Integration Beyond Awareness: ItsRainingRaincoats on Migrant Workers, Dignity, and Social Inclusion in Singapore

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By: Justin Park

Photo: ItsRainingRaincoats Community Engagement & Events

With a S$1.7 billion price tag, Singapore's Jewel Changi Airport exemplifies the opulence that is commonly associated with Singapore. Gilded steel arches swoop from the crystalline glass ceiling to the floor where thousands of passengers shuffle along newly installed escalators towards their next destination. Among the travelers, however, are cohorts of men preparing to join Singapore's ever-growing population of over 1.16 million work permit holders.

They arrive at the threshold of one of the world’s most advanced and carefully managed cities, yet their place within it is often defined less by visibility than by distance. Migrant workers are integral to Singapore’s development, sustaining its infrastructure, construction, and essential services. At the same time, their everyday experiences frequently occur at the periphery of mainstream social life. Such exclusion is shaped not only by economic structures but also by patterns of limited interaction and social separation between locals and migrant workers.

Institutionalized public discourse has long framed migrant workers through the language of contribution, necessity, and, at times, compassion. While these narratives recognise their role within the national economy, they can also compress complex lives into simplified categories, reducing workers either to labour or to subjects of charity. Such framings risk obscuring deeper questions of dignity, belonging, and participation, particularly in a society where proximity does not always translate into understanding.

It is within this space that ItsRainingRaincoats situates its work. Founded in 2015 by Dipa Swaminathan, the organisation seeks to address not only material needs but also the less visible absence of sustained social connection. Since its founding, ItsRainingRaincoats has received significant recognition for its work with migrant workers in Singapore, including the prestigious President’s Volunteerism and Philanthropy Award (2017, 2020, 2021), the President's Certificate of Commendation (COVID-19) in 2022, and the Tatler Ball Hero Award (2023). Its initiatives focus on building bridges between migrant workers and the wider community through shared experiences and long-term engagement, moving beyond one-off acts of assistance toward more meaningful forms of inclusion.

What follows is a conversation with Ashwini Priya, Community Events and Engagement Manager at ItsRainingRaincoats, on how migrant worker life is experienced beyond surface narratives, why social distance persists despite everyday visibility, and what it may take, both socially and structurally, to move toward a more inclusive and human understanding of migrant workers in Singapore.

Photo: ItsRainingRaincoats Community Engagement & Events

Q) To begin, could you briefly introduce ItsRainingRaincoats and explain what the organisation saw—or felt was missing in Singapore’s society for migrant workers—that made this work necessary in the first place?

A) ItsRainingRaincoats was founded by Dipa Swaminathan in 2015, and its origins trace back to a personal encounter in 2014. Dipa met two migrant workers during a thunderstorm and brought them to her home for shelter while they waited out the rain. She stayed in contact with them afterwards. Some months later, she received a call that one of the workers, Murugan, had attempted suicide after not being paid for several months. At that time, attempted suicide was still a criminal offence. When the police found Murugan, the only contact he had in his wallet was a small scrap of paper with Dipa’s number. The police reached out to her and asked if she could assist with posting bail. Dipa not only did so, but, with the support of the police, also supported Murugan in recovering his back wages and having the charges against him dropped.

That experience became a turning point, as it highlighted the vulnerability migrant workers can face when they encounter serious difficulties, and how limited their access to support networks may be in such moments. It also revealed a broader gap beyond immediate material needs—the lack of sustained connection, awareness, and community support.

From that moment, ItsRainingRaincoats grew with the aim of building bridges between migrant workers and the wider community in Singapore, and fostering a more inclusive society where workers feel valued, appreciated, safe, and welcome.

Q) In your experience, what are the biggest gaps between how migrant workers are commonly imagined in Singapore and how they actually experience life here?

A) One of the biggest gaps lies in how distant public perception can be from the lived realities of migrant workers. A significant part of our mission is to build bridges between migrant workers and locals, as there are relatively few touchpoints in society where they can interact directly. When these moments do happen, we often find that there are far more commonalities than differences, including shared experiences such as limited free time, being away from family, and managing everyday responsibilities.

At the same time, public understanding is often shaped by limited or selective narratives, which can lead to oversimplified views of migrant workers’ lives. In reality, their experiences are varied and deeply human, including friendships, hobbies, routines, and personal aspirations that are not always visible to the wider public.

Q) Looking across the different workers your organisation engages with, what kinds of challenges tend to shape their lives most deeply—not just in terms of work itself, but in terms of dignity, belonging, and everyday stability?

A) The challenges are often layered and extend beyond work itself. Workers may face employment-related issues, financial pressures, or personal crises. Many arrive in Singapore having taken on significant loans to cover costs such as agency fees, while their primary support systems remain back home. At the same time, their day-to-day experiences can be shaped by how easily they can navigate language barriers and access information locally. All of these factors come together to influence their sense of stability, dignity, and belonging.

Equally significant, though less immediately visible, is the absence of a strong sense of community. Being far from home can mean navigating challenges largely on one’s own, without the everyday support systems many of us take for granted. This is something we actively try to address through our programmes by creating spaces where workers can build friendships, find support, and feel a sense of belonging.

Over time, many of our worker friends share that having the backing of the broader IRR community is what they value most. It is this sense of being seen, supported, and not having to navigate challenges alone that often becomes one of the most empowering aspects of their experience.

Q) ItsRainingRaincoats is often associated with building bridges between migrant workers and the wider Singaporean community. In your view, why has that social distance remained so persistent despite how visible migrant workers are in everyday Singaporean life?

A) This distance is partly shaped by circumstance. Migrant workers are often in Singapore on a temporary basis, and their daily routines, living arrangements, and work environments can be quite separate from the general population. Some workers are also very young or new to working abroad, which can make adjustment more challenging. These factors naturally limit opportunities for interaction, which can result in a sense of distance despite their visibility.

At the same time, over the past 10 years, we have been encouraged to see gradual shifts in perceptions. Through sustained engagement and community efforts, there is greater openness and awareness today than before, even though there is still more to be done.

Q) A great deal of public engagement with migrant workers can stop at sympathy or one-off acts of charity. To what extent do you think this reflects a wider tendency to see migrant workers as recipients of help rather than as people embedded in the social fabric of Singapore?

A) There has been a growing awareness and willingness within the public to support migrant workers, which is encouraging. At the same time, some forms of engagement can still remain at a surface level, often taking the form of one-off acts of charity rather than sustained relationships.

Our hope has always been to move beyond this by encouraging deeper understanding and more meaningful, long-term engagement. Over the past 10 years, this has been a key part of our work, and we have worked with more than 1,500 volunteers who have each gained meaningful experiences through consistent interaction and giving back in ways that go beyond transactional support.

In this vein, we are also actively inviting ideas from members of the public on how they can engage more meaningfully with migrant workers. The aim is to co-create opportunities that foster genuine interaction and allow us to better facilitate such experiences.

Underlying this approach is the recognition that migrant workers are individuals with their own aspirations, perspectives, and contributions, rather than being seen only as recipients of help.

Q) The language of “integration” is often used, but it can mean very different things in practice. From your experience, what does meaningful integration actually require: greater visibility, stronger relationships, more public recognition, or something deeper at the level of dignity and participation?

A) Meaningful integration goes beyond visibility and involves dignity, respect, and participation. At ItsRainingRaincoats, we centre migrant worker voices in the initiatives we run. Most of our programmes are shaped by what workers have shared directly with us, such as wanting to learn English to access better job opportunities, or improving their mobility and access to daily needs through support like bicycles.

Ultimately, integration is about ensuring that migrant workers are treated with the same respect and dignity as anyone else, and that they have a voice in matters that affect them.

Q) In trying to narrow the distance between workers and society, what kinds of stories, encounters, or forms of outreach have proven most effective in shifting people’s assumptions—and which assumptions have remained the most difficult to dislodge?

A) Rather than positioning ourselves as closing a gap between expectations and reality, we focus on creating opportunities for genuine interaction. We have found that the most effective outreach comes from creating touchpoints between migrant workers and locals of all ages and from different walks of life, such as through our Deepavali Drive, where volunteers deliver pizzas and samosas to workers across Singapore, or our Christmas Drive with gift distributions. For Lunar New Year and Hari Raya, we also run bazaars and potlucks where volunteers and workers can interact, play games, and share a meal together. These shared experiences allow people to form their own understanding, and assumptions tend to shift more naturally when people connect on a human level.

In sharing these experiences, we also try to document and communicate our work where possible so that the wider public can gain a sense of what these interactions look like. At the same time, what appears on Instagram or other public platforms reflects only a small part of what actually takes place.

Much of the work still happens behind the scenes, particularly in areas such as casework support or more personal, relationship-building initiatives like our Makan with Migrant Workers programme. While less visible, these efforts often form some of the most meaningful and impactful parts of our engagement.

Often, it is the most organic encounters that leave the deepest impression. Friendships that grow over time, across years, cultures, and life experiences, become some of the most powerful bridges. Volunteers and workers begin showing up for one another beyond organised activities, being invited into each other’s celebrations, offering support through life’s challenges, and sharing in milestones both big and small. These are the moments that quietly but profoundly reshape perceptions, and remind us that, at the heart of it all, we are simply people in each other’s lives.

Q) If Singapore were to move toward a deeper and more human understanding of migrant workers and their struggles, to what extent would that depend on changing everyday attitudes alone, and to what extent would it also require broader institutional or policy changes?

A) Both are important and work alongside each other. Changes in everyday attitudes can foster empathy and inclusion, while broader systems and structures also shape lived experiences in meaningful ways. From our perspective, meaningful progress comes from efforts at all levels that contribute to improving the well-being of migrant workers.

This can range from practical support, such as providing essential items, ensuring safe and accessible transport, and offering access to resources in times of crisis, to equipping workers with upskilling opportunities like digital literacy or language learning courses. It can also take the form of shared experiences that build connection, such as having meals together, going on bicycle rides, or engaging in light-hearted activities like making TikToks and participating in dance trends together.

Taken together, these everyday interactions and structural forms of support both play a role in shaping a more inclusive and human understanding of migrant workers and their experiences.

Q) Finally, from your perspective, are there particular protections, policies, or structural changes that would make the most meaningful difference to migrant workers’ lives—not only materially, but in how they are recognised and treated within Singaporean society?

A) At a broader level, enabling migrant workers to access everyday aspects of life that others in Singapore often take for granted can make a meaningful difference. Some examples include greater freedom and autonomy over their leisure time; safe work transportation and greater access to public transport; access to inclusive recreational spaces; opportunities to participate in community activities; clearer access to information on rights and support services; and language support to help them navigate daily life.

It also involves creating more opportunities for social connection and ensuring access to resources that support their overall well-being. Migrant workers face a unique set of circumstances, and addressing these needs in a thoughtful and sustained way can help ensure they are able to live with the same dignity, respect, and sense of belonging as anyone else in Singapore.

Further information on ItsRainingRaincoats and its initiatives can be found on their website and Instagram.

Website: https://itsrainingraincoats.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsrainingraincoats/