Another Week Beyond – 2302

Dear friends, 

“I was so worried when I could not reach her. Her phone battery was dead and so I went downstairs to see if I could find her. I was so relieved when I met her and learnt that she had been knocking on the doors of her neighbors and getting them to leave their homes,” recounted Hafizah who was trying to contact a friend when she noticed the fire from her home in the opposite block. 

The fire in the neighbourhood that happened a month ago on 8 December was still fresh on the minds of everyone when we checked-in with 7 neighbors for a beginning of the year conversation. They were saddened by the tragic death of a young fire-fighter and recalled the fear and anxiety they shared with so many others that day.

The fire also seemed to have reinforced their sense of belonging to the neighourhood, their commitment toward their families and the notion of mutual help. When reflecting on their highlight for 2022, everyone related something that was family related. A mother highlighted her son passing his N levels and being able to continue his education while the rest mentioned happy family occasions such as a family barbeque by the beach, a weekend trip to Malaysia and a visit to Universal Studios Singapore.

As to what they hoped for in the year ahead, generally everyone had kind thoughts for their neighbours and their community. No more fires was a unanimous response but so was health for all and cooperation and unity among neighbours.

Harsheni, an intern who was attending such a conversation for the first time was surprised that apart from a grandmother who hoped that her grandchildren would not skip school, everyone else focused on the need for stronger mutual help. When we debriefed the conversation with her, she reckoned that mutuality was the essence of community life. Even the grandmother had added that she hoped neighbours offered concrete practical assistance and not just lip service. In a way, this comment indicated the importance of community support for the wellbeing of her family and her. 

Nonetheless, Harsheni was moved that at the end of the conversation, members celebrated when one of the participants informed that she will be moving out of the neighbourhood soon. Everyone was really happy that this person had purchased a flat of her own and assured her that she will always be welcome at activities in the neighbourhood and to even join them in organising them if she could afford the time.

On reflection, Harsheni concluded that she had witnessed how people’s lives are bound together in a community. It felt like one person’s success is the success of everyone and the opposite is also true. Perhaps, this also meant that whenever someone succeeds, the hope that the rest can do the same comes alive.

For peace and community,

Gerard

Whatever affects one directly, affects all of us indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. – Martin Luther King

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PAST AWB POSTS

2444 – Makcik Kaypoh, our nosy aunties who keep children safe

Community Fellows are residents who conceptualise and implement a project that addresses a concern they have identified in their neighbourhood. They receive some training in planning, organising and monitoring progress as well as the ethics and principles of community work that safeguard the wellbeing of those they engage and the integrity of their effort. We invite applications for Community Fellows once a year and have had 2 cohorts. In June last year, Rahimah and Sumarsih attended the Knowledge Festival (AWB – 2326) where Community Fellows presented a progress report of their efforts. They were most inspired and applied for Fellowship

Read more >

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I was visiting Meelah, a resident who has led food drives and many social activities to enhance the wellbeing of her neighbours.   I listened intently, as she expressed her concern for families that would require assistance. I was   touched that she continued to keep track of so many lives in spite of her own declining health. She donned on the new spectacles she had recently afforded and checked her reflection using her phone before looking at me expectantly for a response. “How? I look like a teacher or not?” She exclaimed while tucking some strands of hair behind her ears.

Read more >

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Every morning, like clockwork, four-year-old Lisa (not her real name) stops by her neighbour’s flat on her way to preschool. She stands at the gate, waiting patiently to say “Hello” to the elderly man who lived there. Known for his stern demeanour and habit of scolding noisy children, this Uncle wasn’t someone most would approach. At first, he ignored her. Undeterred, she stands there, day after day, offering her simple greeting. Then one day, something changed. The Uncle returned her greeting. Soon after, they began sharing quiet moments – sitting together, eating biscuits, and watching TV —always under the watchful

Read more >