Read a summary of this article on FAST.
FAST
SINGAPORE: For close to 30 years, a rental flat in Clementi had not been cleaned.
Inside, a 76-year-old man had been living amid piles of newspapers, rubbish and furniture overrun with bed bugs, with space for movement limited to narrow pathways. His toilet had not been washed in decades either.
“It’s because there’s a lot of money inside all these newspapers,” Fion Phua of volunteer platform Keeping Hope Alive said. “He was worried that people (might come in and) throw away (his money).”
But that finally changed when he accepted Phua’s offer of help.
She leads a network of volunteers to improve living conditions for underprivileged Singaporeans. And more than 10 volunteers came to clean the man’s flat, fully briefed on its state.
Wearing protective gear, they began clearing the hall and kitchen. The walls were repainted, the toilet scrubbed, and a chemical wash was done for the entire flat.
The state of the flat before it was cleaned.
Once the cleaning was completed, essentials such as a bed, fridge and washing machine were moved in. The operation took about nine hours, starting at 8am, following a week of planning.
Phua, 55, coordinates her volunteers through WhatsApp, broadcasting the locations in advance and ensuring the right mix of skills for the job, which may call for plumbers, painters, nurses and even manicurists.
Sometimes there is a need to change a light bulb; other times, it is to fix a leaking tap or toilet flush, replace a cracked toilet bowl or help sort medication.
The team keeps a close eye on elderly residents especially at year end, working to declutter homes and identify hoarding before living conditions become dangerous.
Volunteers for Keeping Hope Alive gathering for Phua’s briefing.
After 40 years of doing this work, Phua said she has become something of a “hoarder expert”. “Every family … comes with different needs. And many times, with this kind of little help, it improves their living conditions,” she added.
“After you’ve cleaned the whole house, … you show them (another) side of the world — meaning that (they) could live like this.”
Today, the woman focused on restoring dignity to other people’s homes is fighting a battle of her own.
Diagnosed with vision loss last April, she is now blind in one eye and can no longer distinguish certain colours. It has affected her speed and independence on the ground.
In the On The Red Dot series, Hidden Heroes, she shares why she still returns to lead her team every Sunday as they serve the community.
WATCH: She knocks on rental flats to help them declutter (11:02)
Growing up in a rental flat on Mei Ling Street shaped Phua’s understanding of hardship and her commitment to serve low-income families.
At age 16, while visiting nursing homes, she began encountering elderly residents whom she considered “sad cases”, such as those with physical disability or mental illness.
“I felt that I should do more, maybe … volunteer at the beginning point and not the end point to find out their needs before they become needy,” she recalled.
That was when she began knocking on doors in rental blocks. Her one-woman effort has since grown into an active volunteer group, for example expanding from friends and classmates to colleagues and eventually their spouses and children.
It also operates without funding. Instead, it relies entirely on volunteer support and “courage”.
The volunteers from Keeping Hope Alive.
“Whether … you’re a fridge repairperson (or) you know how to repair a washing machine, you come and repair lah,” she said. “Volunteer your time, volunteer your skills.”
Over the years, she has seen some residents who once received help regain their footing and eventually become volunteers themselves. They show up every Sunday to help others and even recruit neighbours along the way.
“How nice (it’d be) if every Singaporean … can free (up their) time and do this,” she said.
When Phua’s eye condition began to worsen, she “felt like dying”, she said. She soon found herself unable to tell blue from black and knew it would be only a matter of time before she loses her sight completely.
Her immediate concern was for her daughter and the people who depended on her work. “Can I still go and do what I like to do every Sunday?” she remembered thinking. “Can I still continue this platform, Keeping Hope Alive?”
Today, the role reversal is plain for her to see — where she once stood beside others in their hour of need, she now relies on people to stand beside her.
Despite advice that she should focus on herself, she said she cannot look away when faced with unsafe living conditions for others.
“I’m like a bridge,” she said. “With what I’m doing, I can bring your eyes to see what you can’t see. I can bring your ear to listen to what you can’t (hear). And I can move your heart to (act).”
With vision loss, Phua must often hold on to others when walking.
Living with vision loss, she added, has driven her to a “level of resilience” she never knew she had.
And what sustains her is simple. “My duty as a mother, duty as a wife, duty as a daughter, duty as a founder of Keeping Hope Alive,” she cited.
Watch this story in the Hidden Heroes series here. And read about the hidden hero who writes to prison inmates every day, even after being told he has less than a year to live. The programme, On The Red Dot, airs on Channel 5 every Friday at 9.30pm.
Source: CNA/dp
Newsletter
Subscribe to the best of CNA Insider
CNA's best current affairs documentaries with a deeper look at issues affecting Asia, sent to your inbox weekly.
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Download here
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app
Join here
Continue reading...
FAST
SINGAPORE: For close to 30 years, a rental flat in Clementi had not been cleaned.
Inside, a 76-year-old man had been living amid piles of newspapers, rubbish and furniture overrun with bed bugs, with space for movement limited to narrow pathways. His toilet had not been washed in decades either.
“It’s because there’s a lot of money inside all these newspapers,” Fion Phua of volunteer platform Keeping Hope Alive said. “He was worried that people (might come in and) throw away (his money).”
But that finally changed when he accepted Phua’s offer of help.
She leads a network of volunteers to improve living conditions for underprivileged Singaporeans. And more than 10 volunteers came to clean the man’s flat, fully briefed on its state.
Wearing protective gear, they began clearing the hall and kitchen. The walls were repainted, the toilet scrubbed, and a chemical wash was done for the entire flat.
The state of the flat before it was cleaned.
Once the cleaning was completed, essentials such as a bed, fridge and washing machine were moved in. The operation took about nine hours, starting at 8am, following a week of planning.
Phua, 55, coordinates her volunteers through WhatsApp, broadcasting the locations in advance and ensuring the right mix of skills for the job, which may call for plumbers, painters, nurses and even manicurists.
Sometimes there is a need to change a light bulb; other times, it is to fix a leaking tap or toilet flush, replace a cracked toilet bowl or help sort medication.
The team keeps a close eye on elderly residents especially at year end, working to declutter homes and identify hoarding before living conditions become dangerous.
Volunteers for Keeping Hope Alive gathering for Phua’s briefing.
After 40 years of doing this work, Phua said she has become something of a “hoarder expert”. “Every family … comes with different needs. And many times, with this kind of little help, it improves their living conditions,” she added.
“After you’ve cleaned the whole house, … you show them (another) side of the world — meaning that (they) could live like this.”
Today, the woman focused on restoring dignity to other people’s homes is fighting a battle of her own.
Diagnosed with vision loss last April, she is now blind in one eye and can no longer distinguish certain colours. It has affected her speed and independence on the ground.
In the On The Red Dot series, Hidden Heroes, she shares why she still returns to lead her team every Sunday as they serve the community.
WATCH: She knocks on rental flats to help them declutter (11:02)
HOW SHE BEGAN KNOCKING ON DOORS
Growing up in a rental flat on Mei Ling Street shaped Phua’s understanding of hardship and her commitment to serve low-income families.
At age 16, while visiting nursing homes, she began encountering elderly residents whom she considered “sad cases”, such as those with physical disability or mental illness.
“I felt that I should do more, maybe … volunteer at the beginning point and not the end point to find out their needs before they become needy,” she recalled.
That was when she began knocking on doors in rental blocks. Her one-woman effort has since grown into an active volunteer group, for example expanding from friends and classmates to colleagues and eventually their spouses and children.
It also operates without funding. Instead, it relies entirely on volunteer support and “courage”.
The volunteers from Keeping Hope Alive.
“Whether … you’re a fridge repairperson (or) you know how to repair a washing machine, you come and repair lah,” she said. “Volunteer your time, volunteer your skills.”
Over the years, she has seen some residents who once received help regain their footing and eventually become volunteers themselves. They show up every Sunday to help others and even recruit neighbours along the way.
“How nice (it’d be) if every Singaporean … can free (up their) time and do this,” she said.
LOSING HER VISION
When Phua’s eye condition began to worsen, she “felt like dying”, she said. She soon found herself unable to tell blue from black and knew it would be only a matter of time before she loses her sight completely.
LISTEN: In cleaning homes for 40 years, volunteer Fion Phua says the underprivileged help her
Her immediate concern was for her daughter and the people who depended on her work. “Can I still go and do what I like to do every Sunday?” she remembered thinking. “Can I still continue this platform, Keeping Hope Alive?”
Today, the role reversal is plain for her to see — where she once stood beside others in their hour of need, she now relies on people to stand beside her.
Despite advice that she should focus on herself, she said she cannot look away when faced with unsafe living conditions for others.
“I’m like a bridge,” she said. “With what I’m doing, I can bring your eyes to see what you can’t see. I can bring your ear to listen to what you can’t (hear). And I can move your heart to (act).”
With vision loss, Phua must often hold on to others when walking.
Living with vision loss, she added, has driven her to a “level of resilience” she never knew she had.
And what sustains her is simple. “My duty as a mother, duty as a wife, duty as a daughter, duty as a founder of Keeping Hope Alive,” she cited.
Watch this story in the Hidden Heroes series here. And read about the hidden hero who writes to prison inmates every day, even after being told he has less than a year to live. The programme, On The Red Dot, airs on Channel 5 every Friday at 9.30pm.
You may also be interested in:
Source: CNA/dp
Newsletter
CNA Insider
Subscribe to the best of CNA Insider
CNA's best current affairs documentaries with a deeper look at issues affecting Asia, sent to your inbox weekly.
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Download here
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app
Join here
Continue reading...