Dear Friends, Still in his school uniform, Ahmad, rushed to our Centre after completing extra lessons in preparation for his Primary School Leaving Examination. However, when he received his new laptop from Lt General (Retd) Winston Choo, Chairman of Metro Holdings Ltd, he was a little tongue-tied. Nonetheless, he managed a smile, posed for the camera, and spoke to the …
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, …
Another Week Beyond – 2038
Dear Friends, Last week, 7 youth delivered 5 performances at the Substation. “Men with Pens” featured lived experiences they had penned down, and the show was part of Septfest 2020 Fringe which featured immersive experiences to generate conversations around issues faced by various marginalised and displaced groups. In January this year, volunteers Subhas Nair and Yanni Chia began meeting youth living in the Whampoa neighbourhood; listening …
Another Week Beyond – 2037
Dear Friends; After helping to process one cycle of financial assistance, the women on our Digital and Family Competence Enabling Team (AWB- 2033) told us that they really valued the flexible work hours that enabled them to attend to their children and household matters. Working from home on a computer was an entirely new experience that they savoured. The efforts of these …
Another Week Beyond – 2036
Dear Friends, It is said that a school is a place with four walls that holds the future within. For Azlinah, a mother of 3, it is also a place where people are always present for her children and her. This week she presented our teachers with a fabric coin pouch as a token of appreciation for Teacher’s Day. Each gift also …
Another Week Beyond – 2035
Dear Friends, Jobs and the ability to draw an income weigh heavily on the minds of many and it is no different for the young people we engage. After speaking to more than 50 youth between 16 to 25 years old, we discovered that most wanted to explore different career paths which they were interested in. However, they felt that they …
Another Week Beyond – 2034
Dear Friends, When the Rotary Club of Marina City wanted to provide a meal for 160 residents of a public rental neighborhood, we suggested that they engage 4 mothers who have acquired their food handling certification from the Singapore Food Agency. We have been supporting mothers to acquire this certification with a view that they may eventually start a micro-business …
Another Week Beyond – 2033
Dear Friends, Rose called us on the phone to inform that she was at the hospital with her mom who had a fall at home. She wanted to let us know that she may not be attending a training session we were holding the following day. She sounded frantic but calmed down after we told her that we would organise another …
Another Week Beyond – 2032
Many years ago, my boss hosted dinner during a stay-in planning retreat. He started the dinner conversation asking my colleagues and I to share what we loved most about Singapore. I told him “the trees” and got on with my dinner but eventually all of us put aside our cutlery as he revealed the reason behind his question. He said that he …
Another Week Beyond – 2031
Dear Friends, We continued to learn from our interns. This time, from those who were helping us with our efforts at providing internet connectivity to our members. They coordinated the distribution of donated pre-loved devices and often found themselves trouble shooting when members had difficulty connecting to wi-fi or were simply fumbling with an unfamiliar device. They made it clear to …