Mr Omar Faruque Shipon spent another Father’s Day away from his two sons, aged nine and four, who are back home in Bangladesh. He last saw them on a trip home in August 2018, and had planned to fly home on February 28 before Covid-19 thwarted those plans.
Here, he has an extended family of “brothers”, more than 71,000 followers on his Facebook page for Bangladeshi migrant workers in Singapore.
He feeds their need for credible information translated to Bengali, and mans a help hotline — by himself. In January, the page had 12,000 followers, but numbers spiked after he started posting information and motivational stories related to Covid-19.
After working full 12-hour days, he returns to his flat, a temporary housing unit provided by the government, and stays glued to his mobile phone for hours to keep up with their queries and issues. The 32-year-old senior safety coordinator from Chandpur, Bangladesh, spends his lunch breaks and bus journeys to and from work at Keppel Shipyard in much the same way: typing away on his phone.
“Migrant workers wanted accurate information because there were many false rumours going around,” said Mr Omar. “For example, I once heard that five Bangladeshi workers had died in the dorms and that there was a cover-up.”
Realising his fellow countrymen needed accurate information to quiet their anxieties, he made sure to keep up with the latest news, registering for WhatsApp updates from the Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH). He also frequently checks The Straits Times, as well as the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and MOH websites for reliable news.
Still, at first, when the political science graduate from the National University of Bangladesh tried to dispel false rumours, some folks accused him of working for the Singapore government.
But he persisted, and the more he provided reliable information, the larger his following grew. It is not just migrant workers who turn to his page for information; a sizable number are also friends and families of Bangladeshis working here.
He keeps up with them all on his trusty phone. During the circuit breaker, Mr Omar’s phone bill doubled from $48 to $100, and he would receive over 100 text messages daily from Bangladeshi workers seeking help. These days he gets about 20 messages a day, as most of his “brothers are back at work so they have less problems.”
Over the last four months, he’s also noticed that the issues faced by migrant workers have shifted. During the lockdown, most needed help with meals or salaries. These days, the question he gets asked most often is, “When can I go out again?”
According to Mr Omar, some are depressed, while others are frustrated. For many workers, being cooped up in a room for months has taken a toll on their mental being.
With the lack of overtime work, many migrant workers are also earning less and feeling the pressures of not being able to send more money back home.
“When I ask them how can I help, they say, ‘Just let me out, and I won’t need help’.” Mr Omar said.
With such a huge following on his Facebook page, some companies have also reached out to Mr Omar when they have vacancies to fill. He either puts up a Facebook post or helps to match a jobless worker to an employer.
Despite Mr Omar’s busy schedule, he finds time to catch-up with his brother who works here. They speak daily over the phone before Mr Omar returns to helping his fellow countryman.
“If I can make someone smile, that makes me happy too. That is something money cannot buy.”
Mr Omar Faruque Shipon was awarded in the “People of Good” category for the President’s Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards 2020 Special Edition – Our Finest Hour in the City of Good.
Photos and Words by: Caroline Chia
In partnership with What Are You Doing SG, a platform capturing the stories of people in Singapore, their challenges, collaborative nature and problem-solving spirit.
