ITSRAININGRAINCOATS
ItsRainingRaincoats (IRR) is an initiative that aims to improve the lives of migrant workers in Singapore, by building bridges to strengthen their integration into our community, city and country. They employ authentic and nimble strategies to help improve the quality of the workers’ lives and make them feel valued, appreciated, safe and welcome in Singapore. Their raincoat emblem symbolizes the protection from metaphorical thunderstorms.
WHAT THEY DO
Pre-Covid times, IRR relied on distinctive but simple programs to enable the residents of Singapore to reach out to the migrant worker community
Starbucks Drive: A year round initiative whereby a team of volunteers picks up unsold treats from 25 Starbucks outlets around the island and hand them out to almost 500 tired construction workers.
Annual Potluck: A potluck that invites anywhere between 3000-7000 migrant workers to partake in the festivities of the day. Singaporeans bring or sponsor their favourite dishes like Roti Prata, Curry Puffs, Wafer Ice-creams, Bento Boxes, Pizzas, etc and also participate in games and activities with the workers.
Christmas Giving (WeHaveADream): A donation drive during the festive season of Christmas & New Year where ItsRainingRaincoats puts out a call for Singaporeans to donate gift-wrapped, brand new essential items like umbrellas, backpacks, t-shirts, caps, Tiger balm, dental kits, headphones and chocolates. In the past, these have been handed out by Singaporeans themselves to more than 80,000 migrant workers at 50+ constructions sites and dormitories.
Chinese New Year Giving: A drive to collect pre-loved items in good condition and unopened, excess boxes of CNY cookies to be handed out migrant workers at construction sites and dormitories.
Deepavali Drive: A drive to hand out phone data cards to migrant workers, to enable them to connect with their families back home during the emotional, festive season, as well as a festive drive-by to hand out pizza and samosa snacks to surprise unsuspecting workers, working on the streets of Singapore.
MADWISH: A virtual classroom for teaching migrant workers English one-on-one. Spend time together on any virtual platform at your mutual convenience.
These, and many more campaigns keep the cause alive!
Please follow their social media page on Facebook or Instagram (itsrainingraincoats) for the most current happenings and opportunities:
https://www.instagram.com/itsrainingraincoats/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/itsrainingraincoats/
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
You may not be able to change the world, but you can certainly try to change the world for someone
VOLUNTEER
We are looking for volunteers in various areas of work. If you can commit to 5-10 hours of work a week, and looking to help with – social media management, worker engagement, logistics, Starbucks drive – please get in touch via email (itsrainingraincoats@gmail.com)
TEACH
You can teach migrant workers English by participating in our MADWISH program. If you would like to buddy up with a migrant worker and teach him English, signup here!
NEW PROGRAMS
If you have any ideas for engagement activities for the workers – ways to engage with them, help build learning and development, setup up a giving drive, or any other innovative ways to positively interact with the migrant worker community – please get in touch via email (itsrainingraincoats@gmail.com)
ItsRainingRaincoats’ volunteers come from all walks of life, and are a testament to the Singaporean spirit of giving which enables them to keep going and ensuring we meet our vision. They are purely volunteer run, and are able to achieve this with zero overheads.
DONATE
IRR accepts donated items and repackage them for the migrant workers. If you have spares lying around, feel free to get in touch!
Suggested Items:
Towels
Powerbanks
Headphones
Water Kettles
Top-up Data Cards
Tiger Balm
Toiletries
Umbrellas
Raincoats
Sunglasses
Caps
Water Bottles
Slippers
Gift Vouchers (NTUC Fairprice, Mustafa or Sheng Siong)
Dried Fruit, Nuts, Energy Bars, 3-in-1 coffee
Preloved – Clothes, Single Mattress, Bedsheets, Water Kettles, Toasters, Cookers, Towels and Luggage
VOLUNTEER TESTIMONIALS
Ruchi Trivedi, Volunteer of IRR
1. What made you decide to become a volunteer? And why specifically at IRR?
An article about how IRR started. The story behind how IRR was founded touched me.
I’ve always passed by migrant workers while driving thinking what I can do for them to make their lives better here. This was especially so when Covid hit and migrant workers stayed inside dorms for months - helpless and stripped of freedom to walk out because of the spread within dorms.
I chose IRR because there were different initiatives to participate in. I waited for one which I felt I could start with based on how much time I was able to commit and something I was comfortable with.
2. What were your expectations before joining IRR, in terms of your duties and responsibilities? Has the actual experience differed from these expectations, and how so?
I just expected to make a difference to workers’ lives, no matter how small the difference may be. I first signed up for carepacks team coordinating on delivery of essentials, and thereafter became involved with case work. Whilst time required is more than what I had expected, fortunately I was paired with volunteers who explained the duties clearly from our first call, and we’ve been working together nicely since then.
But at the end of the day, I did what I reached out to help with and made friends along the way with people who have similar wish to help the migrant worker community. This is more than what I had expected.
3. How difficult has it been to incorporate volunteering into your lives, on top of your other commitments (school/work/etc.)?
During circuit breaker, it was easy to try to do coordination and data entry work since I was at home most of the time. After circuit breaker, it got a bit tougher as I have 2 young boys who needed me to drive them around for school and classes. But after a month or so of learning how to juggle, it got easier again.
I guess at the end of the day, it’s just a matter of time management, and we have a devoted team of volunteers who are willing to step in to help whenever we are in need of it. So I know that I can always raise my hand to ask for help when I feel stretched.