Dipa Swaminathan

On a fateful stormy day, Dipa Swaminathan's encounter with drenched migrant workers irrevocably altered the course of her life.

When Swaminathan helped two such workers by offering them shelter, food, drink, and clothing, along with her contact number for any future assistance, she didn't realise the impact this gesture would have. One of these workers, Murugan, facing despair due to unpaid wages from his employer, saw Swaminathan's number as his only lifeline. With her intervention, all charges against him were dropped, and he received his back pay.

Swaminathan's timely intervention led to the dropping of charges against Murugan and the recovery of his unpaid wages. This act of kindness didn't go unnoticed. Murugan’s story gained traction on The People of Singapore Facebook page, which features portraits and interviews with everyday people, and caught the attention of the Singapore Kindness Movement, a non‑profit organisation that aims to build a more gracious Singapore through its programmes. It partnered with her for a Kindness Day SG project in 2015, endorsing her idea to distribute raincoats to workers in the rain and inviting her to name the initiative. This collaboration gave birth to ItsRainingRaincoats (IRR), an initiative Swaminathan named, aiming to distribute raincoats to workers caught in the rain.

Eight years after its inception, IRR has far exceeded her original aspirations and now has more than 1,500 volunteers. The scope of IRR’s initiatives is wide and varied. It offers multiple ways for people to engage with migrant workers—be it through holiday events, outings to the F1 Grand Prix or sustainability projects. It also has its own shop and space called InspIRRe.

For her extensive efforts, Swaminathan has garnered multiple awards, including the President’s Volunteerism and Philanthropy Award in 2017 and 2020 respectively.