By the end of this year, employers will need to provide domestic workers at least one mandatory rest day per month. Even before the policy kicks in, many employers already give their helpers weekly days off every month. The Straits Times interviews three helpers who pursue unusual activities on their rest days.
Employer paid $4,000 for maid to get her driving licence in Singapore
When her employer asked her in 2019 if there was any skill she wanted to pick up, domestic worker Sitti Pakai said she wanted to learn how to drive.
After four attempts, and delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Indonesian secured her Singapore driving licence last June.
It cost around $4,000 and her employer, Madam Lynnette Fong, picked up the tab.
Domestic helper runs up to 20km and races dragon boats on days off
After finishing a full day's worth of household chores, foreign domestic worker Mycel Belmonte slips on her running shoes before setting off on a 10km run in the Kembangan neighbourhood where she works.
It can take up to two hours, with the 43-year-old returning to her employer's condominium at about 9pm.
Ms Belmonte, who is from the Philippines and has been working here for 14 years, has always been athletic.
Indonesian maid holds free lessons for foreign domestic workers in Clementi pool
Until three years ago, Ms Nur Aini had never set foot in a swimming pool.
Today, the 40-year-old is a familiar face at Clementi Swimming Complex on Sunday evenings where she conducts free swimming lessons for other Indonesian foreign domestic workers.
She recalls being afraid the first time she stepped into a pool in October 2019, when she had a lesson with a swimming instructor in Singapore.
