I've graduated recently and just started my masters degree. I'm currently running a social enterprise start up too. Reflecting back, if I could go back 10 years in time and give previous advice to my younger self, it would be this: "Isabel, you really don’t know much. Even though you may think you know a lot, you really don’t. So be humble to learn, surround yourself with mentors and leaders that are able to guide you and provide wisdom. Don’t ever think you know enough. Never stop learning
As I grew up, I developed a heart for social activism and service. My earliest memory would be when my parents started sponsoring a Dalit child from India to go to school. The Dalits are known to be the lowest of Indian society, and are given jobs to clean the dirtiest places. They are nicknamed “The Untouchables”. I remember hearing a story whereby when a Dalit touched a cup, they had to break it because no one should touch it. They were “dirty”. So when I was much younger I remember knowing this and thinking - this is not right, how can someone be treated this way?
You might relate to the prejudice I was exposed to. When I was young, I was warned by elders that if I was naughty, they will get foreign workers to catch me. As a result, I was conditioned to fear them and perceive them as dangerous.
This changed in 2012. I noticed a few foreign workers asleep at my HDB void deck. I was curious to know why, so I bought them food and water, and struck a conversation with them. I was moved by their stories and sincerity. I wanted to do more to help them but I wasn’t sure how.
A turning point came in 2014, where I attended a workshop on migrant worker issues. I understood that, to provide for their families, migrant workers work long hours in physical labour, they build our schools, homes, malls…Yet, many have little rest, poor diet and living conditions. Also, due to their nature of work, serious injures do happen, but many employers decide to cancel their work permit and send them home, sometimes without adequate compensation or medical treatment. Social challenges like loneliness also creeps in, as they are away from their families. Once again, the same question came to me: How can someone be treated his way?’ As a Christian, I see each person as a unique, precious creation of God - with dignity, with purpose, with potential, and that’s what motivates me to speak up.
From 2014 to 2018, I befriended different workers from various countries and visited some of them or their families in Bangladesh and India. I made it a point to share my experiences and stories on Instagram. Initially, some of my friends did not understand what I was doing, but over time their perceptions changed. Yet, I realised public awareness was still low, so I kept thinking: How could we better educate the public about migrant worker issues, and how can Singaporeans help?
That question inspired me to start Migrant x Me in 2018, a social enterprise that aims to bridge the gap between Singaporeans and migrants.
What do we do? In short, Migrant x Me conducts public workshops and experiential learning journeys, to allow both parties (Singaporeans and migrant workers) to understand each other better. Our focus is on youth, and hope to inspire the younger generation to be catalysts for positive change in society.
When I first started, I had very high expectations of myself! This led to some pressure and disagreements. People also had misunderstandings that I wanted to make money off the workers. But the heart of the Social Enterprise model is to create a sustainable and viable model, combining business while being focused on the social cause. I was afraid of offending people, and felt very lousy about myself and doubted what I wanted to do.
But after a few months of talking it out and getting mentors to be accountable to, my conviction grew and I knew I had to JUST DO IT! I’m still fearful of disagreement, but when I focus on the impact we can make, it drives me to continue on.
I am thankful for the support of my family too. At first, my parents were concerned for my safety, but with some precautions and reassurance, they now participate and support too. For some public holidays, my parents and I happily hosted some of the workers at our home. My parents remember the workers by name, and once they knew about their stories, they could understand why I started MxMe. It warms my heart to see my family serving them, and the gratitude the workers show us in return.
What’s next for MxMe? In the next 2 years, we hope to secure partnerships to bring our learning journey programme to more secondary schools! Our vision is for youth (and Singapore) to see our migrant workers not just as a number or a statistic, but rather, to see them as fellow humans, with a name, face, families, hopes and dreams.
After all, titles and nationalities aside, they’re people too, no different from you and me.