Post Archive by Month

Dear Friends On a big sheet of paper, parents articulated the dreams they had for our kindergarten and their children. When we asked why there were 6 toes on the footprints they had drawn, we learnt that they represented an inclusive school that celebrated the differences in children. The dream-building activity was an endeavour to strengthen our partnership with the parents who entrust their children to us. As in all partnerships, mutual trust is a key ingredient for success and we were touched that parents found it safe enough to share their personal stories openly. They revealed how they were …

Dear Friends Food is our common ground, a universal experience. – James Beard For the past 5 years or so, we have been redistributing non-perishable food from Food Bank Singapore to those residing in public rental housing neighbourhoods. Apart from staples, we get remnants from Food Festivals or restaurants every now and then. So, families are sometimes introduced to condiments and canned food that they are not familiar with and they regard this as something special. Another partner is Food from the Heart who for the past 14 years has been bringing over bread and pastries donated by bakeries and …

Dear Friends “Rotary is where neighbours, friends, and problem-solvers share ideas, join leaders, and take action to create lasting change.” This declaration resonated with us when we re-established contact with the Rotary Club of Queenstown last September. Rotary Club members come from all over the world and as they exchange ideas, form friendships and professional connections, they make a difference around the world and in their own backyards. We are in the club’s backyard and about 20 years ago, they outfitted our football team who called themselves the Ho Swee Knights. It meant a lot to our boys to play …

Dear Friends Every Friday from 7.00 pm to 9.30 pm, the Leng Kee Community Club generously allows our Community Theater Group to practice at their premises. This group is working toward performing at the M1 Peer Pleasure Festival next year and co-creating an original play on the issue of poverty in Singapore. Currently, 20 young people aged from 9 to 23 years old faithfully come by to hone their thespian skills guided by theatre professionals from ArtsWok Collaborative. The script is evolving, and these youths draw on their personal stories and their experience of residing in public rental flats to …

Dear Friends As we deepen our work, it should not just be about the efforts of the organisation or volunteers. It must also be about how the people who come to our programmes are taking ownership of their shared concerns or challenges. The work should be “community-led” and supported by volunteers and if needed, the resources that we link them to. So, have we been successful or are we on track? This is a simple question but often one that we often perceive as a loaded gun pointing at us. Why is this so and what does it say about …