Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d72Dl1LwJ2nM5L3Kajt7RWaPx7b3XdBS/view?usp=sharing 

Being a Singaporean, I am surrounded by migrant workers wherever I am – in school, in my condominium and even my house. Therefore, I decided to appreciate my gratitude to these people who are secretly the heroes in Singapore.

To start it off, in Week 11, I am going to drop by Migrant Worker’s Center (MWC)’s office where I will be given a brief introduction on the works of the Migrant Workers Center. Through this, I am able to gain a better understanding of the experiences migrant workers have and become more knowledgeable about the laws, policies and regulations that govern the movement and experiences of migrant workers in Singapore.

I chose this activity in order to gain deeper understanding of the kind of help available for migrant workers and the actions NGOs have taken to prevent more of such exploitation cases from happening. This is so that I will be more aware of the various actions migrants can take when they are faced with unfair treatment. This is so that I will know what to include in my notes which will be distributed around my school.

In Week 15, I will be going around school to distribute refreshments alongside notes of the workers’ rights and what they can do if they are exploited. At home, I have a domestic helper from Indonesia and in order to thank her for the amount of work and care she has showered me and my family with, I decide to cook her meal. 

I decided to target the workers in my school as they have been the ones who were always ensuring my safety and making life easier for me. For instance, they do construction work or AV work to ensure that lessons and activities run smoothly in school. Without them, the school might be dangerous due to things such as loose wires. Additionally, lecturers would not be able to use the projector, hindering the flow of the lesson and ultimately, students’ education. 

As for my helper at home, she has been the one preparing meals for my family for the past 5 years. Hence, I felt that instead of her being the one who always gives others food, she can now be at the receiving end – the one getting food instead. Since she has always been with Chinese families, she has always been cooking Chinese dishes and eating them. Therefore, I felt that I should try making an Indian dish for her. That way, not only can she finally have someone to serve her her homeland’s food but at the same time, I can also put myself in her shoes when she tried cooking a foreign culture’s food. Thus, I decided to show my appreciation for everything she has done for my family through a home cooked meal for her.