I really don't want to leave her
Across Singapore's households, a quiet transformation is taking place — migrant domestic workers, many of whom crossed oceans to care for strangers' most vulnerable loved ones, are being given something they rarely had before: preparation. Through four pilot programs launched by the Center for Domestic Employees, more than 370 helpers have gained structured training in dementia care, elderly care, infant care, and emergency response, each course offered at a symbolic ten-dollar fee. The initiative recognizes a truth long overlooked in the architecture of caregiving: that competence and compassion are not opposites, and that workers cannot be expected to navigate fear alone.
- Migrant domestic workers have long been placed in high-stakes caregiving roles — tending to stroke survivors, dementia patients, and newborns — with little to no formal preparation, creating silent crises behind closed doors.
- The emotional toll is real: helpers describe panic, helplessness, and the weight of responsibility for lives they feel unequipped to protect.
- CDE's four pilot programs responded directly to workers' own reported struggles, designing training in native languages and digestible formats to meet learners where they are.
- Over 370 workers have now completed the courses, with many enrolling in multiple programs — and both workers and employers report measurable gains in confidence and household stability.
- Singapore's Minister of State for Manpower publicly acknowledged the sacrifice these workers make, signaling institutional recognition of their role as essential caregivers, not merely domestic staff.
- Officials are now planning a full-scale rollout, with the ambition of making structured caregiving training a standard entry point for all migrant domestic workers in Singapore.
Priyanti had worked in the same Singapore household for fourteen years when her elderly employer — the woman she calls ah ma — began forgetting things she had just bought, her moods shifting without warning. When ah ma suffered a stroke and lost her mobility, Priyanti's worry turned to panic. She had no framework for what was happening, and no tools to help.
A social media post about a dementia care course changed that. Offered by the Center for Domestic Employees under Singapore's NTUC, the course taught Priyanti how to communicate with someone experiencing cognitive decline — how to listen, how to calm. Something shifted between them. Ah ma's memory of her own family has continued to fade, but she still remembers Priyanti.
Priyanti is one of more than 370 domestic helpers who completed training through CDE's four pilot caregiving programs over the past year, covering dementia care, elderly care, infant and child care, and first aid. Each course cost just ten dollars. The programs grew from feedback gathered during CDE's mandatory interviews with first-time helpers — workers naming the real fears they carried into their caregiving roles.
The training was designed with migrant learners in mind: content delivered in manageable pieces, native-language speakers brought in for comprehension. The results have been visible. Workers who began with one course have gone on to enroll in others. Employers have noticed the difference.
For Pacardo Lolie Ann Latap, a Filipino helper caring for a 77-year-old stroke survivor, the dementia course offered something practical and something deeper — the understanding that she must first calm herself before she can calm him. She is already planning her next course.
At CDE's tenth anniversary celebration, Singapore's Minister of State for Manpower stood before more than 600 workers, employers, and partners and acknowledged what is so often left unsaid: that these women leave their own families, their own parents and children, to care for someone else's. "We understand that it is not easy," he said.
The organization's director hopes the pilot will grow into something universal — a system where every migrant domestic worker enters her role not with fear, but with skills, language support, and the confidence that comes from being truly prepared.
Priyanti had been working in the same Singapore household for fourteen years when she began to notice troubling changes in her elderly employer. The 84-year-old woman—whom Priyanti calls ah ma—started forgetting items she had just purchased at the market, wanting to buy them again. Her moods shifted without warning. When ah ma suffered a stroke and lost her ability to move, Priyanti's worry deepened into something closer to panic. "I (was) really scared because I didn't know what to do," the 38-year-old Indonesian helper recalled.
What changed for Priyanti came through a chance encounter with a social media post about a dementia care course offered by the Center for Domestic Employees, an organization under Singapore's National Trades Union Congress. She enrolled and completed the training in July 2025. The course taught her how to communicate differently with someone experiencing cognitive decline—how to listen, how to calm her employer when distress arose. The knowledge shifted something fundamental in their relationship. Ah ma's memory of family members has continued to fade, but she still remembers Priyanti. "I really don't want to leave her," Priyanti said in June, speaking at CDE's tenth anniversary celebration.
Priyanti is one of more than 370 domestic helpers who completed training through one of four pilot caregiving programs launched by CDE over the past year. The programs address dementia care, elderly care, infant and child care, and first aid and emergency response. Each course carried a ten-dollar registration fee. Michael Lim, director of NTUC's Migrant Workers Segment, explained that the programs emerged from feedback gathered during mandatory interviews that CDE conducts with first-time domestic helpers on behalf of the Ministry of Manpower. Workers had surfaced real challenges they faced in their caregiving roles, and the organization responded by designing training that could actually help.
The structure of these programs reflected careful attention to how migrant workers learn. Content was broken into manageable pieces rather than overwhelming blocks of information. Native language speakers were brought in to ensure comprehension. Lim noted that the results have been visible: "The confidence of our sisters (domestic workers) has grown tremendously. There are some that started with one program, and are now going into others." Employers, too, reported finding the training valuable for their families.
Another participant, Pacardo Lolie Ann Latap, a 44-year-old Filipino helper, cares for a 77-year-old man who suffered a stroke. She noticed him beginning to misplace items and becoming frustrated about his confinement indoors. Recognizing these as potential signs of cognitive decline, Pacardo completed the dementia care course in November 2025 to prepare herself for his future needs. She plans to pursue additional training in nursing skills for bed-bound elderly. "(I learnt) we must calm down ourselves, until ah gong becomes calm also," she said, reflecting on what the course had taught her about managing her own emotional responses to her employer's condition.
On June 21, more than 600 migrant domestic workers, their employers, and industry partners gathered at Resorts World Sentosa to mark CDE's decade of operation. Dinesh Vasu Dash, Singapore's Minister of State for Manpower, attended as guest of honor. He acknowledged the particular sacrifice these workers make—leaving home, family, children, and parents to care for others' loved ones as if they were their own. "We understand that it is not easy," he said, and assured them they are not alone.
Lim's vision extends beyond the current pilot phase. He hopes these programs can eventually reach all migrant domestic workers in Singapore, becoming a standard part of their preparation for caregiving roles. The goal is to build a system where workers enter their positions not with fear and uncertainty, but with concrete skills, language support, and the confidence that comes from understanding what they are being asked to do. For workers like Priyanti and Pacardo, that shift has already begun to reshape their relationships with the people they care for—and with themselves.
Citas Notables
I (was) really scared because I didn't know what to do— Priyanti, domestic helper, on caring for her employer before receiving training
The confidence of our sisters (domestic workers) has grown tremendously. There are some that started with one program, and are now going into others— Michael Lim, director of NTUC's Migrant Workers Segment
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why did it take a social media post for Priyanti to find this training? Wasn't there already a system in place?
CDE was conducting mandatory interviews with all new domestic helpers, so they were hearing the problems. But the training programs themselves were new—they started as pilots only recently. Priyanti had been working for fourteen years without this option existing.
What made the dementia course different from, say, a standard caregiving manual?
It was designed for people learning in a second language, with native speakers helping. The content was bite-sized, not overwhelming. But more than that—it gave Priyanti a framework for understanding what was happening to her employer, which turned fear into something she could act on.
Did the training change how the employers saw their helpers?
Yes. Employers reported finding it helpful. But more importantly, it changed how the helpers saw themselves. Lim said workers who started with one program began enrolling in others. That's confidence building on itself.
Is this just about making workers feel better, or does it actually improve care?
Both. Priyanti learned specific communication techniques. Pacardo learned to manage her own emotional responses so she could calm her employer. These are concrete skills that affect how vulnerable people are cared for daily.
What happens to workers who don't get this training?
They're still out there, caring for elderly people with dementia, infants, people recovering from strokes—without the knowledge or confidence these courses provide. That's why Lim wants the programs to scale beyond the pilot phase.