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Free diapers for needy families in South West District

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Needy families with young children in South West District will get free diapers over the next three years.

A diaper bank launched yesterday will see a million diapers given out over the next three years to more than 3,000 low-income families with babies up to two years old.

There is a monthly cap of six packs of diapers per family.

The scheme, called Huggies Singapore Diaper Bank @ South West, is organised by South West Community Development Council and Kimberly-Clark.

Kimberly-Clark is donating about $300,000 worth of Huggies diapers.

The scheme will help people such as Madam Nor Aisha Mohamad Jupri, 37.

The housewife goes to Johor Baru every weekend with her 70-year-old mother to buy diapers and milk powder for her three-month-old son, Mohamad Rayyan Naqeeb.

She lives with her parents, her husband - a logistics officer and sole breadwinner - and six children in a three-room flat in Jurong West.

She said it is hard raising the children on a household salary of $1,900 a month, especially with the rising cost of milk and diapers. Currently, her son can use up to four packs of 80 diapers each a month. This costs about $80 a month.

At the launch of the diaper bank at the Jurong Spring Community Club yesterday, South West District Mayor Low Yen Ling said: "For many needy families with young children, diapers can be a big strain on their day-to-day expenses.

"Sometimes, to save money, they may leave the diapers on longer than they should - and this can cause rashes or urinary tract infection that adds to their financial worries.

"We hope this inaugural baby diaper bank will bring much-needed relief to these parents so that they can better focus on parenting and raising their children well."

The families can collect the diapers from FairPrice Xtra @ JEM, FairPrice Xtra @ Jurong Point and Warehouse Club.

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