THERE may be no such thing as a free lunch, but
two non-profit groups here are adamant on handing
out free breakfasts. Transient
Workers Count Too (TWC2), a research and advocacy group
for migrant workers, has teamed up
with One Singapore – a local campaign to end global poverty – to
provide free
morning nourishment to about 80
homeless and penniless Indian workers every weekday.
The meals are typically made up of
an uttapam
– an Indian pancake – and a cup of
coffee or tea.
The project, started a week ago,
aims to help more than an estimated 50 workers from India who have
made the walkways along Cuff Road their home, some for as long as a
year.
They have allegedly been deserted
by their employers after being injured
while working, or are waiting in
Singapore until the cases pending against
their former employers are heard.
They are issued Special passes
(S-passes) in the meantime, which
forbids them to take on permanent employment.
“I let them come in to use my
toilet or fill up their water bottles. I feel so sorry
for them but this is the only way
I can help,” said Mr S Shanmuganathan, 54,
manager of Sutha’s Restaraunt on
Cuff Road, which provides the free breakfasts.
To qualify for the free food,
served from 7am to 9am, Mondays to Fridays,
workers have to show their S-pass
or a letter from their doctor or lawyer and
have their names recorded. TWC2
and One Singapore have been
footing the breakfast bill – of $2
a worker – with donations from the public.
Church volunteer groups and the
nearby Perumal temple also provide the
workers with free dinners on
weekdays, but these are given out on an ad hoc basis.
“Food is a basic human need and we
wanted to focus on breakfast particularly
so the workers can have a positive
start to each day,” said TWC2 helpline
manager Sha Najak. She estimates,
however, that the $2,200 balance they have left in their
coffers for the project will only
be enough for the next two months. Plumber Mr Ayyavoo Thuniayar,
34,
is one thankful recipient of the
food service. The Tamil Nadu native has been going
to the restaurant every morning
for the past two weeks. At night, he sleeps outside the
Singapore
Gujarat Society’s premises on 36
Cuff Road. He has been stationed there for the past two months
after being evicted from his workers quarters by his employer, a
local construction firm, following
a worksite accident in January
that left him with a crushed leg. A medical certificate exempts
him
from work until May 12 but the
full insurance payout will be made out to him after he is fully
recovered, he said.
He added: “My employers divert me
to one another when I ask for the salary
they owe me. Now I have no money
for a room or food. “If this is only happening to me,
it’s
okay, but it is the same story
with many and they are scared to speak out.”
[email protected]
To volunteer or make a
donation, call
TWC2 at 6247
7001.