Singapore volunteers help vulnerable amid virus

Fion Phua has been volunteering for so long that she is nicknamed Robin Hood for her efforts to help 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 start again in May, visiting people every two weeks.

"COVID will not be over in one or two days, and not one or two months, even not one or two years. So we ought to adjust our living lifestyle that we look after the weak, the poor, the sick," Phua said.

Her core team of volunteers meets urgent needs — plumbers, handymen and people who can dispense medicine or tap on government resources.

The informal network she founded, Keeping Hope Alive, has worked 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, 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 needed replacing.

Trained hairdresser Mark Yuen, 65, is one of the volunteers. To him, a haircut is more than beauty and hygiene, it also provides comfort and makes others feel that they are not alone.

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 essentials, or eyed big-ticket items like washing machines, beds and sofas.

Sukkuriya Beevi's refrigerator broke down a month ago. She's from India, and works in Singapore as a cleaner.

"Her monthly salary is $1,300, so it's quite hard because she has to pay the house bills and all the bills that we need," explained her 13 year old son, Habib Sulthan.

Volunteers verified Beevi's situation, then carted a new fridge straight to her kitchen and provided a stash of supermarket vouchers, along with garlic, onions and vegetables. As a gesture of thanks, she made tea for the volunteers.

During Singapore's partial lockdown, direct contact with elderly people was limited because of their susceptability to the virus.

So Phua's network handed out donated smartphones and taught the recipients how to video call and access government services online.

They were overjoyed to see their loved ones through the screen, even if they couldn't hug, Phua recalled.

Phua hopes during a crisis like the coronavirus pandemic that people retain their sense of empathy.