feature
delivering snacks to 28,500 migrant workers in 4 days
In early April, Singapore saw a drastic spike in COVID-19 cases. Most of the newly recorded infections were found in the migrant workers community. In an effort to curb the spread of the virus among more of them, the Singapore government mandated all migrant workers to stay in their dormitories.
This meant hundreds of thousands of migrant workers would be confined for weeks. For Bee Tin Tee, Asia Pacific data support and analytics specialist, this situation spoke to her, and she wanted to do anything she could to help.
“I reached out to the Singapore Migrant Worker Center to see how I could support them,” said Bee Tin. “They were already cleaning up the dorms and providing masks and sanitizers to the workers, but they asked if I could look for Indian snacks like murukku to give to them. It was a small request but a great opportunity to show our appreciation to these workers.”
“While we can’t help much, at least we can send them a little love, which is why I called this effort project Lovid.”
Bee Tin Tee
Asia Pacific Data Support and Analytics Specialist
In just 4 days of project Lovid, Bee Tin and a group of friends and colleagues raised about S$18,000 and provided snacks to 28,500 migrant workers.
4
days of project lovid
$18,000
approximately raised
28,500
snacks for migrant workers
The entire effort was nearly halted when the COVID-19 cases spiked, triggering new circuit breaker measures. The supplier Bee Tin was working with to procure the snacks was ordered to shut down immediately. Fortunately, the supplier was able to deliver the order on the last day before the shutdown went into effect and was able to offer Bee Tin 20,000 more snacks because previously placed orders couldn’t be fulfilled now.
Bee Tin had to find a way to raise enough money to pay for 20,000 more snacks in just a few hours.
“I posted on Facebook and sent messages about the project. As the messages came in, I watched the amount I needed to reach go down further and further,” Bee Tin noted. “I was in tears as it dwindled down to S$2k in a few hours.”
“The generosity of people is simply amazing. I told people to stop donating and that I would cover the rest. Despite my messages that we had sufficient funds, people continued to call and insisted to be part of it.”
“Everyone can do this. You just need to reach out to others for help. Work with an organization that has in-depth knowledge of the beneficiary’s needs. Call them up and ask how you can help. Find a need you can fill for them.”