About Us

1998

ACMI council 1998

ACMI was commissioned on June 15 with the mission of meeting the special pastoral needs of migrants and itinerant people in the Archdiocese in Singapore, and conducted activities like raising awareness to newspapers and having a hotline for those in need to call.

1999

ACMI council 1999

ACMI initiated the Archdiocesan Migrant Assembly, where some 500 migrants came to voice their opinions and problems. ACMI also embarked on projects in preparation for the Jubilee pilgrimage the next year, having activities like migrants carolling and selling items to raise funds.

2000

Pilgrimage to Rome

ACMI participated in the Filipino Fiesta in Orchard Road on 27th February, selling jubilee T-shirts and other donated items, distributing appeal cards to the pilgrims and soliciting sponsors for the souvenir magazine titled ‘Jubilee’.

2001

Fr Gino opening the SJC centre

ACMI set up the Madonna SJC Skills centre at Hillside Drive to cater to migrant workers especially housemaids residing at the Serangoon district. Training courses include computer, hairstyling, cooking, baking, basic journalism, dancing, and English Language classes.

It was officially opened by Fr Gino Henriques on June 10.

2002

Madonna Grotto

“Madonna Grotto” set up. It was a crisis home to house migrants and itinerant people who need housing until their crisis is over. Activities at the home include bible study, rosary citation, helping out at the soup kitchen, baking cookies, making greeting cards and practicing breathing exercises and singing.

2003

Dance during World Migration Day

Hope haven, a counselling service for migrant workers was launched, with outreach help-desks at Lucky Plaza and Little India.

World Migration Day 2003 – Theme “Building Human Dignity for People of All Nations”.

2004

World Migration Day 2004

In response to the tsunami on Boxing Day, ACMI appealed for goods and financial assistance from the catholic community. Goods like medicine, blankets, clothes and supplies were sent to Sri Lanka and Medan and $64,289.60 was raised. World Migration Day theme: “Migration with a view to peace”.

2005

Tsunami Fact Finding Trip

On 1 July, ACMI played host to 20 students from Victoria Junior College who visited ACMI as part of their community outreach programme.

ACMI also embarked on a fact finding trip for affected families of the tsunami in Sri Lanka.

2006

World Day of Migrants

World Day of Migrants was co-organised by the Myanmarese Catholic Community with the support of the Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace. The theme was “Migration: A sign of the times”.

2007

Volunteers Day 2007

ACMI volunteers appreciation lunch held in July where 86 volunteers gathered for a hearty lunch and games World Day of Migrants was celebrated at Church of St Mary of the Angels including parishioners for the first time, the event was co-organised by the Malayalee Catholic Community with the theme “The Migrant Family”.

2008

ACMI’s 10th Anniversary

ACMI celebrated its 10th anniversary on 29th June with a Eucharistic celebration by Reverend Monsignor Eugene Vaz and chaplains of the various migrant groups as co-celebrants. There was a photo exhibit showcasing ACMI’s various activities since its inception in 1998 and the recognition of volunteers who have been serving ACMI for 5 consecutive years and above.

2009

ACMI soup kitchen

ACMI started a support group for foreign spouses, received 372 calls and handled 120 cases, with the majority being foreign workers, followed by spouses.

ACMI soup kitchen prepared and served food during the Social Mission Alive Conference.

2010

A booth at FDW day offering courses

ACMI’s soup kitchen was also converted to its Bread Basket ACMI lent its support to the first Foreign Domestic Workers Day, an event organised by FAST, a charity, which also provides opportunities for FDWs in Singapore to learn new skills while in Singapore.

2011

ACMI training centre before moving

ACMI moved to Church of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The new facility was officially opened by the Archbishop on 26th of October ACMI and the old premises were officially handed over at the end of December 2011.

2012

“Life through their lens”

Special project with The New Paper, titled “Life through their lens”, where disposable cameras were distributed to various communities to tell a story of these people’s lives and give a glimpse of a part of Singapore in the shadows.

2013

Bread Basket 2013

Bread Basket 2013 with Caritas Young Adults: Packing of bags were done at the dormitory itself instead of having the bags packed on a Saturday and having them distributed on a Sunday. This change allowed for more interaction between the workers and the distribution team.

2014

The First Financial Education Class

Start of the Financial Education programme as a result of a non-profit organisation, Atikha, which is backed by the International Labour Organisation to start courses for teaching migrants how to manage their money and make the best use of their remittances.

2015

Outing at Catholic Archdiocesan Education Centre

ACMI organised two gatherings, one on 7 March 2015 at the Catholic Archdiocesan Education Centre and the other on 1 June 2015 at City Square Mall for foreign spouses in the language classes.

NUS Computer-Based Learning Centre collaborated with ACMI for an outreach effort to the migrants on 5 July 2015.

2016

Distribution at Blue Stars Dormitory

Revamped Bread Basket and incorporated the three step formation process, through understanding ourselves and our community, learning the ethos at work in the social milieu and respond to the call to evangelise, led by the life of Christ to share our faith.

2017

EXODUS V Conference Day 1

ACMI held the first ever regional Episcopal Commission’s EXODUS series of conferences from 31 August to 3 September, which had a full attendance of 120 people locally and abroad.

2018

ABBA 2018

ACMI hosted Abundant and Better Life Abroad(ABBA), a four- session workshop organised in conjunction with Couples for Christ. This workshop seeks to increase the self-esteem and awareness of participants in their personal growth.

2019

SPF Migrant Workers Carnival

ACMI achieved IPC Status.

Migrant Sunday Mass – For the first time the Korean Chaplain and community and CSSR Priests attended the event.

ACMI partnered with the Singapore Police Force to give talks for migrant domestic workers.

2021

Launch of ACMI-UGAT Helpline

Together, ACMI and UGAT Foundation (UGAT), a non-profit organisation that provides counselling and educational programmes to the marginalised, collaborated to develop “SGOT Kita, Kabayan”, a designated free helpline for individuals and migrant workers residing in Singapore.

This helpline provides psycho-emotional support and crisis counselling. It is offered to all migrants in English and various languages and dialects in the Philippines.

2022

Launch of ACMIconnect @ Zion

ACMI aims to bring services including Skills Development courses, wellness workshops, counselling and case management to where migrants are through our new centres starting with ACMIconnect @ Zion located at the Church of St Bernadette.