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News Update: Financial assistance needed
Thursday, August 14, 2008
This is another piece of news from Channel NewsAsia, dated August 14 2008.
More residents going to CDCs for temporary financial help
SINGAPORE: More elderly are seeking help from the Community Development Councils or CDCs to cope with rising costs, said the Mayors who head these local government councils.
Mayor of Central CDC, Zainudin Nordin, said about 1,000 residents seek help every month. In the first half of this year, the CDC handled about 6,200 cases, some 300 more than the same period last year.
The number of residents asking for food rations in North West CDC, one of five such councils in Singapore, has also increased.
Mayor of North West CDC, Teo Ho Pin, said: "In December 2007, we had 170 cases of needy residents asking for food rations. That number has gone up to 520 in July."
Some three in 10 residents who attend the meet—the—people sessions in MP Denise Phua’s area, want financial assistance and help to get jobs.
Juliana Baba, a Kampong Glam resident, said: "They help me a lot especially food wise. I have three small kids. ... when I was down... and tight (with money) without my husband, this helped me a lot."
MP for Jalan Besar GRC, Denise Phua, said: "We are doing it together with many helping hands to distribute bread and so forth. And we hope to fill any cracks and be able to help any family that is not to be left behind."
Over at North East CDC, it is working with shipping company Neptune Orient Lines to launch a S$50,000 fund to help students from 10 primary schools and 12 secondary schools pay for their meals.
Meanwhile, at South East CDC, about 1,000 residents seek assistance every quarter.
Mayor of South East CDC, Matthias Yao, said: "The problem that they face is increasing household expenditure because of inflation, oil price hikes, commodity and food prices."
Apart from food bills, Mayors said those who seek help are likely to be needing long—term assistance — like the elderly, or those who are out of work.
Mr Zainudin Nordin, said: "People in the past could be more stable and could afford to pay for their mortgages. But they are now facing difficulty because they are caught in the structural and long—term unemployment."
While the CDCs have several schemes to help those who need assistance, at the end of the day the importance of being self sufficient is also emphasised. So for those who do not have a job, the first thing the CDC does is to help them find a job.
Mayors have also organised financial planning talks to help residents live within their means. — CNA/vm
Wei Jing
More residents going to CDCs for temporary financial help
SINGAPORE: More elderly are seeking help from the Community Development Councils or CDCs to cope with rising costs, said the Mayors who head these local government councils.
Mayor of Central CDC, Zainudin Nordin, said about 1,000 residents seek help every month. In the first half of this year, the CDC handled about 6,200 cases, some 300 more than the same period last year.
The number of residents asking for food rations in North West CDC, one of five such councils in Singapore, has also increased.
Mayor of North West CDC, Teo Ho Pin, said: "In December 2007, we had 170 cases of needy residents asking for food rations. That number has gone up to 520 in July."
Some three in 10 residents who attend the meet—the—people sessions in MP Denise Phua’s area, want financial assistance and help to get jobs.
Juliana Baba, a Kampong Glam resident, said: "They help me a lot especially food wise. I have three small kids. ... when I was down... and tight (with money) without my husband, this helped me a lot."
MP for Jalan Besar GRC, Denise Phua, said: "We are doing it together with many helping hands to distribute bread and so forth. And we hope to fill any cracks and be able to help any family that is not to be left behind."
Over at North East CDC, it is working with shipping company Neptune Orient Lines to launch a S$50,000 fund to help students from 10 primary schools and 12 secondary schools pay for their meals.
Meanwhile, at South East CDC, about 1,000 residents seek assistance every quarter.
Mayor of South East CDC, Matthias Yao, said: "The problem that they face is increasing household expenditure because of inflation, oil price hikes, commodity and food prices."
Apart from food bills, Mayors said those who seek help are likely to be needing long—term assistance — like the elderly, or those who are out of work.
Mr Zainudin Nordin, said: "People in the past could be more stable and could afford to pay for their mortgages. But they are now facing difficulty because they are caught in the structural and long—term unemployment."
While the CDCs have several schemes to help those who need assistance, at the end of the day the importance of being self sufficient is also emphasised. So for those who do not have a job, the first thing the CDC does is to help them find a job.
Mayors have also organised financial planning talks to help residents live within their means. — CNA/vm
Wei Jing
Group Reflections - Community
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Our community work is fairly simple, yet enriching. Once a month, our group goes to Marsiling to help Food From The Heart distribute non-perishable food to the needy living in that area. Our work consists of transporting food bags weighing around 4-5kg to the distribution centre, packing food into these bags, splitting into groups to distribute food to people living in the entire neighbourhood (about 10 blocks of flats).
Mirror:
Before we started on helping out the organization through community service (house-to-house distribution of food at Marsiling), we had not known much about the situation of poverty in Singapore. We hoped that our participation in the food distribution would make us more aware of the living conditions and needs of the poor, and thus be motivated to carry on this project. We also hoped that our actions would benefit the poor.
During the distribution, each of us carried around 2-4 bags of food and moved around the neighbourhood, finding the apartments in which the needy lived in and gave the food to them. We observed that most of the corridors in these blocks of flats were dimly lit and were sometimes quite dirty. The narrow corridors made it hard for us to pass through because we all carried bulky bags. Carrying the heavy bags in these places was extremely tiring. After only a few minutes of moving around the blocks, we were all sweating profusely. This was the condition volunteers have to endure all the time! Thinking about it made us all the more motivated. If the volunteers can do it, surely we (six healthy young men) can do it as well! I think we worked pretty well as a group. When someone needs help in carrying his bags, the stronger ones (or the ones with lesser bags to carry) will help him lighten his load.
We tried to be very sensitive towards the needy. On our first visit, our group was like strangers to the residents. It was important that we do not offend any of the needy. It was also important for us to be able to speak the dialect or language of certain families, so that there could be communication among all of us and we can get to understand the needy families more. While we need photographs for our project, we have to ask for permission from the people we are distributing food to. We were also careful not to take photographs of their living conditions unless we had the permission to do so.
After every distribution, we look forward to the next time we can interact with the beneficiaries and volunteers. We have managed to overcome the language barrier (because each of us knows English and Mandarin, along with different dialects) and chat with the beneficiaries. Although the beneficiaries are poor, they appear to be very happy and friendly. It was a real joy talking to the elderly and the other beneficiaries.
Microscope:
During food distribution, we noticed that all the apartments in this area were one-room. On the list which contains confidential information about the needy, we noticed that most of the needy were very poor. They earn very little income per month (sometimes even none), ad some of them suffer from chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis and heart problems. These conditions rendered them unable to work and earn money. Seeing this, we really felt sorry for the poor. When we got to their houses and they opened their doors to receive the food, we took a quick look at their living conditions. For some of the beneficiaries, their houses were rather empty. For some others, their houses consist of lots of things that appear to be old. Our group was pretty shocked by this but we have to be tactful and not probe too much. Because all of us come from relatively well-off families, we have not considered the plight of the poor much before. Through this activity, we have realized how fortunate we are. We have learnt to treasure what we have now – our cars, computers, air-conditioners etc.
The beneficiaries were very happy when they received the food from us, and thanked us repeatedly. Seeing their happiness at receiving these food items (which consist of only canned food, some rice, biscuits and noodles, but can last them for a month), we felt that all our efforts were worth it. Helping out in the house-to-house food distribution definitely has broadened our horizons and inspired us to help the poor in Singapore. A can of sardines is merely a can of sardines to you and me, but to the needy, it holds so much more meaning and value.
We believe that by taking part in the distribution of food, we have aided the volunteers and staff of Food From The Heart, reducing the need for them to find volunteers who may not be free all the time or may not be committed enough. At the same time, we help to get the food to the needy at a much faster pace. One way we can continue helping is to help out in food distributions more regularly. We can also help by going to more places where there are Food From The Heart Outreach Programmes to aid the volunteers there in distributing food.
We are very proud that we are volunteers of Food From The Heart.
Binoculars:
Our group believes that we have just helped out in a small way with regard to the poor families’ lives. Food distribution only helps relieve the poor of their burdens temporarily and does not solve the issue of poverty. It may also be possible that certain poor families depend too much on the food that has been donated by kind people from around Singapore and lose their determination to work and earn some money. Furthermore, with the rapid increase in prices of food, it may not be possible for many to only rely on the food that they receive with the help of Food From The Heart. It is imperative that we begin educating the poor (encouraging them to also seek a source of revenue) and the general public about the situation of poverty in Singapore (so that more donations can come in).
We believe that education should start from young, because that is the period where positive thoughts are ingrained into our minds. Therefore, much of our target audience would be the children. Of course, we cannot forget the adults too, because they are the ones who can contribute the most – whether financially or physically (as volunteer). We want to instill a certain “kampong” spirit back into Singaporeans. Instead of staying behind closed doors and leaving one another out during activities, we should open our doors, interact and help out one another, just like how villagers staying in “kampongs” in the past used to.
Community spirit all the way!
Mirror:
Before we started on helping out the organization through community service (house-to-house distribution of food at Marsiling), we had not known much about the situation of poverty in Singapore. We hoped that our participation in the food distribution would make us more aware of the living conditions and needs of the poor, and thus be motivated to carry on this project. We also hoped that our actions would benefit the poor.
During the distribution, each of us carried around 2-4 bags of food and moved around the neighbourhood, finding the apartments in which the needy lived in and gave the food to them. We observed that most of the corridors in these blocks of flats were dimly lit and were sometimes quite dirty. The narrow corridors made it hard for us to pass through because we all carried bulky bags. Carrying the heavy bags in these places was extremely tiring. After only a few minutes of moving around the blocks, we were all sweating profusely. This was the condition volunteers have to endure all the time! Thinking about it made us all the more motivated. If the volunteers can do it, surely we (six healthy young men) can do it as well! I think we worked pretty well as a group. When someone needs help in carrying his bags, the stronger ones (or the ones with lesser bags to carry) will help him lighten his load.
We tried to be very sensitive towards the needy. On our first visit, our group was like strangers to the residents. It was important that we do not offend any of the needy. It was also important for us to be able to speak the dialect or language of certain families, so that there could be communication among all of us and we can get to understand the needy families more. While we need photographs for our project, we have to ask for permission from the people we are distributing food to. We were also careful not to take photographs of their living conditions unless we had the permission to do so.
After every distribution, we look forward to the next time we can interact with the beneficiaries and volunteers. We have managed to overcome the language barrier (because each of us knows English and Mandarin, along with different dialects) and chat with the beneficiaries. Although the beneficiaries are poor, they appear to be very happy and friendly. It was a real joy talking to the elderly and the other beneficiaries.
Microscope:
During food distribution, we noticed that all the apartments in this area were one-room. On the list which contains confidential information about the needy, we noticed that most of the needy were very poor. They earn very little income per month (sometimes even none), ad some of them suffer from chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis and heart problems. These conditions rendered them unable to work and earn money. Seeing this, we really felt sorry for the poor. When we got to their houses and they opened their doors to receive the food, we took a quick look at their living conditions. For some of the beneficiaries, their houses were rather empty. For some others, their houses consist of lots of things that appear to be old. Our group was pretty shocked by this but we have to be tactful and not probe too much. Because all of us come from relatively well-off families, we have not considered the plight of the poor much before. Through this activity, we have realized how fortunate we are. We have learnt to treasure what we have now – our cars, computers, air-conditioners etc.
The beneficiaries were very happy when they received the food from us, and thanked us repeatedly. Seeing their happiness at receiving these food items (which consist of only canned food, some rice, biscuits and noodles, but can last them for a month), we felt that all our efforts were worth it. Helping out in the house-to-house food distribution definitely has broadened our horizons and inspired us to help the poor in Singapore. A can of sardines is merely a can of sardines to you and me, but to the needy, it holds so much more meaning and value.
We believe that by taking part in the distribution of food, we have aided the volunteers and staff of Food From The Heart, reducing the need for them to find volunteers who may not be free all the time or may not be committed enough. At the same time, we help to get the food to the needy at a much faster pace. One way we can continue helping is to help out in food distributions more regularly. We can also help by going to more places where there are Food From The Heart Outreach Programmes to aid the volunteers there in distributing food.
We are very proud that we are volunteers of Food From The Heart.
Binoculars:
Our group believes that we have just helped out in a small way with regard to the poor families’ lives. Food distribution only helps relieve the poor of their burdens temporarily and does not solve the issue of poverty. It may also be possible that certain poor families depend too much on the food that has been donated by kind people from around Singapore and lose their determination to work and earn some money. Furthermore, with the rapid increase in prices of food, it may not be possible for many to only rely on the food that they receive with the help of Food From The Heart. It is imperative that we begin educating the poor (encouraging them to also seek a source of revenue) and the general public about the situation of poverty in Singapore (so that more donations can come in).
We believe that education should start from young, because that is the period where positive thoughts are ingrained into our minds. Therefore, much of our target audience would be the children. Of course, we cannot forget the adults too, because they are the ones who can contribute the most – whether financially or physically (as volunteer). We want to instill a certain “kampong” spirit back into Singaporeans. Instead of staying behind closed doors and leaving one another out during activities, we should open our doors, interact and help out one another, just like how villagers staying in “kampongs” in the past used to.
Community spirit all the way!
Wei Jing
"To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity." - Douglas Adams
News update: Stagflation?
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Hi all,
I thought it would be nice if we could share some news (with regards to food, food prices, urban poor in Singapore) on this blog.
This is a recent piece of news from Channel News Asia, dated August 2 2008:
NTUC Chief Concerned Global Economy Headed Towards Stagflation
SINGAPORE: Labour chief Lim Swee Say has urged workers to work together to cope with a global economy which may be heading towards a state of stagflation — one sparked off by low growth and high inflation.
The NTUC secretary general made the call in his National Day message.
Singapore’s National Day is being celebrated amidst concerns about the slowing global economy and rising inflation, said Mr Lim.
And to tackle these concerns, the labour movement, the employers and the government are addressing two core priorities.
First, coping with the impact of inflation without being caught in a price—wage spiral.
"The worse thing that any country does at a time of high inflation would be for the unions and workers to push for wage inflation. Wage inflation is different from wage increment. Wage inflation means you are pushing up wages to fully offset the inflation," said the labour chief.
He added that companies in the unionised sector are currently in talks on their annual increment.
One key consideration that is being taken into account in these negotiations is the current state of inflation.
The labour movement noted that private sector companies in the unionised sector have been giving a higher percentage of built—in wage increases in the first half of this year compared to last year, with the figure in the range of 4.4 per cent against 3.8 percent in 2007.
I thought it would be nice if we could share some news (with regards to food, food prices, urban poor in Singapore) on this blog.
This is a recent piece of news from Channel News Asia, dated August 2 2008:
NTUC Chief Concerned Global Economy Headed Towards Stagflation
SINGAPORE: Labour chief Lim Swee Say has urged workers to work together to cope with a global economy which may be heading towards a state of stagflation — one sparked off by low growth and high inflation.
The NTUC secretary general made the call in his National Day message.
Singapore’s National Day is being celebrated amidst concerns about the slowing global economy and rising inflation, said Mr Lim.
And to tackle these concerns, the labour movement, the employers and the government are addressing two core priorities.
First, coping with the impact of inflation without being caught in a price—wage spiral.
"The worse thing that any country does at a time of high inflation would be for the unions and workers to push for wage inflation. Wage inflation is different from wage increment. Wage inflation means you are pushing up wages to fully offset the inflation," said the labour chief.
He added that companies in the unionised sector are currently in talks on their annual increment.
One key consideration that is being taken into account in these negotiations is the current state of inflation.
The labour movement noted that private sector companies in the unionised sector have been giving a higher percentage of built—in wage increases in the first half of this year compared to last year, with the figure in the range of 4.4 per cent against 3.8 percent in 2007.
I think we all know what negative impacts inflation is going to bring to all of us in Singapore. If the more well-off people will already be suffering, what will happen to the poor if no one offers a helping hand and help them cope with their problems?
Wei Jing