Free Meals for Indian Workers Stranded in Singapore

My Paper, 4th April 2008

By Debbie Yong 

THERE  may  be  no  such  thing  as  a free   lunch,   but   two   non-profit groups here are adamant on handing out free breakfasts. Transient    Workers    Count    Too (TWC2), a research and advocacy group for  migrant  workers,  has  teamed  up with One  Singapore -  a  local  campaign to  end  global  poverty  -  to  provide  free morning nourishment to about 80 homeless and penniless Indian workers every weekday. The  meals  are  typically  made  up  of an uttapam - an Indian pancake - and a cup of coffee or tea.

The project, started a week ago, aims to help more than an estimated 50 work-
ers from India who have made the walkways along Cuff Road their home, some
for as long as a year. They have allegedly been deserted by their   employers   after   being   injured while  working,  or  are  waiting  in  Singapore  until  the  cases  pending  against their former employers are heard. They   are   issued   Special   passes (S-passes)  in  the  meantime,  which  forbids them to take on permanent employment.

"I let them come in to use my toilet or fill up their water bottles. I feel so sorry for  them  but  this  is  the  only  way  I  can help,"  said  Mr  S  Shanmuganathan,  54, manager  of  Sutha's  Restaraunt  on  Cuff Road,  which  provides  the  free  breakfasts.

To  qualify  for  the  free  food,  served from  7am  to  9am,  Mondays  to  Fridays, workers  have  to  show  their  S-pass  or  a letter  from  their  doctor  or  lawyer  and have their names recorded. TWC2 and One Singapore have been footing the breakfast bill - of $2 a worker - with donations from the public. Church volunteer   groups   and   the nearby Perumal temple also provide the workers with free dinners on weekdays, but these are given out on an ad hoc basis. "Food is a basic human need and we wanted to focus on breakfast particularly  so  the  workers  can  have  a  positive start  to  each  day,"  said  TWC2  helpline manager Sha Najak. She   estimates,   however,   that   the $2,200  balance  they  have  left  in  their coffers   for   the   project   will   only   be enough for the next two months.

Plumber Mr Ayyavoo Thuniayar, 34, is one thankful recipient of the food service. The Tamil Nadu native has been going  to  the  restaurant  every  morning  for
the past two weeks. At night, he sleeps outside the Singapore  Gujarat  Society's  premises  on  36 Cuff Road. He has been stationed there for the past two months after being evicted from his workers quarters by his employer, a local construction firm, following  a  worksite  accident  in  January  that left him with a crushed leg.

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To volunteer or make a donation, send a check to TWC2's mailing address with "Cuff Road" written at the back.

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