A portrait of a clean-shaven man in a striped shirt. He is sitting in a relaxed manner and is looking at the camera. In white text, are the words: A portrait of statelessness. "I was waiting to be called up for NS, but I never got that call."

Kevin: A Portrait of Statelessness, Part 2

Comms Team Another Week Beyond

ā€œSo I started my first job as a baristaā€¦started working while waiting for National Service. One by one my friends were called up. I was like ok, just wait lah. I was then discharged from the welfare home, so I continued working, which is also how I met my wife. I was waiting to be called up for NS, but I never got that call. Looking back I should have called NS to find out why I didnā€™t get called up. That was my mistake that I didnā€™t call them up,ā€ Kevin disclosed. ā€œI really didnā€™t understand why, cosā€™ you …

Kevin: A Portrait of Statelessness, Part 1

Comms Team Another Week Beyond

Born and raised in Singapore, Kevin, 27, always felt a strong sense of belonging to this country. “To me, Singapore is really my home, Iā€™ve lived here all my life, I feel proud like a Singaporeanā€.  It was only natural for him to feel that way, after all, Kevin grew up in the heartlands and like many other Singaporeans, sang the National anthem ā€˜Majulah Singapuraā€™ in school. But despite having spent every minute of his entire life in Singapore, Kevin is stateless.  Growing up for him was not easy, as both his parents were in and out of prison, from …

Another Week Beyond – 2247

Comms Team Another Week Beyond

Dear friends, 15 years ago, a 3-year-old girl we shall call Nina was a student at our Healthy Start Child Development Centre. Her mother was a foreigner, and she was born before her parents were officially married. We remember her because while she had a Singapore birth certificate, she did not have citizenship. Ā When her father was incarcerated, Nina moved in with her grandmother and Nina’s mother moved on to start life anew. We also remember that soon after, Nina withdrew from our Centre, and we lost contact. In February 2020, an intern reported that during a visit to a …