SINGAPORE - Various recreational activities are being organised under a new programme to help improve the mental well-being of migrant workers living in the more than 300 dormitories here.
The mental wellness programme, launched on Sunday (June 27) by non-profit organisation Tzu Chi Humanistic Youth Centre and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), comes as migrant workers in the dorms have faced significant anxiety and stress during the Covid-19 pandemic.
On Sunday, various activities, including a poetry-sharing session by local and foreign poets and a mental health talk, were held online. The workers were taught relaxation and meditation techniques by traditional Chinese medicine physician Lim Xiang Jun.
Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in the dorms, the movement of more than 300,000 migrant workers has been restricted. Often, the workers are confined to their dormitory.
The Tzu Chi Humanistic Youth Centre has built up expertise in serving this community over the past year and formed a social network to safeguard the mental health of migrant workers. It has partnered several organisations, including cooperative society A Good Space and literary interest group Migrant Writers of Singapore.
The centre's manager, Ms Lim Choon Choon, said the pandemic has highlighted the plight of the migrant workers here. She added that her centre is doing its part "in bridging the gaps between migrants and locals".
More...