In the spirit of Christmas, The Alliance of Guest Workers Outreach (AGWO)—a movement of Hope Initiative Alliance (HIA)—and various other partners and organisations organised eight carnivals for the guest workers from 5 December 2021 to 1 January 2022 in three different places, such as Tuas South Recreation Centre, Kranji Recreation Centre and Terusan Recreation Centre.
Over 8,000 guest workers attended all the carnivals and another 4,000 attended the subsequent carnivals on Christmas and New Year respectively. In total, there were 12,000 guest workers attending the entire Christmas celebrations until 1 January 2022.
Grant A Wish to 300 Guest Workers During the festive season, it was very common for many of us to buy things for ourselves and even gifts for our loved ones. However, the guest workers may not have the privilege to buy what they want and hence, AGWO partnered with DBS Bank on the Grant A Wish programme to provide opportunities for 300 guest workers to request any items or gifts that they would like to have this Christmas. Many of them requested watches, perfumes, bags, and other items, which touched their hearts because the gifts were made personalised to them, and personal Christmas letters were also sent to their dorms.
Recreation Centre Level Futsal Tournament In collaboration with the Ministry of Manpower, JTC Corporation and Team Nila, AGWO organised the futsal tournament which started in late November. AGWO had sponsored the trophy, as well as cash prizes of $1,000, $500 and $300 respectively for each group who won the tournament.
Satellite Points for Celebrations More than 10 different partners of AGWO organised smaller scale events on their own to reach out to more than 2,000 guest workers in various locations during the Christmas season. Some of the activities included baking activities where the baked goodies were distributed to the guest workers for free.
Distribution of Care Packs to 7,000 Guest WorkersOver the period of one month in this season, AGWO organised the distribution of Christmas festive care packs to more than 7,000 guest workers to provide them with the basic daily necessities, especially in these periods of times when the pandemic hit many in Singapore, including the guest workers and the needy communities.
Outings to Discover SingaporeHaving built many buildings and places in Singapore, the guest workers may not have the chance to visit them, including the tourist attractions that they had put extra efforts to build. To bring Christmas cheer for them, AGWO brought 200 guest workers to Singapore Zoo and Jurong Bird Park in December, using the SingapoRediscovers vouchers donated by the Singaporeans. And for the very first time for the brothers, AGWO also brought another 120 guest workers to the Universal Studios of Singapore on Christmas Day, 25 December 2021.
AGWO is grateful that through all these initiatives, they managed to reach out to over 20,000 guest workers just within one month in the whole December to spread Christmas cheer and joy. As the President of HIA, Reverend Ezekiel Tan shared, “Christmas is a great time to give back to the community and help those in need, especially the guest workers, because it is the season about giving. And in giving, we receive true Christmas joy.”