Story Contributed by Hani and Siti, Community Workers
“This is the power of gathering: it inspires us, delightfully, to be more hopeful, more joyful, more thoughtful – in a word, more alive.” – Alice Waters
During Ramadan in March, a group of mothers in Ghim Moh began planning their annual iftar gathering. This year, they wanted it to mean something more than simply inviting neighbours to break fast together.
They wanted to open their doors wider and welcome not only familiar faces but new ones as well – families they hadn’t yet met, residents of all ages, races, and religions. Everyone was included.
The planning quickly took shape. The mothers organised meals, activities, outreach, and logistics. A WhatsApp group chat became a hive of ideas, encouragement, and shared purpose. The message was clear: Let’s make this meaningful, and let’s do it together.
Children and youth in the neighbourhood played their part too. Members of the Children’s Task Force designed colourful posters to welcome guests. Others contributed games and helped create a quiz, carefully thought out so that even those not observing the fast could join in and feel included.
As guests began to arrive, the pace picked up. Conversations floated through the air, mingling with the aroma of food, the clatter of chairs, and the call to prayer. The drink station, tucked to one side of the hall, began to slow under the weight of the crowd. A few adults struggled to keep the cups filled while managing an uncooperative drink dispenser.
And then, with little fanfare, a boy stepped forward.
Young Zahir* simply began handing out cups of water to those waiting in line. Many had been fasting since dawn, and his quiet act ensured they could break fast in time.
Even after the dispenser was fixed and the line began to move smoothly, he stayed.
There was nothing extraordinary about the gesture — and yet, it held everything.
The quiet care. The attentiveness. The way he saw something that needed doing and did it, without being asked.
It was the kind of moment easily missed. But for those watching, it revealed something essential: that a gathering isn’t just about who is present, but how we show up for one another.
Leadership doesn’t always look like standing on a stage. Sometimes, it looks like a child passing out cups of water so others can rest, replenish, and feel seen.
That’s what made this iftar more than a meal.
It was a reminder that community is not built through grand gestures, but through countless small ones.
And as the evening softened into full bellies and easy laughter, something had shifted. Not loudly, but meaningfully.
A child, watching his community come together, realised he belonged to it. He was not a bystander. Not just someone being looked after, but someone with something to offer.
And that is the power of gathering.
*Not his real name