On Thursday (23 Apr), a migrant worker was found dead at a staircase in Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. He subsequently tested positive for Covid-19.
The 46-year-old Indian national Mr Alagu left behind his wife and 3 daughters back at home.
In a bid to help his family get through this difficult time financially, MP Mr Louis Ng and local organisation ItsRainingRaincoats started an online fundraiser on Sunday (3 May).
As of Tuesday (5 May), Singaporeans have pooled together a whopping S$121,458 that will go to 3 migrant worker families, including Mr Alagu’s.
In a Facebook post by Mr Louis Ng on Sunday (3 May), he explains that Mr Alagu first came to Singapore in the hopes of giving his kids “a brighter future”.
For the past 11 years, he worked hard at local construction sites to support his family as the sole breadwinner.
Now that he’s gone, he can no longer personally fulfill his mission to give his daughters a good education.
As such, alongside ItsRainingRaincoats, Mr Louis Ng started this Give.Asia campaign, hoping to aid them in securing enough money to tide them over.
Most importantly, the funds will go to helping him pay for his children’s education and even support the eldest’s daughter’s university fees.
On the Give.Asia page, one of Mr Alagu’s daughters even penned a touching appreciation letter for her father. Her tribute, penned in elegant cursive script, left many donors in tears.
While we can no longer thank Mr Alagu for his brave sacrifices as a father and as someone who helped build Singapore from the ground up, we can still help by donating a small sum to help his loved ones.
Of course, not all the money raised will go to Mr Alagu’s family.
The funds also aid the families of migrant workers Suppaiah Shanmuganathan and Subbiah Sivasankar who both passed away from a heart attack in April, according to Mr Ng’s post.
Like Mr Alagu, these fathers came over in search of better opportunities to support their wives and kids, only to have unfortunately lost their lives overseas.
If you would like to help contribute towards to goal of raising S$150,000 for these 3 families, simply visit this link to donate.
Lending a helping hand to the families of these migrant workers, who toiled hard to build our homeland will be a great way to show our appreciation for their hardwork.
In the words of Ms Dipa Swaminathan from ItsRainingRaincoats,
No amount of money can compensate these families for a father gone too soon, a husband who can’t be replaced or a son who will never come home. The least we can do is ensure that the mission that brought these men here – to provide for their families – is accomplished in their name.
Hopefully, the donation milestones will be hit soon and Mr Alagu’s daughters will have a bright future ahead of them.
Featured image adapted from Give.Asia.
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