Many Singaporeans were caught up in the National Day celebrations yesterday (9 Aug) as part of Singapore’s 58th birthday.
In our jubilation, though, we might have forgotten a segment of our community who deserve thanks for contributing to our country’s upkeep — migrant workers.
A TikTok content creator was aware of this and came up with an ingenious way of thanking them.
He spent S$58 on food and drinks before distributing them to migrant worker hard at work.
Donjany, AKA @_donjany on TikTok, shared a video of the initiative he came up with to celebrate National Day.
He explained that since it was Singapore’s 58th birthday, he was going to spend S$58 to help migrant workers.
Donjany did this by purchasing eight cans of 100 Plus at a hawker centre.
Source: @_donjany on TikTok
He went on to buy eight packets of biryani before approaching migrant workers and giving them a can and packet each.
Source: @_donjany on TikTok
Evidently pleased, the workers gave the TikTok user a grateful smile after accepting the food.
Source: @_donjany on TikTok
Donjany also struck up a conversation with the workers, asking them about their impression of Singapore.
One of them shared that he would be staying for 12 more years, waving the national flag at the camera while beaming.
Another worker said he had two children — a daughter and a son — who he missed dearly.
“National Day itself is a celebration not only for us Singaporeans,” Donjany concluded, “it’s for everyone [who] have built this place where we call home.
Source: @_donjany on TikTok
“The things they’ve done for us … they’ve left their family members. I think this is the best time for us to at least show some appreciation to them,” he said.
Donjany’s efforts towards helping the workers didn’t just end there.
Speaking to MS News, he shared that he, in conjunction with Muslim Youth Forum (MYF), is currently organising an event where they treat 1,000 migrant workers to a biryani lunch.
Source: @_donjany on TikTok
Named ‘Thank You Bhaiya’, the initiative will take place at the end of August. MYF is in the process of liaising with a caterer and volunteers to distribute the meals across selected local dormitories.
In anticipation of the event, Donjany and his “business partner” had posted two videos earlier this year, visiting Jurong East and Woodlands respectively. For their latest distribution, they went to Boat Quay and Marina Bay Sands (MBS).
As for why they chose to support the initiative, Donjany told MS News that they noticed migrant workers were the ones responsible for building their homes.
“They work day and night building HDB flats, MRT tracks and help keep our estate clean,” he said.
Those interested in supporting the cause can donate via bank or PayNow transfers. More details are available here.
We owe much of our country’s progress today to migrant workers. Without them, we might not be where we are today.
Kudos to Donjany for going the extra mile on National Day to help these workers.
Hopefully, his efforts will encourage more citizens to contribute to helping this often-overlooked segment of our community as well.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from @_donjany on TikTok.
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