Join our Covid19 community projects for migrant workers!

As Singapore's Covid-19 infections surge daily among the army of migrant workers who keep the island running, the question the Ocean Purpose Project asked is "What can we do to help?"

The outbreak among migrant workers have seen many articles from several news outlets shedding a light on the plight of these workers, living among cockroaches and dirty toilets. Workers have also said that housing arrangements with 12 to 20 people sharing a room has made it impossible for them to keep a distance from each other. The largest cluster of infections in Singapore is the S11 Dormitory @ Punggol, with 2,263 cases as of 24 April 2020. All other large clusters are also linked to dormitories transmissions. Right now, there are 25 dormitories in Singapore that have been established as isolation areas.

Migrant workers residing in these dormitories are not allowed to go to work or visit other blocks within their dormitories. They are also advised to keep interactions with others to a minimum. They are not able to leave to buy food or basic necessities for themselves, and they have to rely on the government and other organizations to provide them food and basic essentials such as reusable masks and hand sanitizers. This is an extremely scary and difficult time for them, as not only are they away from their families, they are also being isolated from their friends and the outside world, unsure of when this will come to an end.

Migrant workers in Tuas dormitory with their haul of soaps, shampoos and shavers

The current plight of migrant workers is being tackled by the government but as Singaporeans, we should all pitch in to help, in whatever ways we can. COVID19 has also dragged many in the event and social impact industries into economic turmoil during the circuit breaker. Even so, Ocean Purpose Project is running initiatives with partners to take small steps in helping as much as we can. These migrant workers have worked so hard to help us build our nation, and now it’s our turn to say thank you and help them. We have two key initiatives to support migrant workers at this time- feel free to join us!

Food Packing Volunteer Initiative

Ocean Purpose Project is partnering with Mayura Catering to prepare and pack food for migrant workers, as well as Pandora Weddings who deliver the food to dormitories around Singapore. We put out a call on Facebook and Instagram last week seeking food packers who are Singaporean or Permanent Residents to join us and pack food for our migrant workers and we are very grateful at the diversity of races, faiths and backgrounds of people who stepped up to help us.

One of the most eye-opening experiences in working alongside our partners such as Mayura Catering is how a family comes together during a time of such crisis. The company is run by a patriarch and his two sons- Prakesh in the photo is one of them. From cooking to packing to loading up the delivery truck, he leads from all directions. In fact their entire extended family steps up to volunteer,