– Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, author and motivational speaker
There are many issues that the community is facing. And only when we take the effort to find out more and keep ourselves up-to-date, can we be part of the solution and change can happen, to truly build a community that cares.
Architect builds on housing the homeless
Architect and urban planner Mr Prasoon Kumar has what it takes to make big pots of money in the industry: charisma, sterling academic credentials, awards and an impressive resume which included stints with big-name firms in India, the United States, Hong Kong and...
More support for Allied Educators
Growing up, Ryan Tan never thought he amounted to much. He flunked almost every test paper in primary school and used to lash out at classmates in frustration. But all it took was keen observation from a teacher to turn things around. Ms Agnes Poh, Ryan’s mother,...
Learn to empathise with peers who have special needs
31 children with and without disabilities, aged six to 10, took part in a three-day arts camp. The camp was organised for the first time by ground-up inclusive arts movement Superhero Me, and was held during the school term break at Enabling Village, a community space...
Straits Times Athlete of the Year: Para-paddler Jason Chee
For his sheer will and determination, para-table tennis player Jason Chee was named the Straits Times Athlete of the Year 2017 on 13 March 2018 in a ceremony at the Mandarin Orchard Singapore hotel. The 35-year-old navy regular, who lost both legs, his left arm and...
Overcoming obstacles makes her stronger
Doctors said Jean Tan, now 32, who was born with a severe cleft palate, would never be able to speak properly. But she defied the odds and became a singer-songwriter. And then she was struck with an incurable kidney condition. Ms Tan, a singer-songwriter who has...
More help at hand for dementia patients
More helping hands will be extended to people suffering from dementia, through community efforts that are being strengthened even as the incidence rises in Singapore with the ageing population. The Health Ministry said in early March 2018 that it would increase the...
Domestic violence moved her to help disadvantaged women
Carrie Tan desperately wanted to get married before she turned 30. So when a man showed up in her life when she was 29 and asked for her hand after just three months, she said yes. Alas, the marriage lasted barely seven months. "There was so much tension from...
Helping to finance dreams in post-conflict Angola
During the past two decades, Veronica Jose has transformed the lives of thousands of Angolans through micro financing projects in some of the poorest and most remote parts of the nation. Already some 20,000 people, mostly women, have benefited. Back in 1991, when she...
An earthquake jolted her into action
It took only 45 seconds. In the early hours of 17 August 1999, an earthquake struck Turkey’s Marmara region, killing tens of thousands of people, including Selma Demirelli’s husband. Like the millions of other survivors, her life would never be the same. After getting...
This doctor is cooking up a storm in the food industry
Geneviève Moreau, 52, endorses a health-conscious and sustainable diet, that’s good for both our bodies and the planet. A former general physician, she now runs training courses for professionals and individuals at her institute. Moreau set up the Institut-SIIN, or...
The ‘sheroes’ in women’s lives
Sairee Chahal is the founder and CEO of SHEROES, a digital platform that works towards creating and enhancing flexible work options for women from all walks of life. She is a lifelong entrepreneur who started her professional career while in college and is recognised...
Beauty is as beauty does
“From the beginning, we were committed to hiring the working poor,” said Anna Meloto-Wilk. That was in 2007, when she and her sister, Camille Meloto, founded Human Nature, a unique social enterprise that produces health and beauty products. The sisters were certain...
Autism, intellectual disability: Aid for caregivers
Caregivers of people with autism or intellectual disability will get more support, including help to defray the cost of hiring a foreign domestic worker. From 1 April 2018, these caregivers will be able to apply for a discounted maid levy of $60, and depending on the...
Going all out to help young caregivers
Ms Melissa Chan was only 14 when her father was diagnosed with early-onset dementia at 54. In a sudden reversal of roles, she became one of Mr Henry Chan's caregivers, along with her mother, older brother and younger sister. She found herself having to skip classes to...
Doctor with a different approach to end-of-life care
Anggel’Dom, a home-based care service that’s designed to improve living conditions for elderly people wishing to remain in their own homes, was launched in 2017 and one of the four co-founders is a woman: Nicole Mourain-Jacquin. Having spent a quarter of her life in...
She is behind blood delivery start-up that saves lives
Temie Giwa-Tubosun is the 32-year-old creative force behind LifeBank, an innovative approach to healthcare that can mean the difference between life and death. Having had a patient died from post-partum haemorrhaging with no blood available, Giwa-Tubosun was...
The ‘app’ way to fight eating disorders
Overcoming an eating disorder can often take years of struggle. Having lived through it herself and with the help of two apps, Ekaterina Karabasheva hopes to help people suffering from or at risk of developing the condition. It started when Ekaterina was 16, the...
Increased support for caregivers of people with disabilities
A “Caregivers’ Space” and a simplified application process for foreign domestic worker assistance schemes will be launched to increase support for caregivers of people with disabilities, announced the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) on 7 March 2018....
Replacing plastic and paper bags with 1 reusable bag
The use of one reusable bag over a year could replace the use of 125 single-use plastics bags or 52 single-use paper bags, a life-cycle assessment (LCA) study commissioned by the National Environment Agency (NEA) shows. An LCA study evaluates the environmental impact...
Thousands pledge change in habits to save water
More than 4,000 people from 30 organisations and educational institutions pledged on 3 March to do their part at home to save water and fight climate change in celebration of Singapore World Water Day (SWWD). The event is organised annually by national water agency...
