The Straits Times explores the nature of caring in Singapore.
Angels in our midst
She may have retired from her job as a nurse, but Madam Tan Ow Lang still makes it a point to help strangers in need as a volunteer befriender to the elderly served by Presbyterian Community Services.
Volunteers such as Madam Tan are the angels in our midst, quietly offering their time and money to help those who are less fortunate. In a national representative survey done by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) in 2016, the data shows a rise in volunteerism and philanthropy in the past decade – doubling the amount in 2006. Also, in 2016, Singaporeans donated $2.2 billion to the charity sector, over six times more than in 2006.
NVPC Chief Executive Melissa Kwee said that among reasons for the rise in doing good are more awareness and opportunities to volunteer and give. For example, it is now easier for people to donate or volunteer, thanks to the SG Cares app launched on 13 Jan which matches do-gooders with causes.
Still, while Singaporeans are generally generous to those in need, they can do better in carrying out everyday acts of kindness, such as smiling and relating to strangers more graciously, said Dr William Wan, general secretary of the Singapore Kindness Movement.
As for Madam Tan, she is happy to help whenever she can. The grandmother of six said: “I can’t see someone who needs help and turn a blind eye. I told my neighbours: ‘If you are sick and need help, don’t worry, just call me.’ ”
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Volunteering ‘not boring’
Helping others is a way of life for Mr Johnson Ong, who started as a grassroots volunteer in his youth. Now 54 and a management specialist at logistics firm UPS Asia Group, he is so enthusiastic about helping others that he started a volunteer group in 2012 called UCares Volunteer.
UCares Volunteers, which is not affiliated to any organisation, has about 350 active volunteers who are mostly in their 40s and 50s and from all walks of life. The group offers opportunities to volunteer each week, from befriending dialysis patients to organising activities for the elderly poor to encouraging Singaporeans to return their trays at food centres.
Mr Ong, a father of three children, said: “If we do the same thing each time, people will find it boring and leave.”
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Giving back through sport
Nurul Lisa Mohammad Syahrin, 16, sees volunteering as a way to make new friends and grow as a person. She wants to give back after having benefited from the SportCares scheme, which uses sports to help those who are disadvantaged.
The avid football player has helped out by teaching people how to play wheelchair tennis at an inclusive sports festival. She has also helped to raise funds by getting people to do burpees – donors gave a certain sum depending on the number of burpees done.
While her family is of modest means, the SportCares scheme has given her a wealth of opportunities, such as the chance to be trained as a youth leader as well as to go on a cultural exchange trip in Taiwan.
Launched in 2013, SportCares is run by Sport Singapore, the statutory board that promotes sports. It teaches children from low-income families life skills such as resilience and empathy, through outdoor adventure activities, for instance.
Lisa plays football regularly under SportCares’ Saturday Night Lights programme, which aims to instil values such as discipline and responsibility in at-risk youth through the sport. The teenager, who plays as a midfielder, said: “My goal is to play for Singapore one day.”
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Source: The Straits Times, 21 January 2018