Supporting Singapore’s Migrant Workers

DIPA SWAMINATHAN has come a long way since moving here from India and renting the spare room of a house in Jurong. Along with a busy career, the Harvard-educated lawyer is the founder of ItsRainingRaincoats, an organisation created in 2015 to support and champion migrant workers in Singapore.

Tell us about ItsRainingRaincoats (IRR).

It’s a charity I founded in 2015 aimed at supporting migrant workers. I had put up a Facebook post in a now-defunct group that went a bit viral and the Singaporean Kindness Movement encouraged me to create an official organisation to support migrant workers.

At the time, my suggestion was to carry around disposable raincoats and give them to migrant workers as they’re often caught in the rain without one. When the government asked me for a name, I came up with It’s Raining Raincoats. Now, we do a lot more than just raincoats.

What’s the organisation’s mission?

Our mission is simple yet powerful – we support migrant workers. We try to do whatever it takes to do that, short of legal representation. No worker who comes to us in need goes away without help.

You have a big job as the Legal & Risk Management Leader for Asia Pacific Managed Services at Ernst  Young Singapore. How do you have time to do this too?

It’s not easy. For 11 years, I’ve been balancing a career while starting and growing this movement, all while raising a family. I do get burnt out every now and then, but I’m not afraid to speak up about it and seek help. At the same time, I gain deep satisfaction when we receive heart-warming messages of gratitude from migrant workers for the support we provide.

So, yes, it takes a lot out of me to do all this, but it also energises me. I wake up every morning buzzing with ideas, limited only by the time I have to give. It also helps that I have an amazing team supporting me.

How does ItsRainingRaincoats help migrant workers?

IRR runs multiple initiatives and programmes designed to enrich the lives of migrant workers in Singapore. During Deepavali period, we do drive-by pizza drop-offs. At Christmas, we make sure every worker gets a gift and each gift is wrapped with a handwritten note. We also run a year-round activity, collecting unsold food from designated Starbucks outlets all year long. We provide emergency dental and vision support to some of the workers.

The list of initiatives is long but each programme is curated to help the migrant workers live a life of dignity and integrate meaningfully into the community.

What are the new things you have added since we last chatted to you in 2020?

In 2022, we launched the inspIRRe Store – Singapore’s first, and possibly the world’s only, free store exclusively for male, migrant workers. The store provides essential items including toiletries, umbrellas, water bottles, clothing, shoes, luggage and electronics such as kettles, ovens, rice cookers and power banks. With many workers earning as little as $18 a day (around $450 a month), these items are crucial to their wellbeing.

Do you need volunteers?

Yes, we always welcome more helping hands! Over the past 10 years, we’ve been incredibly fortunate to receive strong support from the community. Our volunteer base has grown tremendously – tripling in size since our inception – and we now have around 1,500 volunteers who contribute to both short- and long-term initiatives. Volunteers play a vital role in our work, including supporting our inspIRRe Store each week, where they sort donations and interact with the migrant brothers who visit for free shopping.

In addition to this, we always require hands-on volunteering at our programmes, and also welcome skilled volunteers who can support us on an ad-hoc basis in areas such as marketing, legal, project management and other professional expertise. We regularly engage volunteers for short-term assignments and advisory roles that help strengthen IRR’s operations and enable us to keep our costs low while maximising impact for migrant workers.

How can somebody help migrant workers now?

The most effective way to help is to approach us with a well-formed idea. For example, you could organise a donation drive in your condo, school, workplace, or among friends. Once items are collected, we can assist with the distribution. While we gladly accept pre-loved items, all contributions should be in good condition and usable for our migrant brothers. Currently, our inspIRRe Store is in need of water bottles, rice cookers, electric kettles, power banks, earphones, instant foods (such as 3-in-1 coffee, tea or Maggi), and full-sized toiletries. For the most updated donation guide, visit our website and we’ll help ensure your contributions reach the migrant workers who need them most.

Find out more at itsrainingraincoats.com.