Eunice Chong was headed out with her two children when the rubbish truck trundled past them.

"Eeeeeee!!" went her son T.

"So smelly right mama?" her daughter, H, asks.

When they reached the car, the trio saw the garbage collectors in action —  two uncles scrambling to empty the bins into the large vehicle.

As Chong spoke to her children about the insensitivity of their comments, she explained that it was a tough job that the men worked hard at to support their families back home.

Families that are far away, that they must miss very much.

A few weeks later, on July 11, H came to Chong with some handwritten notes.

“It’s to say thank you (to them) for working hard to clear our rubbish,” she tells her mum.

The next morning, they went downstairs and waited for the garbage collectors.

As the truck trundled to its usual spot, the men hanging off the vehicle expressed their surprise at the trio.

However, when the children ran up to them with the notes, the garbage collectors both broke into a smile.

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Here is what Chong believes can be done on an individual level:

I suppose this is one of the baby steps I will take — to teach my children to value, honour celebrate an honest day’s work with whatever resources they have at their disposal.

This value extends to a reduced emphasis on academic qualifications, Chong indicates, and instead celebrates work that is done "honestly and well".

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Top image from Eunice Chong's Facebook post