — We have government-approved permits to mobilise our volunteers during the Circuit Breaker, as well as to manage a warehouse space for large-scale logistics operations. We also have events and logistics partners to ensure we can get the goods into the hands of our migrant friends swiftly. Tapping into existing expertise helps ensure we don’t waste valuable contributions.
  • We work with our migrant friends, not for them — We co-create solutions with our migrant friends, thanks to our close, on-ground connections with them. Singapore Migrant Friends (a coalition member) was started by migrant workers, for migrant workers. Our caseworkers work personally with our migrant friends when they require support to sustain themselves. Our connections also grant us access into more than 600 factory-converted dormitories that are not listed publicly. Having a clear picture of the entire situation allows us to prioritise efforts.
  • Partnerships for the long haul — Beyond immediate needs such as food and necessities, we are looking ahead at other potential issues. We maintain close partnerships with other organisations and government agencies (e.g. MOM, MCCY) to meet needs in a more targeted manner. Currently, they play a big part in supporting occupational development initiatives by creating and sharing access to learning materials. In terms of deeper systemic issues, we are working alongside them to address longer-term gaps in migrant welfare.

We hope to be the link between you and our migrant friends till the situation gets better. We understand that some of you may want to know where your contributions are going. To see how your contributions have been benefiting the dormitories, follow us across our messaging platforms where we maintain daily and weekly round-ups.

We hope to be the link between you and our migrant friends till the situation gets better. To see how your contributions have been benefiting the dormitories, follow us across our messaging platforms where we maintain daily and weekly round-ups.

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