20 LUMEN | INTERVIEW
Bound Common
by a
Goal
By Ms Daisy Chia
Three girls from different cohorts , bound by a common goal .
Janelle Teoh Gi Yan from the class of 2018 , belonged to the committee that oversees the Data Card Drive for migrant workers . Valerie Tan Fang Ting ( Michael 515 ) responded to the appeal by CYC to sew masks for migrant workers , while Annemarie Therese Lim Si Ting ( Lawrence 610 ) continued with the Lakeside ’ s Reading Intervention Services for children from disadvantaged families . Each was motivated to contribute to the community at a difficult time when many nations experienced the devastating effects of COVID-19 .
COVID-19 threw many off kilter . Janelle was no different . The daily news about how the virus was affecting the world and particularly the migrant workers in Singapore were depressing . As the numbers of these workers who were infected increased exponentially , Janelle began experiencing an overwhelming sense of helplessness . From complaining to her family and asking ‘ Why ?’ Janelle resorted to channelling her frustrations to a productive outlet . Her desire to reach out to groups that were disproportionately disadvantaged led her to look for volunteer opportunities online and email many organisations to enquire about such possibilities . Finally , she decided on ItsRainingRaincoats , a non-profit organisation . Its aim to improve the lives of migrant workers in Singapore resonated with her .
ItsRainingRaincoats teamed 19-year-old Janelle up with three others . Together , they spearheaded the Data Card Drive in early April . Being the only teenager and non-working member , she had time on her hand and became a valuable resource of the committee . From coordinating the drive , collating numbers and
ensuring the data cards reached the migrant workers , Janelle had plenty to occupy her waking hours . Initially , the team would deliver the top-up cards to the dormitories but that quickly became a challenge when the Circuit Breaker was introduced in Singapore and the demand for the data cards grew . Word quickly spread among the workers and the request for data cards came flooding in via WhatsApp . At one point , Janelle was inundated with about 600 WhatsApp messages within two hours . ‘ I felt burnt out ,’ she said . Then , she had been painstakingly helping each individual top up his card . Simultaneously , she was also responding to donors who enquired about the drive and wanted to contribute to the cause . Realising this was not sustainable in the long run , and with a number of the dormitories gazetted as isolation areas , the team was forced to reexamine its processes and consider a more efficient way to meet the migrant workers ’ needs , while ensuring those who were staying in alternative lodging arrangements were not overlooked . Creating an online form to record the migrant workers ’ responses and sourcing for a supplier that would handle the top up helped ease the team ’ s workload . To date , they have received about 10,000 requests for data cards .
It has been a marathon . The drive is ongoing as long as the need for data card is there . Janelle adds , ‘ Demand is still way higher than the supply .’
This entire experience has made Janelle change her perception of people . She reflected she was a pessimist and not a strong believer of