– 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.
Charity helps kids with special needs in performing arts
The power of music to inspire became more apparent to hotel executive Wee Wei Ling after she began partially sponsoring harmonica lessons at two special education schools here in 2017. The lessons made the children happy and confident. Ms Wee also noticed the pride in...
How technology gives my son hope with his autism
Lee Jun Le is 13 years old and, many times, finds it difficult to convey how he feels or express what he means to say. He can also have sudden and unexplained meltdowns. “When there’s a meltdown, he can’t tell us why he’s upset. Sometimes he’d cry for no reason,” said...
Staying committed to hiring people with disabilities
Business at the Pan Pacific Hotels Group has taken a significant hit from the coronavirus outbreak, but it remains committed to hiring people with disabilities. It now has 26 staff with disabilities working in different roles, from housekeeping to administrative work,...
New grant supports Malay & Muslim kids’ education
Low-income Malay/Muslim parents will get more help to save money for their children's pre-school education, with a new grant that will quadruple their savings. The grant, set up by self-help group Mendaki and the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis), is open...
All new public buses will be electric or hybrid
Singapore will eventually ditch public buses which run solely on diesel power. Senior Minister of State for Transport Janil Puthucheary said the Government will buy either electric or hybrid buses from now on, which is in line with its goal to have its fleet of around...
Call for more Singaporeans to help others in society
Many companies and volunteers have stepped forward to help those in need of assistance over the past year, and Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee hopes more Singaporeans will do so. "Our society is stronger and more resilient when all Singaporeans...
New nutrition labels for pre-packaged drinks
From end-2021, pre-packaged non-alcoholic drinks with a high sugar or saturated fat content will be required to display a nutrition label with grades from "A" to "D", with "D" being the unhealthiest. Retailers will also be banned from advertising grade "D" drinks on...
More fee subsidies for kids at special care centres
Families with disabled children who are attending special student care centres will get more fee subsidies, and more will soon qualify for help. With the extra help, most families will pay between 30% and 80% less in fees. For example, a family with a total monthly...
More gardens and park connectors by 2030
Singapore will transform into a greener city in the next 10 years, with more plant life and nature integrated into urbanised areas. In announcing the new vision on 5 March, Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said the project is strategic as it will...
Singapore to take steps against climate change shock
Singapore is pulling out all the stops to buffer its economy against the shock waves of climate change, from ramping up efforts to curb heat-trapping emissions to protecting its coastlines. Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) Masagos Zulkifli gave...
PUB to start studies this year on coastal protection
As Singapore fortifies against rising tides, the nation's solutions and strategies will be based on science, with national water agency PUB taking the lead as the national coastal protection agency. Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli told...
After NEWater, look out for NEWOil and NEWSand
Moving on from NEWater, Singapore has big plans for NEWSand - a promising construction material culled from incineration waste. More ambitiously, it wants to create NEWOil - using discarded plastic to replace fossil fuels. The country is looking at developing its...
More help in school for students with special needs
From July 2020, teachers in mainstream schools will get access to bite-size online learning modules that will better equip them to teach students with special educational needs (SEN). Around 80% of students with special needs are taught in mainstream schools, while...
New library in Punggol to have more inclusive slant
The National Library Board (NLB) will build a branch in Punggol with a more inclusive slant as well as revamp eight more libraries from now until 2026. Ms Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information, announced this in Parliament on 3 March...
Measures to enhance employability of people with disabilities
A training grant for persons with disabilities (PWDs) and credits for their employers to offset wages are among measures to be rolled out to enhance the employability of this group of workers. Announcing this in Parliament on 3 March, Minister of State for Manpower...
‘Shopping spree’ project brings joy to needy families
Several Nee Soon East families stocked up on food, home appliances and toys in February for free thanks to a "shopping spree" initiative to help low-income folk. The residents from 28 households were free to choose what they needed off the shelves of a well-stocked...
New York ban on single-use plastic bags starts
New York started banning the distribution of single-use plastic bags statewide on 1 March, a move with the ambitious goal of reducing the billions of discarded bags that stream annually into landfills, rivers and oceans. The law forbids most businesses from handing...
Working mum leads effort to give welfare packs to cleaners
While at work, Ms Yvonne Kong-Ho noticed that the cleaning staff in her office were putting in longer hours after her bosses stepped up sanitisation efforts. The assistant director at a university, spoke to cleaners she came across and asked them how they were coping...
Singapore looking to producing hydrogen with solar energy
As temperatures climb and extreme weather events pummel various parts of the world, nations are starting to realise that greener ways of powering cities and economies are needed. Renewable energy, such as that from the sun, wind or tides, is a solution that has been...
Mindset change needed for climate change
Mindsets and consumption habits need to change as Singapore moves to tackle climate change, said Workers' Party Non-Constituency MP Dennis Tan, as he urged the Government to set a "bold green agenda". To encourage "buy-in" to this mission, public education efforts...
