THE PROBLEM:
What if we told you that there is poverty in Singapore? Singapore is the World’s wealthiest nation (for 3 years running), yet…
There are more than 50,000 rental flats in Singapore for low-income families. These families have an average monthly income of less than S$885 or S$5 a day per family member. There are about 41,200 elderly individuals living alone in one- or two-room rental
flats in Singapore. Many of them are unemployed, have little or no family support and are socially isolated. Broken marriages and families are rising steadily (7,525 divorces in 2013). There are many single- or no-parent households as a result of one or both parent(s) has deserted the family, trapped in vice or is in prison. Some of the consequences are that… Youth delinquency and crime are on the rise (accounting for 22% of all crimes in Singapore). Vice such as drugs, prostitution, gang activity and suicides are common in such neighborhoods.
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OUR APPROACH:
It is natural to conclude that poverty is a lack of material wealth, food, shelter or access to education or employment. However, there is another dimension of poverty that is seldom discussed and even more rarely addressed. The deepest need of any human being is the need to be loved. People in poverty often feel an overwhelming sense failure, loneliness, powerlessness and shame. Take it from someone who knows a little about poverty...
“Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is truly the most terrible poverty” - Mother Teresa
If left unaddressed, these feelings become entrenched into a mindset (“the poverty mindset”) and the person descends into a sense of hopelessness. Providing hand-outs further entrenches this mindset and may lead to dependency or a sense of entitlement which further hurt them. At the Love-Aid Project, we are concerned about the holistic approach to address the needs of our community friends in poverty. This means their social, emotional, physical, family and educational aspects. Healthy holistic development begins with experiencing unconditional love & genuine friendship. The Love-Aid approach is crystalized in the simple but useful acrostic to help us remember what love looks like: L-O-V-E. Listen - the key to building strong and enjoying better relationships is to connect. Connecting begins with a good understanding of the person and circumstances, and for this, we have to listen. Listening communicates value, love, care and concern. Seeking first to understand rather than to be understood, communicates that one is worthy of trust. Open your Hearts - While our personal struggles and circumstances may be different, we are all the same. We have the same desires for happiness and fulfillment. While we all make mistakes, we are not a mistake. A judgmental spirit is never helpful and has no place in friendship. Everyone needs love. Everyone craves for love. Everyone responds to love. Love-Aiders open their hearts to and form genuine friendships with our community friends. Value - Values refer to the personal values and beliefs about oneself and their circumstances. One’s values and beliefs drives his actions. Love-Aiders seek to communicate and inspire the right values and beliefs in our community friends - chief among them is that everyone is valuable and worth of dignity, respect and love. Avoiding the language of failure and condemnation, Love-Aiders endeavor to speaks life into the lives of our community friends. Encourage & Empower - Nobody can succeed alone. There is nothing more empowering than a friend coming alongside you in moments of weakness and struggle with words of encouragement and walking the journey WITH you rather than merely doing things FOR or TO you.
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OUR WORK:
Youth:
Youth involvement in social ills such as gangs, vice and crime is often the result of an absence/lack of active parental supervision and positive engagement. In their need to satisfy the hunger for connection and relationship, youths are very vulnerable and susceptible to negative influences. When children understand that they are valuable and loved they feel secure and can develop self-esteem, self-control and ultimately self-worth. The Love-Aid Project operates a daily drop-in centre (Kids Zone) located at a high-needs neighborhood school along with another community services organisation. This offers children a safe environment (from the vice and negative influences that surround them) where they may be positively engaged through games and value-based programmes involving sports and the arts. Love-Aid also provides weekly homework support (tuition) to primary and secondary level students focusing on building friendships and incorporating elements of the “growth mindset” and “Montessori” methodologies to build the esteem and self-worth of the youth. Kids Zone
Operating hours: Daily on weekdays from 2pm to 5pm. Kids Zone is a safe environment where children aged between 7 and 14 years old can find refuge and shelter from the vice that surrounds them on a daily basis. It is also a place where the children may be positively engaged by Love-Aiders and partners. There are a wife variety of board games available to the children and a menu of various value-based programmes and activities from music, sports to art for them to choose from. Kids Zone is an excellent platform for Love-Aiders and partners with knowledge and skills they wish to share with the children. To date, we have seen more than 400 children come through our doors! Homework Support
Primary levels: every Thursday, 6:30pm to 9:30pm. Secondary levels: every Wednesday, 5:30pm to 7:30pm. From a small group in 2013 of Primary 6 students who were destined to fail their PSLE examinations, we have grown into a group of more than 30 students and all levels of Primary School and lower Secondary School levels. Focused on building genuine friendships with the students and communicating values such as “The Growth Mindset”, we have discovered that many amazing and unexpected things can happen when a child feels loved and supported. In addition to the weekly sessions, we conduct study camps to develop and strengthen their foundation and competency in their school subjects as they prepare for major examinations. Family:
The family is a foundational building block of society and the optimal place for children’s holistic development. With a strong family unit, we receive the love, security, tools and skills necessary to thrive in life. Sadly, there are many broken families within our community. Divorce rates have been steadily rising and every divorce hurts the family. In lower-income communities, there are many single-parent families, where either a parent has deserted the family or are in prison. Many of the anti-social behaviors observed in our children have their roots in the family. It has been recognised that many parents suffer from the “poverty mindset”, believing poverty to be their and their families destiny. Many have themselves not had good parenting role-models and are at a loss, feeling defeated and alone. Rather than providing workshop-based learning opportunities for our community friends, Love-Aiders come alongside families as genuine friends and intentionally model and encourage healthy interaction and communication methods over meals and other social activities. As one can only give what they have themselves received, we seek to give love and support to empower parents in their roles as carers. This helps them feel valued and affirms their dignity. It encourages increased and healthy involvement in their children’s lives. This in turn leads to a safe environment for the child to grow and prosper. The Love-Aid Project organises regular Community parties, Family dinners, birthday parties and outdoor activities for our community friends in the MacPherson community. The Love-Aid Project also partners with socially responsible businesses and other community service organisations to offer practical assistance to adults wishing to gain access to employment opportunities - the best way to restore dignity to a person. Elderly:
Based on the General Household Survey in 2016, there are about 41,200 elderly people living alone in one- or two-room rental flats in Singapore. Many are unemployed, have little or no family support and are socially isolated. Many of them suffer from chronic or mental illnesses and therefore do not leave their houses often nor do they interact with their neighbors or anyone else. Without active engagement of mind, body and socially, there is a real risk of further deterioration of their health and quality of life. Many are also full of fear - fearful of being a burden, fearful of falling, of dying alone and without dignity - being discovered later because of the stench of decay. Love-Aiders visit their elderly friends fortnightly. They help with errands, taking their elderly friends to medical and hospital appointments, and most importantly, provide the love, support and listening ear to them. The Love-Aid Project also organises parties and events during certain special times of the year (eg CNY, Christmas, etc) filled with fun activities to engage our elderly friends.
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OUR VISION
A movement of ordinary people making an extraordinary impact in the lives of the hurt, broken and forgotten in our community with love, hope and dignity.
