Alliance of Indian Ministries I-Care An Outreach to Transient Workers
This article was originally posted in our March 2019 Word@Work.
Alliance of Indian Ministries I-Care An Outreach to Transient Workers
AIM plans to champion Integration, Communication, Assistance, Representation and Empowerment
for the transient workers residing in and around the Tuas area.
There are more than 250 thousand migrant workers living in Tuas. They are mostly comprised of Indians, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankans from South Asia. Many of them have left their families back home in search of better opportunities, and even though many earn as little as S$800 a month, it is still more than what they would have received elsewhere.
One of the greatest struggles they face is Integration into Singaporean society. Most of these brothers come from a rural and conservative environment, and thus find it very hard to adapt to the cosmopolitan and modern Singaporean lifestyle. The Alliance of Indian Ministries (AIM) plans to work with these brothers, and help them to integrate into society through the provision of social support networks and structures.
Another difficulty these brothers face is the lack of an avenue for Communication. Leaving their family to work in a foreign land can be overwhelming for many. Loneliness and depression can creep in, and many turn to alcohol and other substances as coping mechanisms. AIM hopes to provide a platform for migrant workers to communicate through counseling and fellowship in small groups.
The third area AIM plans to focus on is Assistance. We plan to provide interim humanitarian assistance and aid for migrant workers who may be distressed as a result of their untenable living conditions and unfair treatment.
The forth area that AIM looks to focus on is Representation. Many of these brothers experience difficult situations, whereby they are disadvantaged and are unable to stand up for themselves. Some have not been paid for months, and others who were simply sent back home without compensation after sustaining injuries on the job. AIM plans to help these brothers by advocating for a resolution over these issues and asserting the rights of migrant workers.
The last area that AIM plans to focus on is Empowerment. This entails equipping migrant workers with knowledge and skills that may open the doors for better work opportunities for them, such as basic computer skills and spoken English.
Putting these five key points together, you will get the acronym, “I-CARE”, the name of our new initiative.
The AIM I-CARE is an opportunity for us, who have been blessed abundantly, to be a blessing to these migrants
