The Tzu Chi Foundation (Singapore) concluded the year for its Parent-Child Bonding Class at the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan Cultural Academy. The students from different classes expressed their gratitude in different ways to their parents and Tzu Chi volunteers for their quiet contributions to the class over the year.

How does one surmount obstacles easily? “Don’t impose limits on yourself, then it won’t be difficult.” Tzu Ching seniors Dai Ming Han and Lin Zi Xiong shared how one’s mentality can affect the way one deals with a situation at the annual Tzu Shao (Tzu Chi Teenagers’ Class) camp held on 26 and 27 November 2016. During the camp, participants prepared a series of items, including a Pokemon inspired play, a song and sign language segment, and a skit which illustrated the teachings of Jing Si Aphorisms.

World AIDS Day falls on 1 December 2016 every year and is dedicated towards raising awareness of the disease as well as its prevention and control. Since 1999, Tzu Chi Singapore has been providing both subsidies for medication and emotional support to sufferers of the disease, and the organization was awarded the Red Ribbon Award by Action For AIDS (AFA), an NGO committed to AIDS prevention, advocacy and support.

As a logistics and financial hub, Singapore has an exciting spread of culinary delights to offer. Vegetarian cuisine is no longer the standard fare of green vegetables and tofu of yesteryear; today one can see vegetarian menus influenced by the creativity of different cultures around the world. The Tzu Chi Collegiate Youth Association (Tzu Ching) kicked off its 6th VERO (Veggie Hero) activity with “VERO Go!” and participants took the MRT in search of tasty vegetarian delights from around the world.

“I look forward to this day every year; my child just wishes for people to be around him and make him laugh,” said a mother whose child is a member of the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled in Singapore (MINDS). The Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA) recently held its tenth free dental clinic for MINDS beneficiaries at the Tzu Chi Free Clinic in Redhill, an undertaking made possible by eight dentists together with TIMA members and volunteers.

“Thank you teachers, for your hard work. We love you.” Graduating valedictorian Soh Shao Quan stood on stage and delivered his speech with care and clarity. Apart from expressing their gratitude for their teachers at the third graduation ceremony of the Tzu Chi Great Love PreSchool, the students broke away from the usual format and performed a musical entitled, “Our Green Home,” exhorting their audience to recycle together to care for the earth.

For TIMA (Tzu Chi International Medical Association) members who provide free monthly dental services to the Ren Ci Nursing Home at Bukit Batok, the joyful smiles of their patients is the best form of reward. Though they face many challenges, their attitude is one of willingness to serve. With half a year of experience adapting to their patients’ needs, the team’s members can perform their tasks more smoothly now. Seeing the bright smiles of their patients sporting new dentures, the team could only feel joy.

The Ebola virus epidemic ravaged West Africa in 2014, with Sierra Leone and Liberia being the worst affected. Tzu Chi offices in Taiwan and the United States, together with two Catholic aid organizations, the Healey Foundation and Caritas Internationalis, organized three aid distributions in Sierra Leone. Although the epidemic has tapered off, Tzu Chi continued to provide food aid to the country. Rice from Taiwan was delivered to the town of Koindu, the area that had seen the worst during the epidemic.