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2008 marks the 2nd Anniversary of Migrant Voices and within this short period of time, Migrant Voices has embarked on many interesting, thought provoking and heartwarming projects. From workshops at the HOME shelters to performances in Little India, we have certainly come a long way since the album launch at the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre.

2007 was indeed another milestone year for us with the year starting off with "Walk Into Their Lives" - an interactive exhibition organized by a group of students from the Singapore Management University and held in Hougang at a void deck. This was the first time Migrant Voices exhibited the entire collection of InsideOut and Day Off images, add too it the novelty of having an exhibition at a void deck. It was a truly commendable effort by the students, led by Poh Lip Hang, who even managed to get Foreign Minister George Yeo and SMU President Professor Howard Hunter to grace the event.

In July, we commemorated Racial Harmony Day with 2 events. The first was "One Voice @ Earshot Cafe", where 6 bands, 5 made up of migrant workers, got the chance to showcase their culture and talents to a packed house. The second was Tales Within Borders, our first play in a theatre setting. Directed by Nina Siew and organized by the Singapore Drama Educators' Association, we explored deeper into the lives our of migrant friends and got to understand them better. It was also heartwarming to see one of our friends, Siti Muyasaroh, move on to the next phase of a better life.

In December, all 3 migrant worker groups celebrated International Migrants' Day together for the first time. The Migrantion Film Festival was held at Pitch Black Cafe and for the first time, Migrant Voices organized its first full-scale production on its own - "Blinded, Binded and Trapped in Love", a Forum Theatre piece staged in the heart of Little Bangladesh at the Lembu Road Open Space. It was truly a milestone for all of us.

In between, Migrant Voices was also part of the ASEAN@40 hype and celebrations, with some of our migrant friends performing at the ASEAN Think Tank Meeting as well as the ASEAN + Civil Society Conference.

Much of what the organization has achieved to date is truly remarkable, and the bulk of the credit has to go to all our members and volunteers who have spent many sleepless nights clearing administration, worrying about funds, preparing sets and chasing people. Without you, we would not have been able to make such an impact. My hats off and deepest gratitude to you.

Since 2006, much of what MV is today is also the vision of our first President - Sha. Throughout this time, I have learnt much from working with her and I hope to be able to fill her shoes. It certainly was not easy being the first and we have gone through much together. On behalf of the entire organization, we are truly grateful for what you have done and I am certainly looking forward to learning more from you in the future.

Now that Migrant Voices has found its identity, the next challenge for us is to grow - both in terms of our social and artistic objectives. I hope that in the next 2 years, more of you will be willing to join us to bring the arts to our migrant friends.

In the words of Mahatma Gandhi "Be the change you want to see in the world."

With Gratitude,
Shaun Teo
President
Migrant Voices