Through the course of Ms Farah Malik’s educational journey, even without her asking, many have reached out to lend a hand.

In secondary school, a Vietnamese Asean scholar classmate, who aced additional mathematics and chemistry, tutored her between and after classes whenever she had difficulties. A kind teacher gifted her with a copy of a chemistry 10-year-series when she did not want to burden her parents, whose jobs had been affected during the 2001 and 2008 recessions, with the cost.

Applying for internships as an undergraduate at the Singapore Management University (SMU), she turned to mentors such as Member of Parliament Nadia Ahmad Samdin, then part of the Lembaga Biasiswa Kenangan Maulud Youth Ambassador Programme, who gave her tips on how to write effective e-mails and dress smartly for interviews.

All these experiences made the 25-year-old, who graduated from a two-year fast-track Master of Philosophy in Psychology programme at SMU in June and is looking for a job, resolve to give back as soon she could.

In 2014, while doing a bachelor of social science in psychology and marketing course at SMU, she and her brother, Mr Faris Malik, 28, a digital marketing trainer, launched Sky High Educators.

The social enterprise taps undergraduate tutors to help primary-to tertiary-level students access more affordable tuition. Prices range from $20 to $30 an hour depending on their level – this is at least $10 to $20 cheaper than the market rate.

Of late, the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has made it even more difficult for underprivileged kids to get the help they need.

Home-based learning has also revealed a stark digital divide. Some families do not have laptops or a steady Internet connection at home. Others, who are tightening their belts, have to prioritise buying essential items over paying for tuition, says Ms Farah.

Free online tuition was the siblings’ way of chipping in.

Funded by a grant from a donor organisation which prefers to remain anonymous, the social enterprise launched free online tuition for students with financial difficulties last month. On top of paid sessions, they are offering 10 free tuition sessions to at least 70 students, to help them through the end-of-year examinations.

“We want to ensure financial difficulties will not prevent students from doing well academically because we are firm believers that education is the most effective driver of social mobility,” she says.

Youth mentorship is about planting a seed and watching it grow into a tree. You may say something to the students today and they disappear tomorrow, but they may come back to you years later and realise what you taught them makes sense.

MR SHAFIEE RAZALI, chief executive of non-profit youth organisation Majulah Community

But beyond tuition, which she acknowledges is only one aspect of learning, she hopes tutors will also serve as mentors to these students.

“We don’t like tuition, but we are realistic and know that the society we live in needs it. We encourage our educators to offer advice on subject combinations or career paths, or inspire students to aim for goals which seem unattainable,” she adds.

Another non-profit youth organisation, Majulah Community, also believes in the power of mentorship. Since 2010, it has run various programmes to nurture leadership qualities in youth, focusing on those facing academic and personal challenges.

It identifies youth at risk, helps boost their self-esteem and offers them guidance through after-school engagement sessions and outdoor adventure activities.

Those with criminal records, anger management issues or whose parents have filed family guidance orders – formerly known as beyond parental control orders – also take part in a separate programme called Gear Up. This focuses on one-to-one mentorship and outdoor activities, in which mentors nurture their positive traits.

In a game of dodgeball, for instance, mentors might point out how a student played fair by not attacking a teammate when he was down.

Mr Shafiee Razali, 32, the organisation’s chief executive, says: “Ninety per cent of the students might not even know they have these strengths because all their lives, they have been bombarded by parents and teachers with all the negative things they do.

“We want to be that alternative adult figure they can feel safe with and open up to without being judged.”

In the past few months, he says, it became even more important to keep at-risk youth engaged so they would comply with circuit breaker measures and stay home.

Besides the organisation’s main social media accounts, staff created a private Instagram account to serve as a safe space for youth to communicate. It featured live chats with former at-risk youth who are now in Institute of Technical Education colleges and in a more stable situation.

“The students shared things they would have done differently in the past, such as trying to manage their anger or do better in school. When we interacted with them before, some were aggressive and would spew vulgarities, but now, they have matured,” Mr Shafiee says.​

This is the second of a five-part series to showcase people in Singapore who have come together to uplift the community in these trying times. Read more at str.sg/purpose 

On Majulah Community’s public Instagram account, he also chats with changemakers such as Mr Chandra Shekahar, 22, a menteeturned-volunteer who used to visit an after-school drop-in centre that the organisation runs.

Now a full-time national serviceman, he shared his experiences in competitive e-sports tournaments, how he intends to monetise his passion, as well as tips for others hoping to embark on a similar journey.

These are the heartening success stories, the ones who emerged stronger from adversity, says Mr Shafiee. There are many others who alternate between improvement and regression.

As a mentor, he admits that the journey can be tiring and mentally draining, but he is in it for the long haul.

He says: “Youth mentorship is about planting a seed and watching it grow into a tree. You may say something to the students today and they disappear tomorrow, but they may come back to you years later and realise what you taught them makes sense.”

• For more information, go to skyhighed.com and mahjulah.sg​

Gift of language for foreign mums

When Ms Yu Ling, 42, moved to Singapore last year, English was a challenge.

She had learnt it as a student in China, but more than two decades of underuse had left her language skills rusty.

She struggled to make sense of her eight-year-old daughter Siqing’s school textbooks or read letters that the school had addressed to parents.

So, when volunteers from non-profit organisation ReadAble enrolled her daughter into reading and language arts classes, Ms Yu decided that she, too, wanted to learn from the organisation’s adults programme, called ReadAble Moms.

Since last year, the mother-daughter pair have been attending English lessons in their Jalan Kukoh neighbourhood. Located near Chinatown, the neighbourhood is made up of mostly rental flats.

While her daughter works on reading fluency and English comprehension, Ms Yu picks up functional English in one-to-one sessions tailored to the mothers’ needs. Since the coronavirus pandemic struck, some of these classes have moved online.

Ms Chee Soo Lian, 55, an English teacher who specialises in teaching it as a second language, launched the ReadAble Moms programme in 2016 and has been overseeing it since.

About eight women are enrolled in the programme, mostly foreign women who have married Singaporean men.

Lessons are highly personalised as the mothers’ requirements and learning abilities vary.

“Some want to understand letters and text messages from their children’s teachers, while others need workplace language in offices, restaurants or hotels. Every week, apart from teaching the syllabus, we also find out the immediate language needs they have and address them,” says Ms Chee.

Ms Yu, who is divorced, is now able to guide her daughter with school assignments.

“I help her with spelling and we read books and practise our English together,” she says, adding that she hopes to find a job and continue to improve her English at work.

For Ms Chee, this is the best kind of payoff – watching the mothers dare to dream.

“It gives them a passport to something more in their lives. They can think a little further, beyond just being a wife and mother, beyond staying home and looking after their kids,” she says.​

Caring for the community

TEEN RAISES FUNDS WITH ONLINE TUITION 

With her Cambridge IGCSE examinations cancelled due to the pandemic, 17-year-old international student Aarushi Menon decided to put her time to good use.

During the circuit breaker, she started giving free one-to-one French and maths classes online. To keep things lively, she introduced fun activities such as bingo and dice multiplication for maths lessons, and charades during French classes. When students enjoyed the sessions so much that they returned as paying customers, Aarushi decided to channel her earnings to the Bone Marrow Donor Programme, a non-profit organisation. She has since raised $1,240.

Aarushi, who came to Singapore in 2012, says: “I spent most of my growing up years in the local community and have always wanted to give back to society. I have finally found a way to guide others in their studies while helping those who are suffering from illness at the same time.”

For more information, go to str.sg/Jnp3

FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR ITE STUDENTS

A financial literacy programme by the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and DBS Bank, which has helped students save more since it was piloted last year, is being rolled out to 27,000 students across all three ITE colleges.

The programme, which was introduced to 10,000 first-year students last year, now includes second-year students and focuses on financial management after they graduate and enter the workforce. Students learn topics such as how Central Provident Fund accounts work, different types of insurance coverage available and the basics of investing.

Lessons have been adapted for home-based learning, using Web-based exercises and DBS’ NAV Planner, a digital advisory tool that lets students plan and monitor their financial goals.

Mr Jeremy Soo, DBS’ Singapore head of consumer banking group, says: “This year is a learning opportunity for these young adults as it has brought home the importance of having good financial habits, and how these habits can help safeguard one’s finances in times of crisis.”

BOOK HELPS KIDS TACKLE BOREDOM, SELF-DOUBT

Author and mother Su-Ann Mae Phillips, who has written three children’s books in the Grady Bear series, returns with a fourth title for pre-schoolers. The book, which will be ready in December, is illustrated by Nanyang Technological University student Cleo Tan, who was trained as an animator at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. The book aims to help parents address issues their children may be facing, such as boredom or self-doubt, which have surfaced while they are stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic.

The book project has hit its initial target of $5,000 on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter and the team is raising funds to donate copies to schools or charities.

For more information, go to str.sg/JniP

UNIVERSITIES RAISE FUNDS FOR NEEDY STUDENTS 

Anticipating financial hardship from the Covid-19 fallout, the Singapore Management University (SMU) is aiming to raise $240,000 for student bursaries through its inaugural Smoo Challenge, in which participants will run, walk, kickbox or dance their way to a combined distance of 20,000km. Proceeds will go towards the SMU Bursary Fund.

Meanwhile, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is holding its first virtual run, with funds going to the NTU bursary.

Recipients include students such as undergraduate Tan Mei Xin, whose father died of lung cancer. Her mother suffers from epilepsy, while her elder brother is the family’s sole breadwinner. Ms Tan, who is from the school of electrical and electronic engineering, says the bursary has allowed her to focus on her studies and experience hall life at NTU.

For more information, go to str.sg/JnpU

Activity kits bring joy to kids in need

For the past 19 years, Ms Sherry Soon has lived with what she calls an “invisible condition”.

The 39-year-old has vasculitis, an auto-immune condition that causes inflammation of her blood vessels and deep, pus-filled ulcers to erupt on her feet whenever it flares up.

She has been hospitalised repeatedly and is on a long-term course of low-grade chemotherapy medication.

In 2016, she left her job as a learning specialist for children with special needs because long hours of standing or walking often triggered her symptoms. The disease has no cure.

But living with vasculitis and working in the social service sector made Ms Soon more sensitive to the difficulties that many in society face.

“Almost everyone has a struggle that we can’t see,” she says.

Be Kind SG, a ground-up volunteer group she founded in 2017, aims to remedy these struggles and bring them into the light.

Among its regular beneficiaries are homes for adults with intellectual disabilities, where volunteers used to conduct workshops and organise events prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

They have recently switched to Zoom sessions, in which they play games and sing songs to keep residents entertained.

“We want to help people connect with different communities in Singapore and better understand one another,” says Ms Soon, who runs Be Kind SG full time.

Her husband, Mr Chen Yingkai, 38, works in a fintech company.

Be Kind SG promotes microvolunteering, so even busy working adults can drop in on activities that are run almost every week.

This year, volunteers took part in more than 10 coronavirus-related projects.

In one such initiative, the group collaborated with the Viva Foundation for Children with Cancer to prepare 100 activity kits for children in hospital.

The kits comprised one of two books from local authors. For instance, Murphy, See How You Shine! by Chen Wei Teng, about a blind special assistance dog, is meant to help readers realise they can all contribute in their own way.

The books were packaged together with activities such as crossword puzzles, colouring sheets and colour pencils.

“With Covid-19 restrictions, volunteers had to stop visiting the children, so we came up with new ways to keep them engaged,” she says.

Working with the South Central Community Family Service Centre, she also took part in Project Masak Masak, creating 220 craft and activity kits for children from low-income families.

The kits, which comprise simple and nostalgic games such as pick-up sticks as well as snakes and ladders, and card games Snap and Old Maid, were designed to give parents a chance to bond with their children.

She adds: “Because of Covid-19 and the circuit breaker, many people felt alone.

“It’s important for them to feel the human connection and that’s why we tried to do projects to bring people together.”

• Know anyone who is doing good in the community or stepped up in response to Covid-19? Write to [email protected] to get featured in the Portraits of Purpose series.

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