Alumnus Daniel Yeo: Serving the Migrant Workers

 

Daniel Yeo graduated from EAST with a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Ministry and started serving with HealthServe in 2016. It is “a volunteer run organisation that seeks to bring healing and hope to vulnerable low wage migrant workers in Singapore.” This was after his EAST internship with them as a student then. Recently, he has been featured in a Straits Times article where he rendered help to Mr Muthupandi who had undergone several major operations during workplace injuries. EAST took the opportunity to interview Daniel regarding his passion in serving the migrant workers.

1. How long have you been serving amongst the migrant workers in HealthServe?

Eight years working with migrant workers through HealthServe.

2. Share with us one or two of your most memorable casework so far?

I worked mainly with workers who have suffered a workplace injury during the course of their work. These cases can take half a year to two years to settle due to insurance claims.

Case 1: I got to know Kowsar, a 26 year old young worker who had 2 middle fingers amputated while installing glass pane of a building in 2017. He was aloof when we first reached out to him. Over time, he warmed up to us (staff and volunteers) and started volunteering with us through language translation. After his insurance case was settled, he went back to Bangladesh, became a Christian and started to work with an NGO reaching out to Rohingya refugees in the refugee camp. He found his calling through our work helping migrant workers and chose to pay it forward.

Case 2: During the Covid pandemic, I got to know of a worker named Hossain. The 32 year old who has worked here for 8 over years, had suffered a stroke due to Covid which affected the right side of his brain, rendering him paralyzed on one side of his body as well as caused him speech loss. During this period, we provided our physical presence as well as digital connection to his family. This meant a lot to him as he was alone in the rehabilitation hospital. We assisted him to go back to Bangladesh which was not easy as the pandemic has created much barriers in Bangladesh. He went back with the blood clot removed (which might have cost his life). He also regained some movements in his limbs and some speech ability. He was successfully reunited with his family.

3. What caused you to continue serving among the migrant workers all these years?

I enjoy interacting with people from a different culture and being able to make a difference in their life no matter how meagre it might be. It gives me a great challenge and satisfaction trying to connect with different stakeholders to move their cases.

4. Do you see this as a lifelong calling?

It depends on where God will lead me to next.

5. What about this ministry that brings you fulfilment?

Seeing many of the foreign workers touched by Jesus’ compassion through His people brings me fulfilment. Hopefully, they will turn to Jesus one day.

Daniel found his calling through his internship at EAST. If you are at a juncture where you are wondering what God may have in store for your life’s calling, you could begin to explore  by taking some classes at EAST as well.

 

If you are interested to know more about and/or volunteer at HealthServe and how you can reach out to the vulnerable migrant workers in Singapore, feel free to contact them here.