July - September 2017
PERTAPIS Editorial Team: Contributors Shafura Sulaiman Nashiedatul Umairah Abd Aziz Mohamad Farhan Mohamad Rashid Rafidah Rafid Nurul Janiah Mohd Jani Nurul Ain Mohd Kassim Soraya Begum Md Sufian Salim Mohd Salleh Jetty Rashidah Rashid Norasimah Sujai (Editor) Osman Mohamed (Editor) Nurul Janiah Mohd Jani (Designer) Advisors Abdul Wahab Hussein Mohd Jufri Haron
Pertapis Children’s Home Articles by: Shafura Sulaiman
OUR VISION Nurturing today’s Children for a better tomorrow
July Events 3 July “Hari Raya Celebration 2017” with NTUC Income NTUC Income extended a thoughtful invitation to 20 of our kids for a Hari Raya celebration with their organisation. Our kids were excited and all dressed smartly in their traditional Hari Raya outfits. They had a great time eating traditional cookies and enjoyed a huge spread of delicious Hari Raya dishes. The kids were extremely delighted to join in the Hari Raya singalong session and a few of them even went up to the front to take the microphone and lead the singing! Our sincerest thanks to NTUC Income for preparing Hari Raya related treasure hunts and food-tasting games for the kids to participate in while interacting with the staffs.
5 July MediaCorp’s – “Pinocchio: A Whale of a Tale” musical treat MediaCorp treated 10 children to a musical puppet show, Pinocchio at Far East Square as part of its CSR programme for the less privileged children. Using a fun and interactive approach, the kids were enlightened about environmental issues, financial literacy, community bonding, as well as family love. Using all sorts of props, the participants kept our kids very much engaged by the show. Our kids loved the show. Our heartiest appreciation to MediaCorp for extending this invitation to our kids.
8 July Kompang Performance @ SAFRA Toa Payoh
9 boys were invited to perform during the arrival of the Guest of Honour for SAFRA’s Hari Raya Gathering. The boys practiced hard prior to the gathering and hence were given the chance to showcase their talent in playing the Kompang during the gathering, to an intimate group of guests and Guest of Honor invited by SAFRA. The boys were treated to an amazing lunch. We really appreciate the experience and exposure given to our boys!
15 July KPMG Make a Difference Day (MADD) @ KPMG Clubhouse
KPMG organised the MADD event as part of their initiative to reach out to the community. Our kids had a full two-hour body workout while enjoying walking around and exploring the Marina Bay area. KPMG staff interacted with our kids, helping them to identify and recognize special landmarks such as the Merlion and the Esplanade as well as The Float @ Marina Bay. The children also took part in treasure hunting and played the game stations prepared.
29 July Adi Putra Hari Raya Meet and Greet @ Tanjong Katong Complex, Orange Ballroom 20 of our kids could barely hide their joy when the news broke out that they would be attending the Hari Raya -themed “meet and greet” session with celebrity actor Adi Putra! They were treated with a wide array of scrumptious dishes in a buffet style to start off the night before being thoroughly entertained by Adi Putra and Naja Bollywood, both of whom put up very engaging song performances with their own unique highlights that left our kids wanting more. The kids were overjoyed to join in with the singing and dancing and to end off the extravagant night, our kids also got their photographs taken with Adi Putra! What a treat!
August Events
5 August Uncle Ringo Carnival Hosted by Punggol CC and HIHS In celebration of Holy Innocents’ High School’s 125th anniversary, HIHS along with Punggol organized an Uncle Ringo Carnival and invited 15 of our kids to a fun day out at a carnival. Aside from all the fun and excitement that this carnival brought to our kids, they also learnt a little something about communal bonding and a shared sense of community. They got to immerse in the outdoor experience of carnival rides and game booths as well.
5 August Cirque du Soleil
15 kids had the chance to watch the talented acrobats of Cirque du Soleil through the sponsorship of Mr Robert Kheng, who bought the tickets for the children. The acrobatic performances and mid-air stunts kept the children on the edge of their seats.
18 August PSLE Workshop Sessions
PCH approached Mr Jamsari Ahmad to conduct 3 workshop sessions to help our Primary 6 residents prepare for PSLE. Mr Jamsari successfully created awareness in the children about PSLE not being just an examination but the beginning of a lifelong learning. He taught them some great studying skills as well as some ways to approach life in general. Our Primary 6 residents seemed to have learnt a lot of useful tips too. Thank you to Mr Jamsari for the great guidance and study pointers.
20 August Singapore Pakistani Association’s Annual Charity Picnic Singapore Pakistani Association brought out 20 residents for an outing to West Coast Park. They organized soccer tournaments, a session of baking cupcake, setting up a photo booth to take fun pictures and not forgetting the vast spread of delicious food and ice cream prepared too. A very big thank you to the organiser, Mdm Sophie Sheikh and the Singapore Pakistani Association’s members for once again putting wonderful smiles on our kids through this event!
September Events
16 September “Beautiful People” Mentoring Program Beautiful People(BP) a volunteer movement, began in Pertapis Centre for Women and Girls and have since been active for nearly 10 years. Beautiful People are a group of young volunteers who attempt to build a strong bond and relationship between themselves and our residents. Their main aim is to be a longterm, strong, dependable figure in our residents’ lives. They would come down on every third Saturday of the month to do therapeutic work through counseling sessions and conversations and provide a listening ear while working through any concerns our residents might have on an individual basis. They will also be physically present during any outings the resident might have as well as when our residents get discharged and reintegrate back into their families.
17 September Universal Studios Singapore outing with Doktor Kereta As a follow up outing from their Hari Raya meet and greet session previously held at Tanjong Katong Complex, Dr Kereta organized an allpaid for outing for 20 of our residents to spend an exciting day out with them at Universal Studios Singapore. It was also in conjunction with Dr Kereta’s Family Day. The children were presented with gifts at the end of the day and couldn’t stop brimming with joy the whole day! Picture Credit to Berita Harian Online
22 September A Tie That Binds by Boon Lay Garden Primary School Boon Lay Garden Primary School invited our residents for the celebration of their 45th Anniversary held at the Republic Polytechnic. They were given the opportunity to watch impressive Malay, Chinese and Indian dance performances as well as their Taekwondo athletes. Not only were their talents demonstrated well but their performances also educated all our residents to practice tolerance and show kind friendliness to all races, showing unity regardless of our race or religion. Our residents were truly inspired by all the performances and learned some important life values too.
23 September The Rising Star Project Graduation Ceremony After the rigorous training for the past few months and ardent participation the 2-day on-site rehearsal, 30 resident-participants were finally ready to don their colorful outfits and perform in the full gaze of family members, invited guests, staffs, teachers and friends. It was a proud moment to know that their hard work and effort were worth it by the loud burst of claps which thundered through the Auditorium.
29 September Hillside World Academy’s Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration 10 of our residents were invited by the Hillside World Academy (HWA) to participate in the MidAutumn Festival Celebration which was hosted by their teachers and students. The residents watched the HWA students’ performances of Mandarin songs, shadow puppet storytelling, solo performances and the presentation of the lantern-making contest award. Friendship between HWA and PCH was forged as they joined in the fun-filled session at the festival games’ stores.
Activities and Engagement sessions at the Home
Hari Raya Celebration with Mdm Zhywee, friends and family
In-house Program with Mdm Hajera and family
Birthday celebration with Food From The Heart
DHL Volunteers’ Interaction Programme
Service Learning Programme with Holy Innocents Primary School
Roche Technical Operation visits PCH
Chiltern House Mountbatten Kindergarten Afternoon Performance
H-Tyre Pte Ltd ‘Artistic Relief’ session
Thomson Online Benefits Interactive Visit
Octoburst! 2017 by Esplanade Co Ltd
Fitness Health Programme with Singapore Prison Service
Pertapis Centre For Women & Girls
Articles by: Nashiedatul Umairah
July Events 8 July Hari Raya celebration with “Beautiful People (BP)”
Staffs, residents and their families celebrated Hari Raya Eid-ul Fitri at the Centre with much festivity and splendour. This year, mentors from Beautiful People co-organised the event with their Little Sisters; adding to the festivity and happiness. The celebration buffet treat included everyone’s favourite Hari Raya spread of lontong, rendang and much more! Residents put up performances and forged friendship whilst participating in games and activities. A best dressed competition was also held to add to the sense of fun. Parents and residents who sportingly displayed their talent and creativity, walked away with exciting gift hampers.
23 July Jentayu Rock Raya 2017
20 residents were invited to celebrate Hari Raya as well as spend an afternoon of musical fun with the Jentayu Band at Kampong Ubi CC. Its Women’s Executive Committee sponsored an array of lunch buffet and some goodie bags for the residents. Residents from PCH were also invited to attend to enjoy the music and performance. The residents shared that they had enjoyed the afternoon. The performers were touched by the enthusiastic response from their young audience.
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted -Aesop
August Events
13 August Illuminations of Joy: Lantern Making and Visit to Gardens by the Bay 13 girls were invited to Gardens by the Bay for lantern making activity and a tour of the Gardens by the Bay. The youths shared that the visit was refreshing as they were able to immerse themselves in the greeneries, which they found to be relaxing and somewhat enriching. Designing and subsequently making the lanterns were new experiences for the youths and they were appreciative of the opportunity.
26 August Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress 18 beneficiaries were invited to watch the Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress, featuring local talents like Kit Chan with music by Dick Lee. Two of the greatest icons of China’s ancient history come to life before their eyes in a spectacular musical of epic proportions. The girls enjoyed the theatrical evening which took them back in time.
The power of giving, is greater than the joy of receiving
September Events
8 September OCBC Birthday Celebration
Our wonderful partners from Food from the Heart organised their monthly birthday celebrations for the September babies of PCWG. Publicis Media Singapore who kindly sponsored this event, brought some of their personnel over for a few hours of fun and games which kept the girls on their feet. The evening ended with cake cutting ceremony and presentation of gifts to the delight of the September babies! It was an evening of fun, merriment and of course, cake for all!
23 September TRSP Graduation
To mark the completion of The Rising Star Project; Reality TV 2017, a programme in its 3rd year running, a graduation ceremony, showcasing the talents of its graduating students, was organised. It was held at Woodlands Regional Library. There were varied performances which included Dikir Barat, drama, solo performances and dances. The performers made up of our youths from the PERTAPIS Youth Cultural Wing, had trained hard all year long to deliver performances that received outstanding support and accolade. It was indeed a proud moment for the performers and their trainers to see the beaming faces of family members, friends and staff applauding in the audience. There were also solo performances by 2 talents who were scouted through the program and had underwent intensive vocal trainings. The event, which was graced by MP Mdm Rahayu Mahzam and Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim; Senior Parliamentary Secretary. They were featured in the Berita Harian and Malay News on Suria. It was heartening to see the performers who gave their all and deserved the accolade and applause. Picture Credit to Berita Harian Online
Pertapis Senior Citizens’ Fellowship Home
Articles by: Rafidah Rafid
July Events 23 July High-tea Invitation @ Sri Ruthrakaliamman temple Sri Ruthrakaliamman Temple invited all our beneficiaries for a high tea event alongside with Muslim Kidney Association. Despite the different culture and religion, the volunteers and staff from the temple greeted us with warmth and made us feel like home. It was a beautiful sight to witness how a community comes together despite their differences as one. Our beneficiaries felt very grateful and elated throughout the event. The organisers and volunteers put in so much effort for our residents to reminisce the good times. Kacang counter, Henna station, Malay Traditional Games were set up to allow the residents to reminisce the good old times. Above all, the warmth friendship and also care for one another was the best establishment from the wonderful event.
August Event
7 August Hari Raya Celebration at Royal Palm Hotel
Hari Raya Aidilfitri invitation was a joyous occasion for our residents. Invitations from various organisations and sponsors to celebrate the occasion together helps to enliven the spirit and mood of the festive season. Residents get to enjoy scrumptious buffet spread from Royal Palm Hotel. The melodic songs and beautiful ambience enlighten our resident’s hearts. Traditional ancient food was served to fill up the resident’s tummy. Fancy lucky draw gifts were the highlight of the event. One of our residents won the barbeque set as the lucky draw prizes.
August NUS Programmes
The residents were happy when students from National University of Singapore (NUS) came over to do a range of meaningful programmes with them. The students spent a total of 5 days with the residents between the months of June and August. The students did performances and had interaction sessions with the residents each time they came to allow familiarization before proceeding with the activities for the day. ARTS & CRAFTS Residents were pleased when they had the opportunity to learn the art of making prayer beads from scratch. It did not only allow them to exercise their fine motor skills, it also allowed them to learn a new craft skill. During another session, the residents were each given a paper printed with patterns to paint on, with a range of colours to choose from. This activity allowed them to boost their imagination as well as creativity. It also allowed close interaction which led to intergenerational bonding between the students and residents.
GARDENING The residents also engaged in gardening activities such as terrarium making and planting of seeds in soil in a plastic bottle. This was exciting to the residents as the gardening activities were being brought to them. During one of the sessions, residents planted flower seeds in a plastic bottle and were then brought to the physical garden to tie the plastic bottles there which helped to further beautify the garden. This gardening activity allowed intergenerational learning as during the session, residents were constantly sharing with the students the uses and benefits of the flower being planted and how they were used in the past which led to them engaging in the process of reminiscing. During the final session, the students did interaction activities which includes sing-along session, question and answer games as well as dance and singing performances from the students. Everyone had a really enjoyable time engaging in intergenerational bonding and learning activities. The residents look forward to them coming again in the future. We thank the NUS students for their efforts in making the residents happy and hope to see them come again.
September Event
29 September Visit from Abdul Rahman Corporation Residents and staff at Pertapis Senior Citizens Fellowship Home, for the first time, received the visitors from Abdul Rahman Law Corporation with open arms when they came for a visit. The residents were touched by their generosity upon donating cash individually. It’s heartening to see a group of vibrant young individuals reaching out to the community and making our seniors’ day. We pray for good health and happiness for everyone at Abdul Rahman Law Corporation. Our door is surely open for them should they want to come and visit PSCFH again. Thank You Abdul Rahman Law Corporations!
29 September Madrasah Arabitah Visit
Students from Madrasah Arabitah came to Pertapis Senior Citizens Fellowship Home (PSCFH) on two occasions. Both days consisted of programmes and activities that allowed inter-generational bonding between youths from Madrasah Arabitah and the elderly residents at PSCFH. The residents were entertained by the performances and riddles prepared by the students. The residents were also thankful for the food donations consisting of delicious treats such as curry puffs and traditional kuih-muih. Everyone is thankful for their efforts in making the residents happy and PSCFH surely look forward to more visits from them.
30 September NTUC Affiliated Unions Leaders taking the lead with our Elderly to The Singapore Flyer Member of Parliament for Pasir Ris East Constituency Mr Zainal Bin Sapari came to PSCFH and took the residents out for an excursion to The Singapore Flyer. Our warmest gratitude goes to a team of dedicated leaders from NTUC Affiliated Unions for their heartfelt effort and hard work for the event. PSCFH residence experienced a memorable pleasing ride of approximately 30 minutes per revolution of the Singapore Flyer. Residence had expresses their excitement and delightfulness for the spectacular view of Singapore’s magnificent cityscape. Indeed, a beautiful sight when our resident’s eyes widened and they participated actively during the sing-a-long session. A wonderful soothing acoustic live performance was done by the volunteers from NTUC Unions, residence was engaged in fun filled sing-a-long session. The event gathered beautiful memories for our residence.
Pertapis Halfway House
Articles by: Farhan Rashid
OUR VISION To be a model Service Provider in Reintegration Programmes
July Events
29 July Spiritual Outing @ Assyafaah Mosque The residents visited Assyafaah Mosque at Admiralty Lane as part of the monthly spiritual outing development programme of PHH. They listened to a lecture on Islamic marriage and marital relationship by Uztaz Mohd Suhaimi Mohd Fauzi.
August Events
10 August National Day 2017 Residents and staff of PHH stand in line to listen to the National Day speech by Deputy Head PHH, Mr Sufian Salim to mark Singapore’s 52nd National Day They soon retreated to the auditorium to enjoy a hearty meal of cakes and drinks to celebrate the fine occasion.
10 August
Mobile Clinic + Flu Vaccination + Smoking Cessation Mount Alvernia’s medical team offered free general medical screenings and fluvaccinations for the residents. A group of Duke-NUS medical students were also present to conduct the smoke cessation interviews and advised them on ways to kick the habit. They hope to further help the residents with follow-up sessions.
24 August HeritageCares tour: Singapore Night Festival Singapore Night Festival : Staff and residents attended the Night Heritage Tour which was held in conjunction with the Singapore Night Festival 2017 at the Cathay Green & National Museum vicinity. They also watched the theatre performance by the Globe Close-Act Theatre from the Netherlands.
September Events
16 September Chief Justice Futsal Competition
PHH residents participated in a Futsal Competition organised by Ministry of Law. The participants included law firms, the Courts, tertiary institutions and halfway houses. Despite the strong competition, PHH emerged as the champion of the tournament against runner–up SMU Law Faculty with a score of 2:1, PHH was awarded medals and a trophy in which they get to hold on to for the next two years until the next futsal tournament in year 2019.
17 September Yellow Ribbon Run
PHH residents and staffs participated in the Yellow Ribbon (YR) Prison Run which was organised by SCORE and the Prisons Department. The 5-km run starting point was at the SAF Field, Farnborough Road (near Changi Village) and ended at Changi Prison Complex. The residents were later presented with the medals for their participation. This annual event aims to garner community support for second chances and create possibilities for their re-integration of exoffenders.
23 September International Coastal Clean-up
Singapore Night Festival : Staff and residents attended the Night Heritage Tour which was held in conjunction with the Singapore Night Festival 2017 at the Cathay Green & National Museum vicinity. They also watched the theatre performance by the Globe Close-Act Theatre from the Netherlands.
MISSION To provide a holistic approach in our re-integration programmes to bring out a positive lifestyle
TAJ Community Project
Articles by: Nurul Janiah
September Event
4 September Educational Field Trip to the Singapore Zoo
10 families from the weekly tuition programme were selected for a day out to the Zoo during the September holiday! For many, it was their first time to the Zoo with their family. The children were brimming with joy as they witnessed many animals during the trip. ‘I enjoyed today a lot, I was able to introduce to my little sister the animals that we read about at home. I wish there will be more outings like this’ as quoted from one of the children.
16 September Home Cleaning with ITE College East A group of students from ITE College East volunteered to be a part of the home cleaning activity for our beneficiaries. Being exposed to the lived realities of the disabled and elderly, the home cleaning session was a lesson learn for the students to be contented with what they have. It was also dawned upon them that there are many ways for them to contribute back to the community and we look forward to having the students at our future events!
The students intently cleaning the house
19 September Home United vs Albirex Nigata Being supporters of Home United FC, the beneficiaries were brought to Bishan Stadium to witness the Home United vs Albirex Nigata for the running S League. Dinner was provided by Home United before the start of the match. Despite the match held on a weekday and after a long and tiring day at school and work, it did not stop them from cheering their hearts content for the team. The match ended with a draw score of 2 - 2.
Sitting at the edge of the seat as the intensifying match is ongoing
Major Events
22 July Riuh-riuh Aidil Fitri PERTAPIS Women Wing and PCWG co-organised the annual PERTAPIS Hari Raya Celebration with a theme of going back to the fabulous 80’s! Artists from the 80’s era were invited to perform their classic songs. Youths from PCWG performed a traditional Malay dance for the guests. Seniors from the PERTAPIS Senior Citizen Fellowship Home (PSCFH) as well as the beneficiaries from Tabung Amal Jariah (TAJ) were also invited to enliven the celebration. The celebrations continued with a scrumptious buffet of traditional Malay food and games on stage with the guests.
A finale performance by the management and artistes and a group photo for the day!
9 September Korban Distribution
MP Mr Amrin Amin turned up as their Guest-of-Honor to witness the annual korban meat distribution by Pertapis. Staffs assisted to explain to Mr Amrin how the meat boxes were stored, and unpacked before being distributed to the recipients. Mr Amrin took a short tour of PHH and met with the residents, staffs and guests present at the event.
Pertapis Latest Fundraising Event