– 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.
Home learning a challenge for kids with special needs
Madam Nur Hidayah Shahrudin used to take her son Rizq to parks or to Changi Airport every week so he could practise walking with his pacer gait in large open spaces. But as social distancing and circuit breaker measures were put in place in recent weeks, her...
Reusable masks and donations for migrant workers
Firms, charities and donors have come together to donate 1.3 million reusable cloth masks to Singapore's migrant workers under a community initiative called MaskForce. The masks, which have a filter pocket, also come with 650,000 surgical masks that can be inserted as...
Campaign to make workers feel welcome in housing estates
A group of volunteers has launched a campaign to encourage Singaporeans to be more welcoming when migrant workers are relocated to housing estates in a bid to curtail the coronavirus. The initiative - Welcome In My Backyard (Wimby) - is a direct response to concerns...
Social enterprises adapt services to help Singapore’s needy
Charities and social enterprises here are striving to keep helping the needy amid the COVID-19 crisis by adapting their services to comply with the circuit breaker restrictions and cope with dwindling volunteer numbers. But they warn that some low-income families may...
Families scraping by in tougher spot now
Lina (not her real name), 42, smiled as she watched her four children playing in the family’s single-room rental flat in Jalan Kukoh. But that smile disappeared as she laid out the family's expenses. Her husband Adam (also not his real name), 54, usually brings home...
Struggling family gives $5000 to charity
More than 120 people, including Singaporeans living overseas, wrote in to offer help after reading about 17-year-old Loh Miao Xin and her family in The Straits Times. First-year polytechnic student Miao Xin had shared that her mother was jobless, as the coronavirus...
Song raises $94,000 for families hit by coronavirus crisis
COVID-19 song Stay At Home, Singapore has raised over $94,000 for families affected by the outbreak in less than a week since its release last Saturday. It has now been remade with eight young singers joining the ensemble. Riffing on the beloved National Day song...
University students give free tuition
It was the second time in a row that Andy Teo’s tutee had cancelled on him. This – and another student cancelling lessons for two weeks due to a stay-home notice – got Andy thinking about how he could best teach online. On 3 April 2020, it was announced that schools...
Knitting face-mask strap extensions for frontline workers
After her Muslim colleagues told Ms Neo Su Yin, 40, that they had to visit the restroom to remove the surgical masks they wore under their tudung whenever they had a meal, she devised a solution. Ms Neo, who is head of post and parcel delivery and customer experience...
Retired cleaner help rental flat neighbours in need
Heroes come in all forms and shapes, and a retired cleaner fits the bill for some Mei Ling Street residents. With the little that he has, topped up with small donations from friends, Mr Zulkifli Atnawi, 60, helps with the grocery run for several neighbours amid the...
Meet the 4 siblings fighting COVID-19 on the front lines
Four of the five siblings in the Surani family are on the front line every day battling COVID-19. Two brothers, Warrant Officer (WO) Firdaus, 37, and Sergeant Faiz, 27, serve in the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). Sister Fazlina, 36, is a nurse clinician with...
The hawkers helping the helpless
Every lunchtime, Jason Chua would dish out 40 to 50 bowls of his “creative zhap cai png” for a crowd of Central Business District-types. Ever since the "circuit breaker" measures kicked in on 7 April, the 28-year-old has barely been able to hit 10 orders a day of his...
Volunteers rush to deliver laptops to families in need
When Mdm Nor learnt that schools would go into full home-based learning on Wednesday (8 April), she thought it would be “so impossible” for her and three kids. There was only one laptop at home, which belongs to her 17-year-old daughter. It is “very laggy” and...
Volunteers to sew 50,000 cloth masks at home
Volunteers across the country have taken on the mammoth task of producing 50,000 reusable masks to be distributed to their loved ones and those in need, as Singapore begins its month-long "circuit breaker" initiative to break the COVID-19 cycle of transmission. The...
Food charities to continue deliveries to the needy
Although workplaces had shut down islandwide on 7 April, it was business as usual for Mr Nizar Mohamed Shariff and his employees, who continued their daily home deliveries so that needy families will not go hungry. Mr Nizar, 49, was advised by a friend to halt...
Local apparel firms switch to making fabric masks
Local bespoke tailor Meiko Tailor is shutting down for a month from 7 April, keeping with the measures imposed by Singapore but it had been work-as-usual for the firm till then – making reusable masks and giving them out for free. The firm is an example of a local...
Clapping for frontline fighters
Across the island at 8pm on 30 March, the sound of people clapping burst from windows, balconies and doorways. The applause was part of Clap For #SGUnited, a campaign to get the public to show their appreciation for those on the front line of the fight against the...
App connects neighbours to do good in the ‘hood
A student on quarantine asked on an app for help getting new guitar strings, as his had broken. Almost immediately, several people responded and someone in his neighbourhood delivered strings to his doorstep, free-of-charge. This exchange was made possible through the...
Hospitals ramp up support programmes for staff
After the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak 17 years ago, Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) turned informal peer support given to staff on the front line into a Staff Support Staff (3S) programme. Over the years, the programme has grown, training several...
Sweet gestures of goodwill
At least five home-grown bakeries have had baked goods sent to medical workers since January, either on their own initiative or from individuals wanting to show their support for front-line workers. Whisked, a local bakery helmed by entrepreneur Geraldine Tan,...
