By: Meg-Gayle Dean When Meg-Gayle was in primary school, her parents worked long hours and frequently travelled for business trips. During those periods, the home rested in the hands of Edlyn, a young foreign domestic worker from the Philippines who became the primary caregiver to Meg-Gayle and her sister. Though Edlyn’s role was practical in nature through the chores she helped out with at home, the relationship that grew between Edlyn and the girls was emotional. Over years

Charissa formed a deep, motherly bond with Marisa, her Filipino FDW, who provided emotional support and guidance throughout her childhood.

Loud in her love, quiet in her care, and unwavering in her support for Daphne to be herself.

She left for Singapore to build a future for her family. What followed was a daily struggle for food, dignity, and safety.

A real-life rescue in Telok Blangah becomes a lens into employer–helper relationships: how trust, communication, and realistic expectations shape safer, more respectful homes, and why conflict often begins long before a crisis does.

For 30 years, Lydia cared for families in Singapore while missing milestones with her own. Her journey reveals both the resilience and fragility of a life lived in service, far from home.