MOM & SingPost Provide Letter-Writing Kits for 10,000 Migrant Workers After Their Vaccinations

In this age of technology and social media, letter-writing has become somewhat of a thing of the past. Direct Messages (DMs) have replaced heartfelt declarations of love written with pen and scented paper, and messages are delivered by a digital blue bird instead of by post. 

But I’m sure we’ve all had the experience of excitedly buying Sanrio-themed letter-writing kits to mail letters to our friends in primary school (even if you both lived in Punggol). Or perhaps exercising every last bit of our imagination to craft letters to our penpals in Australia.

The feeling of writing out a letter by hand, folding it up neatly and sealing it with a kiss (or a cute sticker) evokes a rush of sentimentality and brings us back to the halcyon days of the past. 

And so what better way for our migrant workers in Singapore, separated from home, to connect with their loved ones? A sprinkling of sentimentality can do wonders in these hard times. 

MOM & SingPost Provide Letter-Writing Kits for 10,000 Migrant Workers After Their Vaccinations

In a joint collaboration between the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and SingPost, letter-writing kits will be provided to 10,000 migrant workers receiving their vaccinations. 

This initiative, aptly titled “From SG with Love”, allows for migrant workers who have been vaccinated to write letters back home to their loved ones during the 30-minute observation period just after the jabs have been administered. 

The letter-writing kits consist of paper, a pen, and an envelope. They have been distributed since 2 April to migrant workers who are receiving their injections in Sungei Tengah Lodge, Tuas View Dormitory, CDPL Tuas Dormitory, PPT Lodge 1B, and Kranji Lodge 1. 

The idea for this initiative had been pitched by Mr M Balakrishnan, 58, manager in MOM’s Assurance, Care and Engagement group, along with his colleague. They had drawn inspiration from similar initiatives organised by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for migrant workers. 

Mr Balakrishnan said, “No doubt the workers have social media like WhatsApp or can call home every day, but nothing beats penning down your feelings in a letter.” 

The postage fees for this initiative will be sponsored by SingPost. Mr Robin Goh, the group chief brand and communications officer at SingPost, did not publicly disclose the budget for the initiative. 

However, he said that SingPost will consider fuelling the initiative after evaluating the response of the current trial. 

He also mentioned that in the future, the initiative may allow for workers to snap photographs with their friends to send home as a keepsake for their families.

Feature Image: Facebook (Singapore Ministry of Manpower)