Helpers

More than 250.000 women mainly from Philippines, Indonesia or Myanmar work as helpers in Singapore homes, they like to be called helpers, not maids.

They have a tough life, working all day long for a very low salary. The lucky ones have one day off every week, but many will only have two or even one every month.

They come to Singapore because the working and living conditions in their home countries are worse, and the salary is much lower. This way they can support their families, and children back home.

It is quite common that they spend 2 or 3 years without going back to see their children and family. They normally live in very small rooms, most of the times without any windows.

As every Sunday in which they are off, they dress up, make up and meet with other helpers for a picnic in one of the different parks in Singapore. This is when I took the portraits for this project. They have a smile in their face most of the times, and show tremendous dignity and this is the way I wanted to portrait them, because there are probably too many images of them in other situations.

I photographed them in front of doors, as in a way these resemble the place where they normally spend their nights, in their small bedrooms. There they will think of what they have left behind, maybe just behind those doors.