We can feed only 70, says help group, but 200 want to eat
By Tan May Ping
October 14, 2008
THE number of homeless and hungry foreign workers has shot up so much that a food programme for them has run out of money.
FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY: Workers having free dinner at Lamea Restaurant at Desker Road on a weekday night under a programme run by Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) and One Singapore.
Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), which runs a breakfast and dinner programme in Little India with another advocacy group, One Singapore, said there has been a surge in numbers, starting last month.
This coincided with large numbers of workers running away from their employers complaining that they were not given work or paid their salaries.
The New Paper reported last week that 40 Bangladeshi workers left their company after alleging that they were caged up during the day and not given work.
The project started as a breakfast programme in March. It was known as the Cuff Road Project, and had expected to feed about 70 men a day.
This has shot up to 200 men a day for both breakfast and dinner now, said TWC2 president John Gee.
And it is in dire need of money until its next fund-raising event with One Singapore later this month, Mr Gee said.
TWC2 has dug into its office fund, which is meant to pay for its running expenses.
Mr Gee told The New Paper: 'We thought the number would remain steady, but it has risen drastically.
'It has put a big strain on our resources, and will accentuate the problem of raising money to sustain the programmes.'
Funds exhausted
He said that as of last Tuesday, it had completely exhausted its funds for the programme.
Most of the workers who turn up to eat are special pass holders whose claims of non-payment, workplace injuries or exploitative agents are under investigation by the authorities.
They are not provided accommodation, food or work, and often have no choice but to sleep on the streets.
The programme is funded by donations from the public as well as from small and medium enterprises.
Mr Gee said it has been scrambling to get donations from its members and from previous donors to keep the programme functioning.
A few of its members and two firms have since pledged further support.
International money transfer company Western Union has pledged to donate $1,000 a month for the next six months.
More help needed
Mr Gee hopes to get more sustainable public support for the project.
'Other than providing them with food, we're also able to help the workers in other ways once we get to know them, such as helping to speed up their cases,' he added.
The project started at Sutha's Restaurant on Cuff Road, providing breakfast on weekdays from 7am to 9am.
In August, it was extended to dinner at the Lamea Restaurant on Desker Road, also on weekdays, from 6 to 8pm.
For breakfast, the men usually get Indian pancakes with gravy and hot tea, while rice and a vegetable dish are served for dinner. TWC2 pays the restaurants $2 a meal for each person.
A TWC2 volunteer, who helps out at the dinner programme, said mosques in the area, which gave out free food during the month of Ramadan, helped to ease the crunch in September.
But after that, the number of workers needing food shot up.
The volunteer, who asked not be named, said: 'The programmes were meant to last only a few months, but because of the number of workers who depend on it, we need to sustain the programmes so they can at least have food.'
She said the workers, many of whom are regulars, have to register each time, and newcomers must present their special pass.
As both restaurants are in Little India, they attract mostly Indian and Bangladeshi workers.
The volunteer said that as the meals are provided only on weekdays, many of them don't eat much during the weekends.
'They come back on Monday very hungry,' she said.
# To donate, call TWC2 at 62477001 or send a cheque to Transient Workers Count Too, 5001Beach Road, Golden Mile Complex #06-27, S(199588). Write 'Cuff Road Project' on the back.
By Tan May Ping
October 14, 2008
THE number of homeless and hungry foreign workers has shot up so much that a food programme for them has run out of money.
FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY: Workers having free dinner at Lamea Restaurant at Desker Road on a weekday night under a programme run by Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) and One Singapore.
Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), which runs a breakfast and dinner programme in Little India with another advocacy group, One Singapore, said there has been a surge in numbers, starting last month.
This coincided with large numbers of workers running away from their employers complaining that they were not given work or paid their salaries.
The New Paper reported last week that 40 Bangladeshi workers left their company after alleging that they were caged up during the day and not given work.
The project started as a breakfast programme in March. It was known as the Cuff Road Project, and had expected to feed about 70 men a day.
This has shot up to 200 men a day for both breakfast and dinner now, said TWC2 president John Gee.
And it is in dire need of money until its next fund-raising event with One Singapore later this month, Mr Gee said.
TWC2 has dug into its office fund, which is meant to pay for its running expenses.
Mr Gee told The New Paper: 'We thought the number would remain steady, but it has risen drastically.
'It has put a big strain on our resources, and will accentuate the problem of raising money to sustain the programmes.'
Funds exhausted
He said that as of last Tuesday, it had completely exhausted its funds for the programme.
Most of the workers who turn up to eat are special pass holders whose claims of non-payment, workplace injuries or exploitative agents are under investigation by the authorities.
They are not provided accommodation, food or work, and often have no choice but to sleep on the streets.
The programme is funded by donations from the public as well as from small and medium enterprises.
Mr Gee said it has been scrambling to get donations from its members and from previous donors to keep the programme functioning.
A few of its members and two firms have since pledged further support.
International money transfer company Western Union has pledged to donate $1,000 a month for the next six months.
More help needed
Mr Gee hopes to get more sustainable public support for the project.
'Other than providing them with food, we're also able to help the workers in other ways once we get to know them, such as helping to speed up their cases,' he added.
The project started at Sutha's Restaurant on Cuff Road, providing breakfast on weekdays from 7am to 9am.
In August, it was extended to dinner at the Lamea Restaurant on Desker Road, also on weekdays, from 6 to 8pm.
For breakfast, the men usually get Indian pancakes with gravy and hot tea, while rice and a vegetable dish are served for dinner. TWC2 pays the restaurants $2 a meal for each person.
A TWC2 volunteer, who helps out at the dinner programme, said mosques in the area, which gave out free food during the month of Ramadan, helped to ease the crunch in September.
But after that, the number of workers needing food shot up.
The volunteer, who asked not be named, said: 'The programmes were meant to last only a few months, but because of the number of workers who depend on it, we need to sustain the programmes so they can at least have food.'
She said the workers, many of whom are regulars, have to register each time, and newcomers must present their special pass.
As both restaurants are in Little India, they attract mostly Indian and Bangladeshi workers.
The volunteer said that as the meals are provided only on weekdays, many of them don't eat much during the weekends.
'They come back on Monday very hungry,' she said.
# To donate, call TWC2 at 62477001 or send a cheque to Transient Workers Count Too, 5001Beach Road, Golden Mile Complex #06-27, S(199588). Write 'Cuff Road Project' on the back.
