SINGAPORE — Fion Phua has been volunteering for so long, she is nicknamed Robin Hood for her efforts helping the poor. Singapore's partial lockdown as the coronavirus was spreading in April left her fretting over how the blind, bedridden and elderly living alone would cope.
She had to stop her volunteer activities for a month, but Phua decided to keep going in May with visits every two weeks. Her core team of volunteers met urgent needs — plumbers, handymen and people who could dispense medicine or tap on government resources.
"We support social distancing, not social isolation," Phua said.
The informal network she founded, Keeping Hope Alive, has toiled tirelessly for over two decades to reach Singapore's less fortunate in different neighborhoods. Its model is built on people offering their time and unique skills rather than donating money.
They've resumed their weekly visits now, and on a recent Sunday morning, suited up in personal protective gear, masks and face shields despite the tropical heat. Then small teams fanned out to knock on doors at the Henderson rental flats.
Once the residents' most-pressing needs were identified, the volunteers acted immediately — installing bicycle bells on wheelchairs, trimming nails, cleaning bed bug-infested homes, and checking if household items need replacement.
Trained hairdresser Mark Yuen, 65, is one of the volunteers. "To some people, a haircut is more than beauty and hygiene, it also provides comfort. It makes one feel that they are not alone… that someone cares," he said.
An array of donated items was arranged for distribution to the residents — rice, cooking oil, eggs, boxes of fresh produce, vitamins, and children's toys. Residents eagerly queued to stock up on essential or eyed big-ticket items like washing machines, hospital beds and sofas.
