Migrant workers treated to Flyer by Singaporeans using vouchers

He has been working in Singapore for 22 years, but Mr Nazrul Islam, who is from Bangladesh, had never been to any local attractions until yesterday.

The 42-year-old got his chance to take a ride on the Singapore Flyer, thanks to the efforts of It'sRainingRaincoats (IRR).

IRR, a non-profit social initiative that works to improve the lives of migrant workers, launched an appeal on Jan 1 for Singaporeans to redeem their SingapoRediscovers Vouchers (SRV) for rides on the Flyer for migrant workers.

As of yesterday, 4,307 Flyer tickets had been pledged, amounting to more than $140,000. An adult ticket is $33.

Speaking to The New Paper yesterday, Mr Islam, an administrative assistant from GS Engineering and Construction, said: "The Flyer ride was enjoyable and comforting. I never would have come here by myself because it is too expensive."

Around 620 migrant workers were at the Flyer yesterday. Because of the overwhelming response from the public, IRR will hold the next round of visits on Feb 7, and then on March 7, and every Sunday after, until all tickets are used up.

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Ms Dipa Swaminathan, founder of IRR said: "We aim to take as many workers as we can on these rides... Even if we can take 5,000 of these migrant workers, it is only about 1 per cent of the population of migrant workers in Singapore.

"We seek the support of employers to give the workers permission to attend more of such events in the future."

Trip.com, one of the official booking sites for SRVs, is also doing its bit to brighten lives. It launched a Pay It Forward campaign for Singaporeans to use their vouchers and donate tickets for local attractions directly to beneficiary groups.

The Boys' Town-Singapore Zoo programme launched in December raised 100 tickets to the Singapore Zoo for Boys' Town.

The second programme of the Pay It Forward campaign raised 220 Night Safari tickets for Club Rainbow and their caretakers.

Mr Teo Siang Loong, executive director of Club Rainbow, said: "Thanks to the meaningful initiative by Trip.com, this year will be a more memorable experience for the children from low-income families, who will be visiting Night Safari for the first time."