As we draw a challenging 2020 to a close, IASG celebrates the season of giving in conjunction with its 6th year of rendering assistance to foreigners looking to make Singapore home.
Migrant Workers Community: IASG Gives Back to Unsung Heroes
As part of ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, members of the reached out to the Migrant Workers community, providing meals for our migrant worker friends who have taken the brunt of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Meals For Migrant Workers
Working with Hope Initiative Alliance under their Alliance of Guest Workers Outreach (AGWO) initiative, IASG managed to feed two migrant worker dormitories in December 2020. Two of our staff went down for the meal distribution and safely mingled with the migrant workers. Despite the ongoing safety measures in place, though we could not mingle as much as pre-Covid 19 days, hearing their stories only made us all the more grateful for their contributions to Singapore and the sacrifices they make every day for our country.
Some of the stories they shared with us were:
- Missing family members back home
- Lack of freedom due to the strict Covid-19 measures
- Issues with living conditions
We hope by sharing with us, it helped to release their stresses. We also hope they enjoy the meals provided and feel appreciated not just by IASG but by Singapore.
Why Is It Important to Give Back to the Community?
Volunteering to support causes you are passionate about is something one will never regret. Our clients that have reached out to various communities in their time here has expressed how it has shed light to vulnerable individuals that would have otherwise be ‘hidden’ amidst the hustle and bustle of a progressive, economic driven society.
As someone new to the country, through volunteering, you can slowly discover how it can enrich your life, familiarize you with the local community, and connect you to people and ideas that will positively impact your perspective on many things. Helping your community is an opportunity for you to grow as a person, to better understand how you fit into the world around you, which is important if you are considering committing to a country long-term.
As inbound Singapore immigration practitioners, we have always advocated our clients to make attempts to integrate into the Singapore society through community giving. Be it in the form of monetary donations, volunteering of time and expertise, or even through Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, every effort counts. This also echoes the Singapore government’s cries to foreigners looking to set roots here to embark on social integration efforts for it constitutes one of the key pillars in gaining application approvals.
About Hope Initiative Alliance (HIA)
Hope Initiative Alliance is an inter-racial and inter-religious alliance of social service organisations, civil groups and corporations that seek to provide holistic care for the vulnerable and marginalised communities, such as the migrant workers community. As a comprehensive aggregator of assistance and services for the needy, HIA partners with more than 100 organisations, including government agencies such as MOM, social service organisations, civil groups, corporations, and volunteers to help the guest workers, homeless, elderly, people with disabilities, the poor and needy communities.
At present, HIA reaches out to the following categories of beneficiaries:
- Migrant Workers
- Homeless
- Elderly
- Youth-at-Risk
- People with Disabilities
- Poor and Needy
- Marginalised Overseas Communities
Humanity Amidst the Pandemic
As the pandemic continues to ravage the whole world, we as human beings are realising how much all lives matter. In the midst of pain and loss, people are coming forward to help others in need, more so than pre-Covid period. This is a testament to the strength of humanity in all of us. The slowed down pace of life has opened our eyes to the sufferings of others and how we should be grateful for what we have. At IASG, we hope everyone in the world and Singapore will come out of this pandemic victorious.
