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At a glance
- Encouraging your helper to attend activities on her rest day can help her make friends and develop useful skills.
- Organisations like Aidha and Brahm Centre offer free programmes for migrant domestic workers (MDWs).
- A helper who feels supported and connected is more likely to stay motivated, feel less lonely and perform well.
Your MDW's rest day is a chance for her to recharge. However, did you know that what she does during her time off can also positively impact how she feels and how well she performs at work?
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) across Singapore offer programmes that help MDWs pick up practical skills, stay healthy and build supportive friendships. Best of all, many of these are free or affordable.
The right rest day activities matter
When your MDW spends her rest day meaningfully, she will return feeling recharged and motivated. Physical activities keep her fit, and if she picks up new skills, the benefits extend to your household.
Perhaps more importantly, if your MDW enjoys the company and support of friends made during such activities, she can turn to them for mutual support and a listening ear, which can go a long way in addressing feelings of stress or isolation before things escalate.
Tell your MDW about such activities today. Both of you might be glad you did!
Brahm Centre: Practical skills and supportive friends
Brahm Centre runs the weekly Omega Program, which offers a variety of sessions and workshops that are tailored to MDW needs. They also conduct sessions in Burmese, Hindi and Tamil, making them a good choice if your MDW is from Myanmar or India.
Conversational English and Mandarin
The Omega Program conducts regular sessions to teach conversational English and Mandarin.
Better communication means fewer misunderstandings at home. Interestingly, the program’s Chinese workshops cover spoken Mandarin as well as written simplified Chinese.
If your household includes seniors who speak mainly Mandarin, these classes can help your helper communicate more effectively with them.
Mindfulness and resilience
Program facilitators share techniques like mindful breathing or walking. These help MDWs manage stress and focus better.
Practical skills
In addition, the Program regularly teaches skills that can come in handy around the home.
The program covers basics of sewing.
The program also introduces basics of eldercare like wheelchair use.
Note that Brahm Centre's workshop schedule changes from time to time, so do check their latest offerings.
Aidha: Fitness and friendships beyond the classroom
You may already know Aidha for their financial literacy courses, which teach your MDW how to budget, avoid scams and unlicensed moneylenders, and build savings for her future.
Beyond these courses, Aidha also offers activities that help her stay active and form friendships.
Aidha Cycling Club
Members of the Cycling Club organise group cycling sessions that promote exercise while enjoying the outdoors. Physical activity improves your MDW’s mood and energy levels, helping her start a new week refreshed.
Participants gathering for a safety briefing.
Cycling keeps your MDW fit and enhances her mood.
Aidha Wellness Club
If your MDW prefers indoor activities, Aidha’s Wellness Club also offers zumba, yoga, craft workshops and more. One activity that allows participants to express themselves creatively, with no skill needed, is dreamboarding, where she will create a collage using words and visuals on a physical board, sharpening her focus and bringing her goals to life.
These are all healthy ways for her to manage stress, stay positive and express herself.
Popular with MDWs, zumba sessions are a fun way to get the heart pumping.
Dreamboarding: Part scrapbooking and part goal-setting.
These group activities also let her build friendships with other MDWs who understand her experiences.
Find out more at www.aidha.org.
A simple conversation can help
Ask your helper if she'd like to try these activities during her rest days. It's good for her well-being and good for your household, for many reasons.
Here are more NGO activities that she could be interested in: