Another Week Beyond – 2039

Dear Friends,

2 brothers in their 60s, told us that they were finding it difficult to stay in touch with their families in Indonesia. Without SMART Phones, calls were expensive and being illiterate, texting was not an option either. They lamented that sometimes, by pressing a wrong key, $10 to $20 worth of pre-paid data is depleted without a connection.  So, we lent then a used SMART phone each and showed them how they may reach their families on WhatsApp without cost. It did not take long for them to catch on.

As boatmen who made a modest income, they decided to raise a family in Indonesia as they felt that they would not be able to cope with the higher cost of living in Singapore. Thus, they earned an income in Singapore and went back to their families on off-days.  However, travel restrictions brought about by COVID-19 have kept them apart from their families since March this year and keeping in touch with their families has been an ongoing priority for them.  So, when news of the government’s    Mobile-Access-for-Seniors programme was announced, they were all ears and proceeded to file an application immediately.

Despite enthusiastically rushing to a telco, they did not get very far with their application.  They came back telling us that   the different plans presented to them were confusing and they were getting agitated with the people attending to them. They added that they were only going to use the phone for free calls and so, data and other things that they did not understand did not really matter. What mattered though was a friendly service they could go to should they encounter any problems in the year ahead.  

We searched for the relevant information online but after trying to explain the procedures to them, we realised that we had to accompany them every step of the way. As such, 2 of our interns brought them to the community centre   to receive their vouchers from a digital ambassador before heading to a telco with them. 

The brothers walked into the telco confidently and in his best Mandarin, one of them announced that  our interns were their daughters and they will be making all the arrangements for them. It was a hilarious moment as no one in the room really believed him, but they followed his instructions and the application was processed quickly. Once both brothers stepped out of the telco office, they called their families with their new phones.

Wishing you health and peace of mind.

Gerard

“In true love the smallest distance is too great, and the greatest distance can be bridged.” – Hans Nouwens

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PAST AWB POSTS

2506 – Collective Wisdom, Community Building

Written by Wilson, Community Worker As is our practice at Beyond, we start every new year by sharing the goals we hope to achieve as a community. We gather young and old, have discussions and plot the journey ahead together. We call these sessions Community Conversations. Typically, everyone present introduces themselves and shares their experience volunteering in the community, and what “community” means to them. We then wrap up with a Beyond staff talking about the value of community development. That, however, was not how a session held in the Bukit Ho Swee neighbourhood went. The Beyond team just sat

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One of the most pervasive problems encountered by lower-income communities is building financial reserves. The daily demands for every cent, when you have little, usually takes priority. However, there is still a value of building such reserves, even if in small amounts. This is why we created the Community Tabung Programme. Loosely translated, “Tabung” means “money box” in Malay – an apt name for an initiative to help our members grow their savings in support of their children’s health and educational needs. It is a means to help our members achieve their aspirations and save for those rainy days. And

Read more >

2504 – Growth On The Sidelines

Amir* wasn’t always the calm, composed young man people look up to today. Not so long ago, he his fiery temper put him in the midst of a heated argument. So to witness him play the peacemaker recently was pleasantly astonishing. That moment could have shaped how others saw him — and how he saw himself — but instead, it became a lesson that helped him grow. Amir was playing at a futsal tournament. Two boys – Danial* and Josh* – got into an altercation. Danial accused Josh of “showboating” and not being a team player…costing them the game. Josh,

Read more >