In this COVID-19 crisis, one thing I bet migrant workers didn’t expect at all is the sudden requirement to pose for photos.
You might remember this unnaturally synced milk-drinking from the IKEA donation:
Like, did they all happen to be drinking milk at the same time? Were they told specifically to drink right now for the camera? And if so, are they actually drinking or just pretending to do so?
Those were the questions that kept me up at night.
Digging around the Facebook page True Life of Singapore Migrant Workers also revealed several more occasions of awkward posing for the camera:
OCBC now has two more photos to contribute to the awkward posing game:
One might start to question how hard it is to take a more natural photo while volunteers are handing out the donated items.
But if you were keeping track, this is actually the fourth time OCBC Bank has donated since COVID-19 started.
Total Of S$2.2 Million Donated So Far
OCBC bank had previously donated to frontline workers, vulnerable seniors and families and affected communities in China.
This time, OCBC Bank and its staff will be donating a total of S$1225,000 to help needy families and migrant workers.
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The donation is expected to help 1,000 needy Singaporean families and 55,800 migrant workers.
Lest you think they were donating just for PR, OCBC Bank reached out to 20 charity organisations, NGOs and dormitory operators to find out how they can best use the donation.
1,000 Singaporean Families to Each Receive Supermarket Vouchers Worth S$800
Needy Singaporean families are already eligible to receive help from the gahmen under the Unity, Resilience and Solidarity budgets, so OCBC is targeting those who require more help.
Of course, they can’t anyhowly choose, so the families they are supporting come under the care of Beyond Social Services, Care Corner Singapore, Food from the Heart, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association (Singapore).
The vouchers will help them buy necessities like food, stationery and medicine.
Additional PPE, Vitamin C, Personal Necessities and Foods For Migrant Workers in Nine Dorms
OCBC’s donation will help about 55,800 migrant workers living in nine different dormitories, namely Tuas South Dormitory, TAC Alliance Pte Ltd, Prestige Resources Pte Ltd, Sungei Tengah Lodge, Westlite Toh Guan, Westlite Papan, Westlite Woodlands, Westlite Mandai and Westlite Juniper.
As the awkward posing photos showed, there have been various donations already, including efforts from the gahmen. Furthermore, each dormitory has different needs.
Apparently, although the workers appreciate the three times daily prepared meals and masks they received, there had been gaps in other things.
Since they help with food delivery, they need more personal protective equipment (PPE). Although cleaning is provided for common areas, that’s not the case for their personal spaces.
38-year-old Murugan, said this about receiving the disinfectants, “While the dormitory operator cleans the common areas of the Lodge, we have to buy our own cleaning detergents and equipment to clean the inside areas. We know we must keep our living place clean because of the virus. Now that I have the detergent from OCBC, I can save a little more money – and send more money to my family.”
They also needed certain things that they would buy using their own salaries anyway, which include personal necessities, vitamin C, oil and rice.
Wait a minute, oil and rice? I thought they get catered meals?
I had to wonder if this was the same as NSFs skipping catered dinners to eat Maggi mee in their bunks.
28-year-old Mr Rana Md Habibullah, a Bangladeshi worker remarked on the oil, chilli, cumin and fennel powder his dormitory unit will be receiving, “Each time I cook using these ingredients, it reminds me of my family at Gazipur. I am grateful for the packed food that we have been receiving. But my friends and I prefer to cook our own dishes using our own types of oil and spices. Now we cannot get these items because we cannot leave our dormitories.”
Oh, and I was kaypoh enough to find out what OCBC’s chief executive earned. To save you the click, his pay went up by 3.5% to S$11.1 million last year, including a cash bonus of S$5.84 million, deferred shares worth S$3.89 million, other benefits of S$102,157, and base salary of S$1.2 million.
