Dear all, Beyond Social Services is recruiting volunteers to work on a community mapping project. Please take a look at the information below and contact Carmen at carmen@beyond.org.sg if you have questions or wish to sign up. Project Title: Redhill Community Mapping About the Project We are working on a community health report for the Lengkok Bahru zone which includes Block 71 and 72 in Redhill. Through observation and intensive interviews, we hope to collect rich data about the needs/priorities, assets and aspirations of the residents in these blocks. This data will serve to deepen the understanding of various stakeholders …

Dear Friends When Sharifah was a child, her mother impressed on her that kindness, generosity, cooperation and forgiveness must be extended to everyone regardless of their race or religion. She was told that these qualities are gifts within all of us and by sharing them with family, friends and neighbours, we live a satisfying and happy life. Now at 68 years old, Sharifah is a widow with 4 children and 10 grandchildren and she continues to share the gifts that her mother believed are inherent in all of us. Sharifah has been residing in the same flat for the past …

Dear Friends “You must be the change you wish to see in the world,” is a quote from Mahatma Gandhi that inspires Yeo Theng, a recipient of a GIC Sparks and Smiles Grant. Once a week, he teaches children to read and write because he sees how children become more cooperative, confident and happy when they have learnt a few new words. He deeply believes that with a little support, all children can learn, and he has found it a meaningful and enriching experience providing it. Yesterday, together with 10 volunteers from GIC, he helped to clean up the home …

Dear Friends There are 51 children registered in the Community Tabung, our savings programme where a child’s savings for the month is dropped into a common pool on coin counting day. The total amount collected is then tripled by the Sonja Hope Foundation before being distributed equally to all children who had contributed. The money is then banked into their child development account (CDA) where the government matches a dollar for dollar. 25 children attended this week’s session and each of them will have $144.48 more in their CDA. About Baby Bonus After operating this programme in one neighbourhood for …

Dear Friends “I would like to go to the shops,” a 5-year-old told her friends. These 3 neighbours aged 4, 5 and 7 years who were playing along their corridor on the 9th floor then made their way downstairs without informing their care-givers. “The shops at the mall are nicer and we should all walk there,” the 7-year-old suggested. It was quite a walk to the mall and the others refused but after some persuasion, they agreed. It was after all still very early in the day and the air-conditioning at the mall will be most pleasant for such a …

Dear Friends “Thank you.” A single woman in her 30s told my colleague softly after she received a comforting hug. “I was raised by my father and have never met my mother,” she added. Two Saturdays ago, this colleague received a call from this woman’s neighbours. They informed that she had a bad fight with her boyfriend and was hurt. The police were present, and they will be accompanying her to the hospital. Finally, they told our colleague that she need not make her way down and they will update her after they came back from the hospital. Upon returning …

Dear Friends On a big sheet of paper, parents articulated the dreams they had for our kindergarten and their children. When we asked why there were 6 toes on the footprints they had drawn, we learnt that they represented an inclusive school that celebrated the differences in children. The dream-building activity was an endeavour to strengthen our partnership with the parents who entrust their children to us. As in all partnerships, mutual trust is a key ingredient for success and we were touched that parents found it safe enough to share their personal stories openly. They revealed how they were …

Dear Friends Food is our common ground, a universal experience. – James Beard For the past 5 years or so, we have been redistributing non-perishable food from Food Bank Singapore to those residing in public rental housing neighbourhoods. Apart from staples, we get remnants from Food Festivals or restaurants every now and then. So, families are sometimes introduced to condiments and canned food that they are not familiar with and they regard this as something special. Another partner is Food from the Heart who for the past 14 years has been bringing over bread and pastries donated by bakeries and …

Dear Friends “Rotary is where neighbours, friends, and problem-solvers share ideas, join leaders, and take action to create lasting change.” This declaration resonated with us when we re-established contact with the Rotary Club of Queenstown last September. Rotary Club members come from all over the world and as they exchange ideas, form friendships and professional connections, they make a difference around the world and in their own backyards. We are in the club’s backyard and about 20 years ago, they outfitted our football team who called themselves the Ho Swee Knights. It meant a lot to our boys to play …

Dear Friends Every Friday from 7.00 pm to 9.30 pm, the Leng Kee Community Club generously allows our Community Theater Group to practice at their premises. This group is working toward performing at the M1 Peer Pleasure Festival next year and co-creating an original play on the issue of poverty in Singapore. Currently, 20 young people aged from 9 to 23 years old faithfully come by to hone their thespian skills guided by theatre professionals from ArtsWok Collaborative. The script is evolving, and these youths draw on their personal stories and their experience of residing in public rental flats to …