Dear friends, 6 community fellows chosen by their neighbourhood came together last Saturday to think more deeply about their projects. Between them, they are working on 5 projects which addresses concerns that have received the support of their neighbours. These include enhancing voluntarism among neighbours, helping families overwhelmed with debt, facilitating community access to health and healthcare, sexual safety for youth, and caring for the elderly who are feeling isolated. As the conversation progressed, the value of simply being curious become evident. Fellows realised that by asking each other relevant questions, they gained a clearer picture of what working on their project meant. …
Another Week Beyond – 2220
Dear friends, A colleague’s curiosity was piqued when a mother posted a photograph on the neighbourhood’s WhatsApp group. She saw 3 children who did not usually hang out with each other sitting together. Moreover, one of them was a boy who was overtly shy and was not known to show up at community events. So, she visited Wahiddah, the mother who posted the photo to find out more. Wahiddah told her that it all started with her 11- year-old daughter asking her a question. “When you were a kid mommy, how did you celebrate Raya?” Wahiddah recalled that together with friends, she …
Another Week Beyond – 2219
Dear friends, Last year, with the help of 7 volunteers, we engaged the caregivers of children enrolled in our early childhood centre to better appreciate why some children are frequently not at school. 15 agreed to meet on a virtual call and while it was explained to them that we were gathering views on absenteeism and our work, the main purpose of the exercise was relationship building or what we call a Home-School Partnership. We learnt that the lack of sleep was a significant reason why parents or other caregivers could not bring their children to school. Many caregivers as well …
Another Week Beyond – 2218
Dear friends, Firstly, Selamat Hari Raya Adil Fitri to all our Muslim friends. Trust that the long weekend was joyous and blessed. The children were busy. They were taking turns to be “packed” into a cardboard box that would be sent to a destination of their choice. “Home” was the most popular destination and they had imagined themselves jumping out of the box to surprise mommy when she opened it. As their mothers laid out the food and got ready to break their fast, these 7 children kept themselves entertained with an empty box that originally contained tiered tiffin carriers …