Migrant workers set to tour gardens as Blossoms of Friendship initiative blooms
SINGAPORE – Mr Mo Hai Yun got to tour Gardens by the Bay on Monday (Dec 13) for the first time since arriving in the Republic from China a year ago. But then, it was only his second time leaving his dorm for a bit of leisure activity since March.
He said excitedly in Mandarin: “It truly is a garden in a city the way my friends said.”
The 26-year-old technician, whose first trip away from his dorm in eight months was to a gallery two weeks ago, added: “It is a pity that we were not allowed to sight-see since March due to the restrictions. But we understand that it was for our safety.”
He was one of some 240 migrant workers, residents of Westlite Accommodation, who toured the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome as part of an initiative launched on Monday in conjunction with International Migrants Day this Saturday.
The Blossoms of Friendship initiative is organised by The Salvation Army and TOUCH International, in partnership with Westlite Accommodation. It is also supported by Gardens by the Bay.
Under this initiative, groups of migrant workers will get to see Gardens by the Bay on complimentary tours hosted by volunteers each month. Monday’s inaugural launch was funded by CAforGood, a not-for-profit company that seeks to rally businesses to do good through innovative solutions and smart technology.
Future tours will be funded by Temasek Trust’s oscar @ sg fund as well as unused SingapoRediscovers Vouchers (SRVs) donated by Singaporeans, said the Salvation Army .
“It’s very encouraging to see them have fun today, and our team enjoys working with like-minded partners for a good cause,” said 47-year-old Mr Marcus Moo, director of social and community services at the Salvation Army, which also organises tours for workers to the Singapore River.
“The real value is bringing a community of organisations together for a common cause and we really hope to improve the migrant workers’ holistic well-being to support their physical, socio-emotional and relational needs.”
Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Development Sim Ann, as the guest of honour, thanked migrant workers, noting: “Migrant workers play an important role in Singapore and have been contributing significantly to our nation’s progress by taking up jobs in a range of different sectors.”
She acknowledged the pain they had experienced in leaving their families to support them, and that the Covid-19 pandemic had made things tougher. “We deeply appreciate your continued contributions to Singapore despite the hardships and challenges,” she said.
The initiative hopes also to encourage Singaporeans to donate their unused SRVs before Dec 31. The SRVs allowed Singaporeans to explore their country during the pandemic and provided support to the tourism sector.
Ms Sim noted: “However, there remains a group of Singaporeans who have not utilised their SRVs yet. For those that might be thinking about other ways to utilise their SRVs, I encourage them to consider donating their SRVs to the migrant workers.” She has also presented a donation of her family’s SRVs to the Salvation Army, Ms Sim said.
Blossoms of Friendship, which hopes to run for a year, also aims to integrate migrant workers back with the local community, since most of them have not been allowed to commute to places apart from their dormitories and work sites because of Covid-19 restrictions.
“I feel very excited to be able to sight-see. I look forward to being able to join similar tours in the future, and I would love to visit Sentosa,” Mr Mo said.
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