Fireworks, flypasts, the fantastic feats of the Red Lions – those are the images that come to mind whenever we think of National Day. But beyond the pomp and pageantry, it’s the people who take the occasion as a chance to give back that make us proud to call this place home.
Part of the NDP 2018 festivities, #NDP18Days gives Singaporeans and Singapore residents the opportunity to volunteer for a wide array of worthy causes. “18 Days of Giving, A Lifetime of Caring” is the programme mantra.
To capture this side of National Day, we tagged along for four events: YMCA Spring Clean with YMCA of Singapore; Boys Can Cook with Muhammadiyah Welfare Home; Uplift Project Bra Sorting with D’Elegance International; and Befriending/Cleaning with The New Charis Mission.
Spring Cleaning, YMCA of Singapore
Every other Saturday, you can expect to see volunteers from the YMCA out and about in the heartlands as they spruce up the homes of elderly Singaporeans. Ensuring that living spaces are clean and safe, the volunteers also provide the elderly with some welcome company.
The #NDP18Days edition we attended took their team – primarily made up of university students and young families – to Lorong 5 Toa Payoh. To join the thousands of volunteers that YMCA mobilises each year, visit their website or send an email to volunteer@ymca.org.sg.
Boys Can Cook, Muhammadiyah Welfare Home
A rehabilitation institution that nurtures and empowers at-risk youth, Muhammadiyah Welfare Home in Bedok welcomed volunteers to guide their residents through a cooking class.
During the two-hour session, the boys and the volunteers whipped up tasty cupcakes and kebabs. Other volunteering opportunities with the home include giving tuition, participating in a variety of classes and clinics (from arts and crafts to music and sports) and gardening. Visit their website to find out more.
Uplift Project Bra Sorting, D’Elegance International
A company which specialises in shapewear, D’Elegance brought the Uplift Project to Singapore from Australia back in 2016.
The project is simple but brilliant: Women from across the country donate brassieres (second-hand or new) which get distributed to women in disadvantaged communities who can’t afford or obtain bras of their own.
In this case, the bras go to Northern Mindanao in the Philippines. Volunteers sort and pack the thousands of donated bras, with laughter and smiles ever-present throughout the efficient process.
To find out about the next opportunity to volunteer for (or donate to) the Uplift Project, visit the D’Elegance website.
Befriending/Cleaning, The New Charis Mission
Each Wednesday, volunteers from the New Charis Mission head down to Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 and Chai Chee Road where they catch up with beneficiaries – many of whom are greeted like old friends – and check if there’s anything they can help them with.
For the befriending session on the eve of National Day, volunteers also distributed goodie bags though they didn’t forget to celebrate the 79th birthday of one resident – cake and all – living up to their mission of “Bringing Joy to the Aged”.
To find out how you can contribute, visit The New Charis Mission website.
#NDP18Days activities continue past National Day, so if you’d like to get involved, head to the NDP website and sign up. Or if you’re looking for a chance to volunteer any day of the year, drop by Giving.sg. Happy National Day!
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![[Content warning – this profile piece discusses the subject of suicide that may be sensitive and potentially triggering. Reader discretion is advised. Information about seeking help is available at the end of the carousel post. Stay safe]
“My brother died 8 years ago. I was at home when I found out. It was a Friday night, and I was on a long-distance call with my partner who was in Europe at the time. At 1am, I got up from bed to go to the toilet. That’s when I saw my mum crying alone in the living room.
My mum isn’t a particularly emotional person. I’ve probably seen her cry three times my whole life. I was worried and concerned, of course, and asked what’s going on. She turned to me and said, ‘I have bad news. Joel died.’
When a sibling dies unexpectedly, it takes time for you to process the news. And then you realise that your family will never be the same again. You will never be full or complete anymore. There is only brokenness. And that was the first emotion that hit me really hard.
The next morning, we got more details, and I learnt that he killed himself. When someone commits suicide, family is required to identify the body at the mortuary. My mum said, ‘Look, you don’t have to go if you don’t want to.’ And I’m thinking, how can I let you do this alone?!
Even though I could sense a heaviness in the air around her, my mother looked relatively composed. But when they wheeled in the body, she simply broke. She kept saying that it’s not him. It’s not him. It doesn’t look like him. I had never seen that side of her before.
My mother was always put together, but at that moment, she sounded like a young mother who had just lost her newborn baby. It was less heartbreaking that I lost my brother, and more painful that I had to see her that way.
When my brother was 12, he moved out of the house and lived with my grandmother. I never knew why. Maybe it’s because we weren’t well-to-do. Maybe it’s because our parents didn’t have the best of relationships. I was his younger sister, but I didn’t know much about him.
[Story continues in comments section]](https://i0.wp.com/everydaypeople.sg/ep/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png?w=620&ssl=1)
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