On March 29th, around 20 Keeping Hope Alive volunteers gathered at Ang Mo Kio Ave 4 to clean up a home belonging to a macik in her 60s. Her health condition requires her to stay at an elderly care center on the weekdays.  She has a daughter and 2 sons, one son recently got hospitalized after a serious accident, therefore she needs support tidying up her home.
The team included many newcomers working alongside regular volunteers. We distributed tasks according to experience - sorting through clothing, clearing expired food, and organizing what remained so the family would have a comfortable, functional space.

Our priority was creating a safe path for aunty to move around her home without obstacles. The men tackled heavy lifting, removing a double-decker bed that posed safety risks and cleaning the fans. Others worked on general cleaning in the kitchen and toilets. Among our volunteers were handymen, a first aider, and a professional nurse - each contributing their skills where needed.
No task was considered too small. Every cleared surface, every sorted pile, every cleaned corner made the space more livable.

When we finished, aunty was so grateful that tears rolled down her face. She said she was very happy and thanked us, hugging our founder Fion Phua. We thanked her in return - for giving us the opportunity to be better people and to do something meaningful.

"感谢您让我们做有用的人" - thank you for letting us be useful people.

"If there is hope, keep the hope alive"
~ Fion Phua