The sizzle of the onions frying. The drip of the watermelon juice squeezed for his sister. And the hot scent of chili, whose peppers were unseeded and pounded into paste with a stone mortar and pestle to create a more intense flavor than a blender could offer.

It’s been nearly 15 years, but Nathan Lum still has sensory memories of the nightly, multicourse meals prepared by Jumi, who lived with Lum’s aunt and made sure Lum was safe and fed when he wasn’t at school. After working the entire day, Jumi would begin cooking at 4 p.m. to have dinner ready three hours later for 10 people.

Jumi was a migrant domestic worker (MDW), a common practice for some in Singapore; Hong Kong, China; and Malaysia, Lum said, where women spend years away from their homes in nearby Asian countries while working to send money back to their families. Lum, an eight-year MDRT member, has fond memories of Jumi, who came to Singapore in her mid-30s when her four children were young, teaching him to cook fried rice and chili, and picking up some Bahasa Indonesia phrases from her.

But he also recognizes the “brutal” life for workers like Jumi, who are away from their loved ones for so long and usually only travel back every few years, for no more than two weeks at a time.

“Back then, there wasn’t FaceTime; it was expensive to even make a call,” said Lum, whose aunt and uncle annually sponsored a monthlong trip home for Jumi. “Meanwhile, many workers are raising other people’s kids instead of their own.”

That awareness — as well as the tragedy of Jumi’s son being killed in a serious motorbike accident not long after she returned to Indonesia — motivated Lum to sponsor a $10,000 MDRT Foundation Global Grant for Aidha, an organization in Singapore seeking to expand opportunities for MDWs.

After learning about Aidha in 2019, Lum spent 2021 teaching Sunday classes on Zoom for 10 MDWs, following Aidha’s modules to drive education about distinguishing between wants and needs to set a budget, developing a business plan and much more. Aidha heavily subsidizes the cost of the class for attendees but requires them to pay modest fees to create more commitment from participants.

For Lum, one of the most impactful components involved students learning to explain to their loved ones why they can’t give them all of their salary all the time, and the importance of saving money for when they return to use for a business, investments or buying land.

“It was very emotional,” he said. “Some felt bad being unable to give a big chunk of their salary; we role-played how to say no, and even doing the role-play was really tough for them.”

In 2019, research published by Seefar and titled “Making Migration Work” identified that only 3% of MDWs returned home because they had saved enough. According to the latest Ministry of Manpower data, there are 316,900 MDWs living in Singapore, coming primarily from the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, India and Sri Lanka, with wages generally ranging between $600 and $900 per month for working six days per week with unlimited hours.

“The biggest factor to bring someone out of poverty is education,” Lum said. “And by understanding financial literacy, Aidha brings migrant domestic workers to a better position in the long term so their money does not run out.”

Through Aidha, more than 80% of students increase their savings and either lower their debt or remain debt-free, with hundreds of family and community members affected in some of Asia’s poorest communities. Aidha has found that, for every educated student, nine lives are positively impacted.

And the program has many specific success stories, such as:

Ruwanthika, who worked as a preschool teacher in Sri Lanka and came to Singapore to help her parents after they were forced to close their seafood restaurant. After three years in Singapore, Ruwanthika was introduced to Aidha, from which she graduated in 2023 after the 18-month program. With the stability she’s gained, she’s been able to support her family more effectively and even started a small rental business in her hometown. She bought and renovated a two-story house, transforming the first floor, which is now rented out, and is currently completing the second floor.
Armi, who in 2017 was chosen as having the best business plan in her graduating class at Aidha. She spent 13 years in Singapore supporting her parents and siblings and, two years after completing Aidha’s traditional program and business accelerator program, returned to the Philippines and started a small egg farm during the pandemic that generated additional income. Additionally, she has since started an ice cream business where she now offers 24 flavors, participates in agricultural fairs and events, and is working toward expanding the business.
Siti, who has worked in Singapore for 14 years, supports two daughters and her parents. Thanks to getting involved with Aidha six years into that time, she started a Facebook group during the pandemic to help other Indonesian MDWs learn English. She also has created a guidebook to help them learn about saving and communicating confidently. Her focus is now to empower women through education, connection and personal growth.

The program clearly makes a difference, and the MDRT Foundation grant goes toward paying for staff, office space and software for Aidha’s three modules that take six or seven months to complete:

Module 1: Savings and budgeting skills, communication and confidence skills, digital literacy training
Module 2: Financial decision-making and leadership skills, and developing a personal financial plan
Module 3: Entrepreneurship skills, including creating a business plan for a business in each worker’s home country

The more Aidha students, the more workers who can not only support their families but invest in themselves and spend more time with the ones they love.

“They come here because they want a better life,” Lum said. “By making sure they don’t give away all their money or work longer than they need to, we can make sure they have a better life when they go back home and can still provide for their family and themselves.”

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