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Monday 09:00 - 18:00 Tuesday 09:00 - 18:00 Wednesday 09:00 - 18:00 Thursday 09:00 - 18:00 Friday 09:00 - 18:00

New Life Stories

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New Life Stories

New Life Stories is a non-profit organisation that aims to prevent intergenerational incarceration.

New Life Stories was established in 2014 to prevent intergenerational incarceration. New Life Stories is an IPC (Institution of Public Character) non-profit organisation that aims to provide children of incarcerated parents with essential reading and pro-social skills to ensure that they are not left behind in their crucial early years of development. New Life Stories has put in place a holistic s

trategy targeted at providing support to children of the incarcerated and their families. The programmes aim to provide these children with educational and emotional stability so that they can have a fairer start in school. Their parents are also supported by our customised in-prison programmes to prepare them for their release and to give them the reassurance to successfully reintegrate back into society. New Life Stories also educates and guides the families by providing them with essential tools to be self-sufficient.

01/09/2026

Maybe you don’t have to change a child’s whole world. You can just be someone who keeps showing up in it. 💛

Our Child Befrienders spend one hour a week with a child aged 3 to 12 whose family has been impacted by parental incarceration.

What happens in that hour? Honestly, pretty ordinary things.

You might read a book together, play games, make crafts, chat, or simply spend quality time together. Over time, those ordinary hours add up. You get to know each other, notice the little changes and celebrate their progress.

For a child navigating changes and uncertainty at home, you become another trusted grown-up they know will be there.

One hour. One child. Someone they can count on.

Thinking about becoming a Child Befriender? Here are a few things you might be wondering 👇

💭 How much time do I need to commit?
Just 1 hour a week, for a minimum of 6 months.

📍 Where will I volunteer?
We'll match you with a child at a location near you where possible.

📚 What will we do together?
Read together, play games, chat and simply spend quality time together.

🙋‍♀️ I've never worked with children before. Is that okay?
That's okay! Training, guidance and ongoing support will be provided throughout your volunteering journey.

You don't need to have all the answers. Sometimes, showing up consistently is enough. 🧡

Ready to be the grown-up a child can count on?

📩 [email protected]
🔗 Sign up through the link in our bio.

25/08/2026

“Wah, your office looks like a home!”

We hear this quite often from people visiting New Life Stories for the first time. And actually, that was the point.

When Saleemah was putting this space together, she didn't want our families to feel like they had arrived at another office or service centre. She wanted them to have a place they could come back to, settle in, and feel comfortable enough to simply be themselves.

So there are big, comfy sofas you can sink into. A pantry you're welcome to explore. A coffee machine where our Mamas, Papas and caregivers can try making themselves a latte. And for the children, there are books and toys, space to play house, make crafts, run around, or apparently, lie on the floor if you feel like!

You might find a child colouring at the table, someone curled up on the sofa, a few adults chatting over coffee, or kids moving from one activity to another as though they've been here all day.

And we like it that way.

Our families have already had to navigate many difficult things. When they come through our doors, we don't want them to feel like they have to perform, say the right thing, sit a certain way, or be anything other than who they are.

We want NLS to be a place they know they can come back to.

A place where the adults can make a coffee and have a chat. Where a child knows which cupboard the toys are in. Where you can sink into the sofa when you're tired, grab something from the pantry when you're hungry, or just sit around for a while.

Maybe that's what makes a place feel a little like home. Not how it is decorated, but how comfortable you feel once you're inside.

And sometimes, we see it in the simplest things. Crafts scattered across the table, children sprawled across the floor, Milo in hand, completely comfortable just being children. 🏠💛

That's when we know this space is doing what it was meant to do.

Your donation helps us keep this a place our children and families can come back to, to play, rest, talk, eat, laugh, and simply feel at home. 💛 Click the link in our bio to help us continue creating a space where our families can walk in, settle down, and just be themselves.

24/08/2026

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬? 💛

That was one of the questions our caregivers sat with during our latest Blessed Mums support group session.

The afternoon started with something a little more playful — creating their own stamps through a linoleum block printing workshop. ✨ With complimentary coffee and hot chocolate kindly sponsored by .kick ☕️, our caregivers had time to slow down, make something with their hands, and enjoy being together.

Later, during circle time, we asked what they hoped the people around them would remember about them.

Their answers were simple.

To be remembered for being caring.
For being kind, even to strangers.
For being a constant figure in the children’s lives when a parent is absent.
For their children to remember that they kept showing up.
And for being confident, even while facing difficult things.

There was something quite moving about hearing our caregivers speak about how they hope to be remembered. So much of caregiving can be about what needs to be done for everyone else, but this gave them a moment to think about the kind of person they are becoming too. Beyond the roles they carry and the challenges they face, they want to be remembered for their kindness, their steadiness, and the way they showed up for the people they love.

Thank you .kick for the coffee and hot chocolate, and for adding a little extra warmth to our afternoon. ☕️💛

18/08/2026

✨ We need YOUR vote! ✨
Life Stories has been shortlisted for the Inspiring Asia Film Festival 2026 🎬

For 10 years, we’ve walked alongside children of incarcerated parents — from 60 families in year one to over 800 today. Our film “Breaking the Cycle: 10 Years Strong” tells that journey, in the voices of the people who lived it

Now we need YOU to help us go further 🙌

Here’s how to vote (takes 2 mins):

1. Scan our QR

2. Enter our campaign code: InspiringSG80

3. 🎥 Watch our film all the way through — no skipping!

4. ✅ Answer 3 quick questions

5. ✔️ Verify your vote

Voting closes 28 August

Every vote brings us closer to the next round. Share / repost and get your connections to vote too!

14/08/2026

What does it take to truly close the gaps in care? Sometimes it’s not a new programme. It’s just knowing the agency down the road well enough to pick up the phone.

That’s what CARE Network Summit 2026 gave us. The summit brings together social service agencies, social enterprises, community partners and government agencies from across Singapore’s care sector for a day of talks, panels and good conversations.

The sessions covered where the sector is headed, from tech and innovation in service delivery to community-driven support. Practical ideas we’re already thinking about how to apply.

One moment that stayed with us: hearing Mdm Nur Azlinda and Mr Rizwan Habib share their own journeys, and how they’re now the ones showing up for their community with that lived experience. A good reminder that people are so much more than their past.

And some of the best conversations happened outside the sessions, connecting with other agencies doing this work alongside us. No family we support only needs one kind of help, so knowing each other’s work well makes it easier to close the gaps between us.

Thank you to the CARE Network Summit 2026 team for putting this together. 💛

09/08/2026

Here’s to celebrating the place we call home, and the community that holds us together ❤️ Happy 61st Singapore!

04/08/2026

When it comes to uplifting families, it truly takes a village. The recent M³+ Networking Session brought together organisations from across the community for an evening of conversations surrounding where the community is headed and how we'll get there.

Graced by the presence of Mr Zaqy Mohamad, Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, we had the chance to share one of the things close to our heart - First Contact - our early intervention programme that reaches families as early as 72 hours after a parent's arrest. This programme was the result of one of the project groups within the MM Rehabilitation Network, aiming to stabilize and support children and families at a time of crisis.

Thank you to the committee for making space for conversations that need to be had, and to fellow agencies for being part of a community that cares. Here's to building stronger, together 💛

28/07/2026

Who are the people that have helped you through difficult seasons of life?

That was one of the questions we explored during our recent LADIES’ Support Group.

While the mums gathered for their session, their children were busy baking cupcakes with our wonderful childminding volunteers. By the end of the afternoon, they couldn’t wait to share what they had made, proudly serving their mums the sweet treats they had decorated themselves.

As the mums went around the circle answering the question, almost every one of them mentioned New Life Stories.

Not one particular staff member.

Not one programme.

New Life Stories.

They shared that this is one of the few places where they feel accepted and don’t feel judged. They also spoke about how it didn’t matter who they were speaking to — someone from our Family Care team, Volunteer team or Advocacy — they always felt welcomed.

I don’t think any of us expected to hear that.

It was a quiet reminder that while programmes are important, it’s often the way we make people feel that stays with them.

The afternoon ended with another moment worth celebrating. One of our mums shared that she has now been in recovery and crime-free for two years — the longest she has ever gone. We couldn’t be happier for her, and we’re looking forward to celebrating many more milestones alongside her. 💛 Thank you mamas for showing up for yourselves again and again!

15/07/2026

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞?

The women in our Blessed Mums support group are the quiet strength behind the children in our programme. Every day, they show up with love, resilience and unwavering commitment, creating stability and hope for the children in their care.

But even the strongest caregivers need space to pause and recharge.

Last Saturday, our Blessed Mums spent a peaceful afternoon at East Coast Park. After sharing a meal together, they took part in gentle breathing and grounding exercises by the beach, giving themselves permission to slow down, reflect and simply be present.

For some, it had been a long time since they had experienced a moment like this. Some were moved to tears—not out of sadness, but because they had finally given themselves permission to rest. Just as meaningful was seeing the caregivers encourage one another, reminding each other that they are not alone on this journey.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made the afternoon possible, including our wonderful childminding volunteers, who created a fun and caring space for the children while their caregivers enjoyed this well-deserved time for themselves.

Behind every child who feels safe is a caregiver whose love shows up, day after day.

If you'd like to sponsor a caregiver wellness session, family activity or meaningful experience for the children and caregivers we support, we'd love to partner with you. Together, we can create more moments of care, connection and hope. 💛

07/07/2026

"Don't give up even before you start."

Those weren't written by a motivational speaker.

They were written by a father in prison to his child.

Through our Dear Papa programme, fathers write personalised storybooks and letters for their children—sharing words of encouragement, love and hope, even when they can't be there in person.

A prison sentence doesn't stop someone from being a father. It doesn't stop a child from needing one either. 💛 Help us keep more families connected. Donate via the link in bio.

Address

Toa Payoh

Opening Hours

Monday	09:00 - 18:00
Tuesday	09:00 - 18:00
Wednesday	09:00 - 18:00
Thursday	09:00 - 18:00
Friday	09:00 - 18:00

Website

http://www.newlifestories.org.sg/

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