james tan

COVID-19 & Migrant Workers - Singapore

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the adventure

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"...will I be next?..."

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Have you recently wondered: Who is my neighbour? And why should I care?

 

In the early months of 2020, Singapore, like much of the world, was gripped by a game-changing and unprecedented pandemic.  For many people of faith, this simple yet deeply profound question challenged our values and actions.  In the face of uncertainty, threat and resource scarcity, should we simply "tuck in" and look after ourselves?  Or, should we freely share our time, effort and limited materials with others?

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As the COVID-19 virus silently reached Singapore’s shores and began spreading, migrant worker dormitories became serious hotspots and dominated the national headlines.  To flatten the curve, the many thousands of migrant workers in both large purpose-built dorms and factory-converted ones were placed in strict lockdown, along with the rest of Singapore.  The workers were to remain in their dorm rooms 24/7, observe safe distancing, and interact only with their immediate roommates.

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Instead of a normally-high physical work tempo, the migrant worker was now suddenly inactive, left to his own anxieties, insecurities, boredom, and discomfort.  Confined to his cramped, spartan and humid room day in and out, the frequent sight and sounds of ambulances leaving with infected brothers triggered many fears:  “Will I be next?” “Will my job in Singapore be secure?” “Can I continue to support my family back in my home country?”

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The migrant worker’s situation in the dormitories moved many people of faith and organisations to action.  There was a growing recognition of the migrant worker as our neighbour, and he needed our help and care.

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Project My Dorm Our Home was one such effort.  And for me, it was to become a non-conventional humanitarian adventure.  While many groups and NGOs sought to provide material assistance like food items and medical care, we saw a need to also address social cohesion among the workers.  The invisible virus spread was fostering mutual suspicion and fear, while the physical isolation and the individual's worries about his future tended to make one more inward-looking. 

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The need for strict safe distancing made frequent in-person contact impossible, but perhaps we could leverage social media technology to connect with and care for our migrant worker neighbours.  So, the basic concept of My Dorm Our Home was to produce culturally distinct video programmes in selected language channels that focused on enhancing the social cohesion and empowerment of the migrant workers confined to their dorm rooms.  

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Through the various shows, workers in one room interacted with the show hosts, as well as with workers in other rooms and in other dorms.  These programmes were regularly broadcast via social media platforms, and accessed on personal and shared digital devices.  For a start, we catered to the Bangladeshi, PRC Chinese and Indian migrant worker audiences, since they formed a sizeable portion of the migrant worker population in the dorms.

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The Anglican Relief and Development Agency International (ARDA Intl) was the overall manager and co-ordinator of this project.  Over the months of project implementation, we experienced several amazing developments that taught us a basic lesson: when we choose to care and love our neighbours, positive things begin to happen.  We can set a positive role model for some, and uplift the hearts of others.  Two key developments come to mind. 

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The first was a widening of partners and provision.  We had never undertaken a media-heavy project nor under such extraordinary circumstances before, and ARDA Intl possessed no organic media production capability.  But, as we shared the project's purpose with others, a network of partners and professionals started forming and then steadily widened.  Support and facilitation came from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Centurion Corp (a major dormitory operator), business entities, and other agencies.  Through a trusted connection, we found a media company in Bangladesh to produce our Bengali program.  The Mandarin program was undertaken by a team of local media professionals, while the Tamil program was developed in both Singapore and a media entity based in Tamil Nadu, India.  The generous donation of other kind-hearted Singaporeans also provided for the installation of some 700 large-screen smart TV sets in selected dorm rooms for the workers to watch the shows and engage in the activities and challenges together as roommates.

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The second development concerns the effect of caring for others.  My Dorm Our Home became an instrument for empowering and uplifting our migrant brothers.  The process involved coming up with creative ways to give them an active voice and engage in mutual support.  The three media programmes frequently challenged the roommates to approach their issues and concerns together as a team, instead of struggling alone as individuals.  Each language programme intentionally invited workers to be actively involved in the various segments, such as talk shows, discussion panels, and performances.  Some workers even became show co-hosts and facilitators! 

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The programmes offered our migrant neighbours an interactive platform to authentically share their feelings, views, ideas, talents and cultures with one another.  Our highly popular Idol Hunt music contest series, for instance, showed migrant workers not as faceless low-wage foreigners, but as individuals with strong musical talent.  One of our shows even garnered more than 31,500 viewers, while the others typically averaged more than 12,000 views. 

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Workers recovering from COVID-19 were also given a place to share about their experiences and emotions, revealing their initial fears, but also their deep gratitude for the medical care and kindness they received in Singapore.  Musically gifted workers, such as Brothers Farhan and Rahul from Bangladesh, uplifted their brethren with their guitars and beautiful songs during talk shows.  Others, like Brother Ranjith from India, encouraged his migrant brothers to “fill (their) minds with things that are good”, to stay strong together in the dorms and keep their thoughts healthy with reliable news.  Brother Rubel, from Bangladesh, thanked kind Singaporeans and the government for their support and encouragement, and exhorted his fellow workers to “be bold and strong, and be thankful in all circumstances”.  

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My Dorm Our Home also gave Singaporeans the opportunity to voice their appreciation, gratitude and encouragement to our migrant worker neighbours.  Kids, teens and adults from different walks of life penned appreciation messages and composed simple videos. These messages were featured on the My Dorm Our Home's Facebook page, alongside our other media content.

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Rennis Ponniah, then Bishop of the Diocese of Singapore, also expressed his own appreciation and encouragement for them, “Please know we are grateful for your contribution to our country.  The Government is doing whatever it can to take better care of you.  Christian Churches, together with many voluntary groups, will also do our part to help and support you at this time.  We love you with the love of Jesus Christ and we will pray that God will bless you!”

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Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened many societal gaps, leadership dilemmas and structural fault lines.  For people of faith in Singapore, it has also challenged our attitudes, by sharpening our focus on fundamental questions like: “Who is my neighbour?”, and, “Why should I care”?  Project My Dorm Our Home was a faith response, where we chose to regard the stranger as a native, and to embrace the migrant worker as our neighbour.