#InItTogether: Medical Help, Daily Essentials and Social Assistance for Migrant Workers

Singapore has recently quarantined 20,000 migrants in their dormitories. These dormitories are confined and house thousands of people thus, posing serious concerns and challenges around safe physical distancing. Currently, several NPOs are working on the ground to help the migrant workers that are quarantined in their dormitories. On the 9th of April 2020, local media outlets reported 287 new COVID-19 cases with more than half of them being linked to dormitory clusters. This is a sharp increase in numbers from the time the migrant workers came to be quarantined in their dormitories since the 6th of April 2020.

With the current living conditions of these migrant workers, there is a high chance that the number of migrant workers contracting the virus will continue to spike. With uncertainty looming over, there is fear, worry and anxiety for these migrant workers as they are uncertain about their future and their families back home.

SG Accident Help Centre (sgaccident.org.sg/), a local non-profit (UEN No: 201720594R) was started in July 2017 to provide holistic rehabilitative care, social assistance, and casework support for injured migrant workers who have sought assistance at their partner clinic, SGcare Physiotherapy Clinic. It is a space where Singaporeans and migrant workers can contribute to recovering workers through participation, mutually caring relationships, and community engagement. Anchored on the community-shared values of compassion, kindness, and respect, the group has been partnering with Soap Cycling Singapore (soapcycling.org/singapore) to re-purpose soaps for redistribution at the dormitories and is consolidating efforts to distribute COVID-19 protection packs at the partnered dormitories and community touchpoints.

With the spike in numbers, NOW more than ever, we need all the help that we can get to support small, grassroots groups that are as equally instrumental in making an impact within the migrant worker community. We are launching a fundraiser to raise $20K within the next one week to help our friends at SG Accident Centre to fund for:

1. Emergency Medical Assistance: To support migrant workers who need immediate medical attention incl. of GP appointments, emergency cases, and medical scans especially, in cases where employers are not able to financially support them upfront.

2. Unemployment issues post “Circuit breaker”: Preparing resources to support Special Pass holders or migrant workers who might lose their jobs due to medical issues, injuries or unpaid salary. This also extends to workers of businesses that have been adversely affected by Covid-19 and/or during the ‘circuit breaker’ period which would likely result in delayed salaries or layoffs.

3. Financial assistance to support expenses on:
- Transportation
- Mobile phone top-ups: Ez-link card top-ups and a monthly pre-paid mobile data plan
- Food assistance: Groceries and food coupons to food establishments for unemployed migrant workers

4. COVID-19 protection packs items such as reusable face masks, hand sanitizers, vitamin C tablets, health advisories on COVID-19 protection and soaps provided by Soap Cycling Singapore

Let’s support SG Accident Help Centre as we are #InThisTogether and show our solidarity for the migrant workers! Every contribution can create a significant impact to support one of the most vulnerable communities in the face of this pandemic. We sincerely appreciate your contribution and the support extended to SG Accident Help Centre’s fundraising endeavor. This will go a long way in implementing various support measures to the migrant worker community during and post Covid-19!

Follow us at @friendsofmigrantworkers on IG.

An SG ground-up initiative by:
Ida Supahat
Nabihah Mk
Sharon Choo