Dear friends, The Heightened Alert which began on 16 May 2021 has moved into Phase 3 since Monday. Social gatherings of 5 persons and below are allowed and hopefully dining-in at eateries and hawker centres will resume next Monday. We are still working from home and most of us are generally getting by. However, the situation has caused job loss or reduced income for several breadwinners who were mainly cleaners or helpers in coffee shops, hawker centres and restaurants. We have been directing such families to the government’s COVID-19 Recovery Grant-Temporary, where they will receive one-off support ranging from $500 to …
Another Week Beyond – 2121
Dear friends, With the “Heightened Alert” beginning this week, attendance at our child development centre has dropped to an average of 17 children a day. Children with household members who are ill were not permitted to be present. Preschools remain open to support parents who need to work and so children who have a caregiver at home during the day, were encouraged to remain at home. Out of sight was not out of mind though as we continued to keep in touch with caregivers especially those whose children were not present. Apart from checking in on the health of all at home, …
Another Week Beyond – 2119
Dear friends, Returning to Phase 2 measures for a few weeks tomorrow is necessary and understandable. Nonetheless, it is dampening news. Although not preferred, most of our children and youth have been able to meet their volunteer tutors online when face to face learning programmes were stopped. One programme that did not stop though was our child development centre for those aged 6 years-old and below. However, for an age group that learns best through play and interaction with others, their learning experience has not been optimal. Obviously watching videos of animals is not quite the same as a visit to …
Another Week Beyond – 2115
Dear friends, We marked one year since our circuit-breaker on 7 April 2019 and working from home is no longer our default practice. 75% of our workforce is now allowed backed into their offices and while COVID-19 is still a serious threat, we must count ourselves fortunate relative to others elsewhere. Hannah (not her real name), tells us that she has always been an anxious person and even more so after becoming a single mom when her marriage ended. This time last year, she was overwhelmed by fear. Her ex-husband stopped sending alimony and she was afraid that her children would …