Volunteering to teach children English, life skills
During a clay-making session organised by volunteers, a seven-year-old girl in a home for abused families coloured a heart-shaped mould black.
It's because there is no love in this world, she said.
This incident was etched in the mind of Ms Maggie Chia, 29, who has been volunteering for nine years.
She is a member of Voluntarius, an organisation which aims to get more youths involved in volunteering by providing them with opportunities.
Incidents like this motivate her to help the less fortunate, said Ms Chia, a sales and marketing executive.
During Christmas in 2014, she formed a team of 18 volunteers to organise Christmas-related activities for the children of Yayasan Radmila Children's Home in Batam, Indonesia.
The home houses 80 orphans and children whose parents are unable to care for them.
For a year after that, she continued to organise trips to the home every two weeks to teach the kids English.
About 20 volunteers participate each time, including members of the public recruited through Voluntarius' Facebook page.
Some things have changed since the start of the project.
Ms Chia said: "We tried to teach the children English with teaching materials used in Singapore schools. But we realised that their proficiency in English was too low for our classes to be sustainable."
This year, Ms Chia and her team focused instead on equipping the children with practical skills and knowledge that will help them find jobs in the future.
"Most children in Batam will work in the tourism and service sector in the future," she said.
"But without easy access to the Internet, they know very little about the world. So we teach them general knowledge on different topics such as the cultures of different countries."
CNY LANTERNS
During the team's most recent trip late last month, the volunteers taught the children about Chinese New Year traditions and how to construct lanterns.
A girl at the home, Sevtiran Laia, 12, said: "I'm glad to have met the brothers and sisters from Singapore. Through their group activities, I have learnt to work as a team with my friends."
Ms Chia said her motivation stems from seeing the children grow and learn.
"My ultimate goal is to see a child graduate from the home and start an independent life using the skills and knowledge we have taught."
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