Fostering a culture of empathy

Dipa Swaminathan isn't just providing aid to migrant workers through her work with ItsRainingRaincoats – she's transforming the way Singapore engages with its migrant community.

- Syed Zulfadhli

Dipa Swaminathan’s journey from corporate law to social impact was not one she planned, but one she felt compelled to take. The full-time lawyer with Harvard credentials had a deep appreciation for justice, but it wasn’t until a fateful encounter with two drenched migrant workers seeking shelter during a thunderstorm that her perspective shifted.

That moment marked the beginning of ItsRainingRaincoats (IRR), a volunteer-driven initiative dedicated to uplifting the lives of Singapore’s migrant workers.

“I couldn’t just look away. If I had the means to help, how could I not?” she recalls.

Her transition was not without doubts. Moving from a structured legal environment to grassroots advocacy was daunting. Yet, as she immersed herself in the struggles of migrant workers, she realised the law often left gaps.

“There’s a difference between what’s legal and what’s just. Sometimes, you have to step outside the system to make real change,” she explains.

SUPPORTING MIGRANT WORKERS