Singapore

This made my day: Singaporeans fill two brothers’ empty rental flat with necessities within a day of public appeal


A year ago, just before the circuit breaker started, housewife Sarimah Amat found a youth sleeping on the cold hard surface of a staircase landing in northern Singapore. 

A year later, the 23-year-old — with his older brother — moved out of a shared rental flat into one of their own, allocated to them by New Hope Community Services. However, the pair still slept on the floor, save for a thin towel that separated them from the cold tiles.

Upon discovering that their new flat was absolutely bare, Sarimah — who’s also the founder of charity initiative Project Pencil @ Yishun 71 — immediately rallied her friends and neighbours together to provide the young men with some basic necessities.

“I couldn’t tahan the idea that they had nothing while my kids had everything ready for [Hari Raya],” the 54-year-old told AsiaOne.

She had kept in touch with the younger brother since last year. On Tuesday afternoon (April 27), he contacted her asking if she could spare a broom and a mop so that he and his brother could clean up their flat, as well as a washing machine for doing laundry.

He also sent her a couple of photos of the flat and that was when she realised they needed more than just that. 

With the help of her team from Project Pencil, they furnished the flat with two electric fans, a mattress, pillows and blankets on the same day, and arranged for a refrigerator to be delivered for their use.

https://www.facebook.com/projectpencilsingapore/posts/1365122870528181

A post commending and praising her friends and neighbours for their sponsorship and kindness was later uploaded onto Project Pencil’s Facebook page – receiving an outpouring of support from netizens.

Many asked: “How can I contribute?”

The offers made by members of the public included food, clothes, other household items such as sofas, tables and ovens. Some even expressed their interest in providing the brothers with a computer.

Sarimah shared that local company Big Toys Asia not only sponsored the brothers a brand new washing machine but also turned up at their door with buckets of paint and several pairs of helping hands to help freshen the place.

https://www.facebook.com/projectpencilsingapore/posts/1365827133791088

“I didn’t expect this at all,” she said. The brothers too, she recounted, were visibly excited, though they didn’t seem to know how to express it.

Project Pencil later thanked netizens for their overwhelming support and generosity, stating that the young men had received all that was necessary. Due to the high influx of messages, they also apologised for not being able to respond to each individual.

A screenshot of Sarimah’s WhatsApp showed that she had over 200 unread messages, though the number has increased since then. “After replying 10 messages, another 20 come in,” she laughed. “It’s amazing and a blessing to know how many people care and want to help these children.”

For now, Sarimah and her volunteers are working on improving the pair’s living space by cleaning up the flat with hopes that they’d be able to create a comfortable environment for them to celebrate Hari Raya in. This is done via a small fundraising, accepting donations from those who wish to give, to an undisclosed amount.

Sarimah shared that the elder brother works as a cleaner while the younger one is in-between jobs. They’ve also contacted Mendaki for help in finding the brothers a teacher, and plan to reach out to the Social Services Office for additional assistance once the two have decided on what they plan to do afterwards.

While the group has asked netizens to refrain from visiting the youths due to privacy concerns, those still looking to contribute can continue to keep a lookout for updates via Project Pencil’s Facebook page.

rainercheung@asiaone.com



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