Being a migrant worker in Singapore is a thankless job, to say the least. But some Singaporeans are stepping up to show just how much they care.
Social enterprise Itsrainingraincoats announced on Facebook on Mar 14 that Singaporeans donated a whopping 33 cartons of baby essentials in a donation drive organised for the benefit of the pregnant wife of Case 42, a Bangladeshi worker.
The worker, 39, has reportedly been in critical condition for weeks after getting warded on Feb 7.
The organisation wrote: “The quantity we collected was way beyond our wildest imagination and we are truly overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and generosity that we have witnessed.”
The sheer amount of items donated required a team of 15 to sort and pack, they added.
https://www.facebook.com/1524633261192529/posts/2634935043495673/
Dipa Swaminathan, 48, the founder of Itsrainingraincoats, appealed for members of the public to donate supplies such as baby clothes, bottles, diapers and milk powder in a Facebook post on Mar 9 after hearing about Case 42’s wife and their soon-to-be-born son.
Swaminathan told TNP: “Being a mother for the first time is hard enough and to have a calamity on top of it is doubly hard.
“We are all going through this virus crisis, it is impacting everybody in some way. If I can do my part and give her some joy at this time, that is the least I can do.”
The worker’s wife, who is eight months pregnant, last saw him in June last year according to the Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC).
[[nid:478623]]
To avoid overwhelming her with an “onslaught” of donated items that would be “too much for one family to receive”, Itsrainingraincoats said it would also be sending some of the items to the families of two migrant workers who recently died in workplace accidents.
The excess items will go to the families of RajaGuru Govindarasu, 32, who was run over by a concrete mixer and Mandeep Kumar, who was crushed by a piece of metal at a shipyard. Both workers had young children back home, Itsrainingraincoats said.
The families are aware of the donations heading their way and are “extremely grateful that people they don’t even know are empathetic to their plight and stepping up to help out”, Swaminathan told AsiaOne on Mar 16.
Singapore Post has pledged to cover the cost of couriering the items to Bangladesh, Robin Goh, group chief brand and communications officer at SingPost, confirmed to TNP.
“Delivering Singapore’s well-wishes to the wife is the least we can do. We join all donors in wishing her a safe and smooth delivery, as well as a full recovery for her husband,” Goh said.
Those who wish to donate other items such as men’s clothes, unopened toiletries, umbrellas, backpacks and raincoats can contact Itsrainingraincoats’ volunteers for more details.
For the latest updates on the coronavirus virus, visit here.
