Rest Day, Sports Day: Building Communities and Wellness through HOME Sports
For many migrant domestic workers (MDWs), a rest day is precious. It might be spent running errands, meeting friends, or simply enjoying the outdoors. For others, it’s a chance to stay active and connected through sport.
Every alternate Sunday, teams of MDWs come together at Sembawang Recreation Centre to do just that. HOME Sports organises tournaments across various sports, providing a space for the MDW community to come together, compete, and support one another.
The programme started in 2013 with a group of Indonesian workers playing volleyball on public courts along Kallang Riverside Park. One of them was Yanti, who was initially drawn to the group by her interest in sports photography. She enjoyed capturing active moments as teams of MDWs volleyed up and down the park.
Ahead of Indonesia Independence Day celebrations three years ago, she spotted an opportunity. “I ask [the group] if I can make a tournament for Independence Day. They accept and I find the sponsor.” Fuelled by Yanti’s commitment and drive, HOME Sports organised its first volleyball tournament for Indonesian domestic workers in 2022. Since then, the programme has evolved from four to seven tournaments a year, and over 1,000 MDWs have participated so far. The number of participating teams has grown from 12 to 16, and it’s no longer just Indonesians taking part— last year saw players from the Philippines joining the action.
Another of Yanti’s initiatives has been to organise friendly matches with schools, including the NUS and Ngee Ann Polytechnic volleyball teams. This gives the migrant worker players exposure to competition and creates much-appreciated coaching opportunities for them.
Last year, she introduced table tennis tournaments to reach more workers with different interests. And in February this year, she organised the Pro-Daerah Volleyball Tournament. Daerah, in Bahasa Indonesia, means area or district, and teams were reshuffled and formed based on the workers’ hometowns. When asked for the inspiration behind this, Yanti said, “Because I feel like boring lah. With this change, the people not always together with the same team.” Players therefore have an opportunity to collaborate and connect across teams.
Organising tournaments on top of her full-time job as a domestic worker definitely has its challenges. She not only works hard to balance her workload, she has to navigate last minute venue cancellations and, above all, the constant challenge of finding funding. “But most difficult,” Yanti chuckles, “sponsorship lah.”
Beyond logistics, there are personal and structural challenges to overcome. Many workers only get one day off a month, and curfews or rigid schedules make participation difficult. “Example, if the team [makes it to] semi-final, but the off day is only one. Maybe go [out] by 10am, come back by 5 or 6pm. So, not enough to play volleyball.”
Yanti understands how important the games are to the workers. She can relate to many of their struggles because she also volunteers with HOME’s Sunday help desk for MDWs in crisis.
“Everyday only people cry, cry, cry. So I want people come to me to [be] happy. Because we work hard from Monday to Saturday, right? If [they] see volleyball, everything is forget already, about the hard work, employers scolding, missing the family.”
Delain with her employer Genio
This motivates her to go above and beyond to ensure her fellow MDWs can pursue their passions. One way she has done this is by calling employers to seek their understanding. “I show the flyer. [I tell them] I’m the coordinator for the volleyball. Then, the employer is okay, so happy. This is the positive thinking lah. They off day only want to play volleyball and spend their time doing something to have fun.” This show of support is significant and encouraging for Yanti. In a recent game, Genio, the employer of one of the players, Delain, dropped by with his family to cheer for her. “We would like to show the kids how serious she is. And it would be a great experience for them to come. [To] me, this kind of event is pretty healthy.”
While these games can definitely inject a healthy dose of fun, they also foster a sense of community and purpose. Before joining HOME Sports, another participant, also named Yanti, would spend most of her rest days alone.
“Sometimes we just go to mall, then when we see [something], we want to shop. Then we have to spend our money. So I find, coming is better. Enjoy, relax. And can make friends also.”
Teams awaiting their turn on the court often sit with food and gossip alike to share with friends. Participant Tiyah is well-known for the delicious food she prepares before the games and foists generously upon anyone who has the good fortune to walk by her. As many domestic workers have inadequate or inappropriate food, this kind of meal sharing can be invaluable.
With back-to-back tournaments lined up till December, 2025 is set to be another exciting year for Yanti and HOME Sports community. She’s even thinking about introducing badminton.