A Little Community of Good is a new initiative to raise funds for HealthServe, a non-profit organisation that provides low-cost medical care and social assistance for migrant workers.
The 6 independent businesses behind the initiative have promised to match public donations dollar-for-dollar — and though they’ve already reached their initial goal of $60,000, the campaign will continue to run until June 30.
Since the fundraiser is hosted on Give.Asia — a platform that imposes no fees — all donations go directly to HealthServe. The 6 businesses might be disparate in their specialities — they include In Good Company, Birds of Paradise, Books Actually, Edith Patisserie, Mud Rock Ceramics, and Petit Pain — the collective aims to rally their individual communities and customers for a greater cause.
Additionally, each of the individual companies have individual opportunities for the clients to donate: In Good Company, for one, invites their customers to pledge their frequent shopper vouchers to the cause.
And the campaign’s support couldn’t be more timely. As migrant workers continue to be the community hardest hit by the pandemic in Singapore, NGOs like HealthServe are stretched thin trying to help all they can.
In recent times, HealthServe has lost an estimated 90 percent of their doctors due to tightened regulations on moving from between healthcare institutions to prevent cross-infection. Two of their three clinics were also forced to close, with the remaining clinic sometimes having to turn away workers due to overcrowding.
HealthServe has since set up 24-hour helplines, virtual counselling services, and a multi-lingual resource page to provide information about the pandemic to workers in need of assistance. Volunteers also work actively alongside dormitory operators to improve the workers’ current living conditions and provide care packs with essential items for workers.
The funds from A Little Community of Good’s campaign will go toward HealthServe’s General Fund, which will help them support migrant workers serving quarantine orders or LOAs, follow-up care for workers who are confirmed to have the virus, the purchase of personal protective equipment, as well as various wellbeing services.
HealthServe also accepts donations in-kind. Right now, they’re in need of PPE — like N95 masks, medical gowns and face shields — to enable their clinics to continue operating, and to support dorms that lack the necessary supplies.
Visit the campaign page here, or HealthServe’s site here.