SINGAPORE \u2013 When Ms Ika Septia Purnamasari came to Singapore from Indonesia in 2013 for her first job as a domestic worker, she knew how to say only \u201cyes\u201d and \u201cno\u201d in English.<\/p>\n
Her employer, Madam Jamie Too, 55, paid more than $1,000 for her to attend lessons at a community centre and a course for the International English Language Testing System test.<\/p>\n
Madam Too later encouraged Ms Ika, 35, to take on a three-year diploma course in international hotel and restaurant management with a specialisation in digital business, and funded part of her education.<\/p>\n
On Feb 25, Madam Too received the Employer of the Year Award, for which Ms Ika had nominated her, at the annual Chinese New Year celebration and awards luncheon of the Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore), or AEA(S). Held at the Amara Singapore hotel in Tanjong Pagar, the event highlights the contributions of outstanding domestic workers and employers.<\/p>\n
Ms Ika, who has worked for the same family for more than 12 years, will go home in mid-2026 to take care of her family, including her 13-year-old son. <\/p>\n
Noting that she wanted Madam Too to receive the award as a gift, Ms Ika told The Straits Times: \u201cIt\u2019s a surprise for her because I feel very blessed meeting her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Ika\u2019s first job was her first time travelling out of Indonesia. Madam Too, a business manager at her husband\u2019s events management firm, taught her everything from cooking to taking the bus.<\/p>\n
When Ms Ika wanted to quit at the six-month mark because she felt overwhelmed, Madam Too convinced her to stay, saying: \u201cI know you can make it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gradually, Ms Ika\u2019s English proficiency grew through the lessons she attended and conversations with the family. Her cooking repertoire expanded to include Teochew, French and Italian cuisines. <\/p>\n
In 2023, with Madam Too\u2019s encouragement, Ms Ika started a diploma course in private school GEA Institute. She attends online classes after work and face-to-face lessons two days a week. <\/p>\n
\u201c(I thought) she should upgrade and do something that will be more promising for the future,\u201d said Madam Too.<\/p>\n
As Ms Ika is set to graduate in 2026, Madam Too extended her contract by six months so she could complete her studies. The domestic worker hopes to work in the hotel industry back home.<\/p>\n
The two women confide in each other regularly about family and work, and have forged a close bond. \u201cShe\u2019s my best friend. I don\u2019t tell these kinds of things to anyone else,\u201d said Madam Too, as both women teared up.<\/p>\n
Ms Ika said: \u201cWe are part of the same family. We sit together, eat together, laugh together. I never feel like I\u2019m an outsider in the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Lasmitri, 49, an Indonesian domestic worker who has worked for the same household for 23 years, won the Migrant Domestic Worker of the Year award. She cares for her 96-year-old employer Low Yip Hoo, and was previously also a caregiver to Madam Low\u2019s husband, who was bedridden after a stroke. He died in 2010.<\/p>\n
Ms Lasmitri, who goes by one name, learnt from nurses how to insert catheters and feeding tubes, change diapers and move the elderly man to prevent bed sores. <\/p>\n
In 2024, she started pursuing a two-year course at Niellz International College during her days off to pick up elder caregiving skills. Ms Lasmitri hopes to work in a nursing home in the future.<\/p>\n Ms Lasmitri, who has worked for the same household for 23 years and is a caregiver for a 96-year-old woman, won the Migrant Domestic Worker of the Year award.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Madam Low, whom Ms Lasmitri calls \u201cAh Ma\u201d, has mobility issues and depression. Ms Lasmitri not only helps her with daily physical needs, but also calms her down when her mood changes. <\/p>\n Whenever Madam Low is hospitalised, Ms Lasmitri stays with her through the night and rests only when her children visit in the day. <\/p>\n Madam Low\u2019s daughter, Madam Adeline Leong, 67, a childcare centre administrator, said: \u201cWe\u2019re grateful that she helps us with all these household chores and looked after our father and mother… Looking after the elderly is not easy.\u201d <\/p>\n Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower\u00a0Shawn Huang said at the event that the awards celebrate bonds of care that make migrant domestic workers a vital part of Singapore\u2019s family fabric.<\/p>\n \u201cThese inspiring stories remind us that when trust is at the heart of a relationship, it grows beyond a working arrangement into a genuine bond that enriches our lives and brings our community closer together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n AEA(S) president K. Jayaprema said beyond systems and programmes, what matters most is the mindset and commitment of both employers and workers.<\/p>\n \u201cResponsible employment relationships are built not only on regulation, but on mutual respect, understanding and shared responsibility,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/picture><\/div>