On their only day off in the week, they can be found at Kallang Riverside Park among dozens of other racing enthusiasts, pulling on the oars and grimacing with effort as their dragon boat cuts through the water like a knife. Since June 2017, they have been training hard every Sunday, on land and in the water, for the 35th Singapore River Regatta in November.
Nineteen out of the 40-strong crew are Filipino domestic workers. On weekdays, they go about their domestic duties, and on Sundays, they are often seen as “just maids” who gather at malls and public spaces to chat. That’s a stereotype someone like Mariz Marasigan, 42, wants to change.
Ms Marasigan is part of Race2Share, a non-profit group founded here in 2015 to engage people – initially Filipinos mainly – in sports and volunteer work. Its members have helped raise awareness and funds for social causes, by organising runs to raise awareness over the sexual abuse of deaf women and children; conducting bike and swim clinics; and competing in long-distance races, like the Race Against Cancer in July.
In addition, some like Ms Marasigan also devote time every Sunday to volunteer at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), where they bring some joy into lonely residents’ lives. She is part of the volunteer group Ladies in the Power of Service, who entertain long-stay patients (those warded for more than a year) at IMH with songs, dance, drawing and card activities. Ms Catherine Chua, IMH’s volunteer programme manager, said that she really appreciates their presence as some of the patients do not have visitors for such a long time, and to them, the ladies are family.
Finding the time to train and volunteer isn’t easy, as the only free time most of them get is on Sundays.
A rare few, like Ms Jannah Pascua, 43, trains at night after their work is done. She runs four times a week, and since 2011 has taken part in eight races – including four full marathons. “Sports improved my life a lot,” she said. “It makes me happier.”
Jannah volunteered at Aidha, a charity for foreign domestic workers and lower-income women. These days, she runs to raise funds for various organisations, including a special school foundation in Cavite, Philippines.
Experience with how sports can alleviate loneliness led Ms Jen Macapagal, 29, a programme coordinator at a financial training firm, to co-found Race2Share. She had moved from the Philippines in 2006, and was feeling lonely until she joined a sports team. Eventually, she noticed there was “a lot of interest” from foreign domestic workers here who wanted to take part in sports, but could not.
With Race2Share giving them newfound opportunities to get involved, Ms Macapagal said: “They feel somehow empowered, and their sense of self-worth has improved. Because now they can own the sport.” Rain or shine, training takes place every Sunday from 12pm to 2pm at Kallang Riverside Park.
As for the Race2Share “family”, they are hoping to empower more people through sports, including beyond the Filipino expat community here. However, one challenge they face is expenses.
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Source: Channel NewsAsia, 14 October 2017