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Extending Help – Our Way

June 2020

For single mother and F&B worker Nicolette, 24, COVID-19 has meant clocking fewer than half her regular hours, and a major drop in take-home pay. She is separated from her husband, and it is a struggle to make ends meet – she is paying off a loan and gives her mother-in-law a monthly allowance to help with looking after her 7-year-old while she works and does her GCE 'O' Level examination as a private candidate. 

She sought help from Student Care @ Children’s Society, which her daughter goes to, which will now also provide Nicolette with $150 monthly from its Casework Fund until July to take some of the financial pressure off.

Families like Nicolette’s are among the many low-income families that have run into financial difficulties due to the impact of COVID-19, which has, no doubt, been felt most strongly by those who can least afford it. 

A number of parents the Society is in touch with have either been placed on no-pay leave or have had their working hours reduced by employers trying to minimise overheads.

In addition to trying to secure financial assistance, our social workers have been helping in other ways. The team from Student Care @ Children’s Society, for instance, also compiles training and job opportunities for parents who need them. The list, which is shared with all service centres, has grown as ideas and opportunities pour in from across the Society.

Training opportunities range from pre and post-natal massage courses to basic IT courses, while jobs include roles such as healthcare assistants and temporary event ambassadors, among others. 

Mr Fang Xinwei, Assistant Director and Head of Student Care @ Children’s Society, adds that the initiative has been a reminder that in this crisis, anyone can help – in big or small ways. “This initiative also reminded us that we need not be on the frontline to help. We can help in our own way.” 

If your company is recruiting or if you know of training or job opportunities that might suit the families of our beneficiaries, email Ms Lee Poh Ling at pllee@childrensociety.org.sg.

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