Award to recognise importance of domestic helpers
Rainy days and Chinese-style kuehs remind Misitun, 34, of one of her best friends -- 98-year-old Mdm Koh Cheng, who passed away earlier in May.
It was amazing that despite a huge age, cultural and language gap, the duo got along famously.
Misitun, affectionately known as ‘Misi’, has been working in Singapore for close to a decade. She took care of an ailing Koh for nine years, especially during the last three months of the elderly lady’s life.
What their relationship started out as: a domestic helper from Indonesia and the mother-in-law of her employee.
In the midst of an ever-increasing number of complaints against domestic helpers -- from the usual complaints of incompetency to alleged abuse of children and elderly cases-- Misi is a rare find, her employer Alice Quek said.
“We couldn’t have done without Misi. She provided Ma with a high level of care and she was always there when we couldn’t be,” Alice added.
The increasing importance of domestic helpers when it comes to caregiving is something that the Asian Women's Welfare Association's (AWWA)’s caregiving arm, Centre for Caregivers, wants to highlight. The centre was established in 2006 to look after the well-being of the local caregiving community. The centre also conducts workshops and training sessions for caregivers.
Instead of just doing household chores such as cleaning, cooking and taking care of young children, more domestic helpers are being hired to take care of a family member who is elderly or with disabilities, Anita Ho, CFC’s assistant director said.
With this in mind, the centre launched the foreign domestic helper category as part of their Model Caregiver awards last year.
This year, they also launched the inaugural Young Caregiver award. This brings the total number of categories up to four, double from when they first started the awards in 2007.
The awards aim to recognise caregivers’ dedication and commitment, as well as generate greater awareness and understanding for them.
Increased employment
According to a government report published in 2006, one in five Singaporeans will be above 65 by 2030.
As of December last year, there were 209, 600 foreign domestic workers in Singapore, a 14 per cent increase from 2007, according to the Ministry of Manpower.
Ho also referred to two surveys commissioned by Ministry Social and Family development (the former Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports) conducted three years apart.
A 2009 survey reported that 17 per cent of the households interviewed hired domestic helpers mainly to care for an elderly. This jumped to 49 per cent in the second survey, conducted last year.
“Domestic helpers enable family caregivers to continue to work and earn income to support themselves and their families,” Anita said. “The limited availability of day care facilities and respite options also increases our reliance on domestic helpers”.
"Many domestic helpers are exemplary in their devotion and care, and it is important for us to recognise their contribution,” she added.
As for Misi, the best reward she could get was getting to know Koh and her family, and picking up language and cooking skills, as well as forming precious relationships.
Her previous employees no longer wanted her to work for them, and it was Koh who decided to take her in and groom her housekeeping skills almost a decade ago.
“I miss Ah Ma, and I still think of her at night,” Missi said, who is staying on with her employers despite Koh’s passing.
“The smell of her (favourite) food like braised pork belly and kuehs make me think of her. She taught me a lot. I am very happy I got to know her,” she added.
Nominations for Model Caregiving Domestic Helper category closes 7 August, 5pm.
Related links:
'No turning back' in reducing foreign worker numbers: Khaw
YOUR VIEW: ‘Tighten loopholes around maids’ employment in Singapore’
Eighth foreign domestic worker falls to her death
