Post Archive by Month

Dear Friends “You must be the change you wish to see in the world,” is a quote from Mahatma Gandhi that inspires Yeo Theng, a recipient of a GIC Sparks and Smiles Grant. Once a week, he teaches children to read and write because he sees how children become more cooperative, confident and happy when they have learnt a few new words. He deeply believes that with a little support, all children can learn, and he has found it a meaningful and enriching experience providing it. Yesterday, together with 10 volunteers from GIC, he helped to clean up the home …

Dear Friends There are 51 children registered in the Community Tabung, our savings programme where a child’s savings for the month is dropped into a common pool on coin counting day. The total amount collected is then tripled by the Sonja Hope Foundation before being distributed equally to all children who had contributed. The money is then banked into their child development account (CDA) where the government matches a dollar for dollar. 25 children attended this week’s session and each of them will have $144.48 more in their CDA. About Baby Bonus After operating this programme in one neighbourhood for …

Dear Friends “I would like to go to the shops,” a 5-year-old told her friends. These 3 neighbours aged 4, 5 and 7 years who were playing along their corridor on the 9th floor then made their way downstairs without informing their care-givers. “The shops at the mall are nicer and we should all walk there,” the 7-year-old suggested. It was quite a walk to the mall and the others refused but after some persuasion, they agreed. It was after all still very early in the day and the air-conditioning at the mall will be most pleasant for such a …

Dear Friends “Thank you.” A single woman in her 30s told my colleague softly after she received a comforting hug. “I was raised by my father and have never met my mother,” she added. Two Saturdays ago, this colleague received a call from this woman’s neighbours. They informed that she had a bad fight with her boyfriend and was hurt. The police were present, and they will be accompanying her to the hospital. Finally, they told our colleague that she need not make her way down and they will update her after they came back from the hospital. Upon returning …