Victor Yue and his family feel the warm kampung spirit of yesteryear when they join in the Singapore Children’s Society’s first birthday party, organised by FFTH.

Hi folks,

Today, I had the opportunity in joining FFTH in another of its exciting activities. We were at the Singapore Children's Society's Convalescent Home at Keramat Road, off Admiralty Road.

The Singapore Children's Society was founded in 1952. For more information, you can visit their website.

When we arrived, Christine and Henry Laimer were already there with their little princess, Mercedes, who had found a ‘home’ to her delight on the playground. Diong, Jasmine and Carol were busy arranging the goodies for the children. I got to meet fellow FFTH volunteers, Eric Tan and Andrew Teo. Eric delivered the birthday cakes all the way from the Secret Recipe outlet in Robinson Road while Andrew of Franjipani contributed towards the party with beautiful bouquets of flowers. Raffles Marina catered the sumptuous food and Secret Recipe sponsored the birthday cakes for the birthday kids of the month. There were also presents brought by FFTH for each kid.

It was the weekend and many of the children would be leaving for their own homes for the weekend. It was also an opportune time for us to meet with some of the parents. The kids were curious about the birthday cakes and it kept the ladies busy trying to keep them away from peeking into the cake boxes. (^^)

The kids were in high spirits as they played and had their high tea. The highlight must have been the singing of the birthday song and blowing out in a huff the candles which Diong had painstakingly lit . (^^) They sang the birthday song three times and it was like Christmas with each kid receiving a gift. Soon, some kids disappeared into their dormitory to open up the gifts. Others couldn't wait and opened them there and then, and there was also trading (exchange) between the kids too. The little "community" is something we hardly see in our modern kampung these days. (^^)

The Singapore Children's Society takes in children as young as 2 years to 12 years, all from troubled family backgrounds. There are about 40 of them presently staying at the home. The home tries to encourage the parents to spend more time with their children, so this will be an opportunity to have a family reunion in a neutral place. As observed by Christine, "The home is very well run, the staff are loving and very encouraging. But it lacks in many areas, being in a very old building with only basic furniture. We managed to organize some cupboards and wardrobes for them, as they had only very little. The kids there certainly deserve our help."

For many of us who probably have trouble handling two kids, you can imagine the small number of staff handling 40 kids! But handling them well, they did! Kudos to the Singapore Children’s Society staff. We met a young lady who was just like an elder sister to all the kids. It was really like a big family ... noise, kids running all over the place, but they could be "rounded" up quickly by the staff. (^^)

The last time I visited this place must have been a decade ago and the first time was a few more decades ago when the Home was along Changi Beach. The visit this time was a good reminder that there are still people in Singapore who need help. You can read more about these problems and the efforts of the Singapore Children's Society at this webpage.

Well fed and happy, the kids left with their parents or grandparent in tow. The parents were also given goodies in the form of essentials to help them tie over some of their household needs.

FFTH has indeed gone beyond just keeping the children happy.

Well done FFTH! And if you are interested in participating in such activities, give the FFTH office a call or an email.

It was a great evening for me and my family, and an eye-opener for my kids. (^^)