In 2020, over 152,000 of Singapore's migrant workers had Covid-19. In total, over 300,000 were forced into quarantine. Isolated and far from home, many of the workers were afraid and desperate. Singaporeans cared deeply for them, but it was hard to reach out. Because the workers were locked down in their dormitories, and it was hard to connect with them online since they didn't speak much English. So, working with Facebook and the Infocomm Media Development Authority, we launched Love, Translated: an initiative to bridge the language and quarantine barriers between Singaporeans and Singapore's migrant workers – with love. We set up a WhatsApp hotline (8-1-1-0-L-O-V-E) to crowdsource messages of love and encouragement, which we translated into the workers' native languages: Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, Burmese and Mandarin. The messages were then shared with the workers via Government WhatsApp channels they subscribe to, and Facebook language-based targeting. Within a week, the initiative grew into a national movement, with many brands and media owners joining the bandwagon. Even the Prime Minister got in on the act, urging Singaporeans across the nation to send in their messages and share the love. Over 300,000 migrant workers were in isolation, but they knew they were not alone.
