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Soap kitchen day
A group from Paya Lebar Methodist Church came by to our soup kitchen at lunch on Saturday, March 24, 2012, to give out goodie bags stuffed full of useful things to the workers we serve. Things like soap, toothpaste and shavers may look like unglamourous and utilitarian items, but for
Steady and focussed, reports Committee at AGM 2012
Reporting on yet another successful year helping 1,908 migrant workers, the Executive Committee of Transient Workers Count Too described an organisation that is in steady hands, very focussed on its mission, at the Annual General Meeting held on March 25, 2012. Of these 1,908 workers, 1,458 came through the helpdesk
Worker flees captors through jungle at night
Jahangir waited till all seemed very quiet outside the room where he was held. It was 11 p.m. He climbed out of his window and tip-toed across the grass to the fence. Summoning a burst of energy, he climbed and topped it in a single bound, half-tumbling into the jungle
Overview of income and expenditure in 2011
In a brief presentation made at the Annual General Meeting held on March 25, 2011, Transient Workers Count Too treasurer Alex Au gave a cautious assessment of TWC2's financial health. Recalling how at the start of 2011, the previous (interim) treasurer Russell Heng predicted a cash crunch in 2011, Alex
Old dreams asunder, Ahsanur finds new hope
By Spiegel In Bangladesh, men who have returned from labours in distant Singapore often regale their young compatriots with glowing tales of a city of abundant opportunity, where hard work finds good reward. But for many seeking a better living and lured by the promise of this distant island nation,
No office, no website, yet $100,000 in illegal profit
46 men this week join a long list of foreign workers penalised by officialdom for being duped by local companies looking to make a quick buck. Yes, you read that right: They were penalised for being victims. Each has received a letter from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) banning them
Two years after worker’s death, his family struggles to survive on $5 a week
Shuma supports herself and her two children by taking in sewing, for which she receives about 300 Bangladeshi taka (less than $5) a week. While her husband was alive, he sent home an average of about 20,000 taka a month ($300 - $350 at the rate at that time). This
Cook dived into hot soup
Neatly dressed and courteously greeting everyone in the office as he made his way to Kenneth's desk, Yang (not his real name) was clearly not your typical construction worker from China. He could even pass as a fashion-conscious Singaporean, which is what happens when a young man has had six
Cake was sweet, but Cuff Road 4th anniversary festivities bittersweet
There were two types of cream cake and several slabs of banana cake By Francesca A crush of more than 230 out-of-work migrant labourers crowded in and around Isthana Restaurant in Little India Thursday night, March 15, 2012, to celebrate the fourth anniversary of Transient Workers Count Too's
Give them a break: maids deserve a day off
Following the debate that is swirling around Singapore on the government’s announcement of a day off for foreign domestic workers, I thought it about time someone went into bat for these girls and started talking more about what they do. Sitting here watching May (our maid) take my son off