Having witnessed how small individual efforts can grow into collective impact, veteran environmental volunteers Wong Sin Hwa and Chua Wee Chong share this message: you can do more than you think.
Her father’s words, “You may be poor, but never poor in spirit,” set the then-young Chang Nyuk Mui on three lifelong goals and spurred her to cross the Causeway to build a life in Singapore. The path was harsh and tiring, but she pressed on with resolve, and through her selfless love, she shone in her own quiet way.
At the turn of the millennium, Dr Edwin Lim Boon Howe gave up a promising private practice in search of a deeper sense of purpose. After exploring different paths, he finally chose to work full time with Tzu Chi, setting aside conventional measures of success to focus on serving humanity. Through his dedication to community health, volunteering, and preventive care, he reveals a side of doctors that is compassionate and deeply human, one that goes beyond treatments to focus on genuine care and connection.
Witnessing a nurse mishandle a loved one at the age of 11 became the defining moment that set Nancy Tan on the path to nursing. After spending 39 years working in public hospitals and a private clinic, she transitioned to home care, where she says she has discovered the true meaning of human touch in healthcare.
For Fang Yuting, it took witnessing an elderly lady struggling to collect discarded cardboards to peel back the veneer of Singapore’s glittering skyline and prosperous city. In that moment, Yuting glimpsed the hidden struggles of those often forgotten. What began as a simple act of compassion deepened her resolve to make a difference, guiding her towards a lifelong commitment to serve the community through Tzu Chi.
As a child, Sim Cher Chian slept on park benches, sometimes hiding under parked cars, covering himself with cardboard to shield against the night wind. He drank from a tap in a coffee shop. The remote corners of the city were his temporary refuge. At that time, he never imagined that life could hold any other possibilities.
In 1970s Singapore, amidst the neon lights and nightlife, the son of a bar and nightclub owner stood on a rooftop terrace, watching drunken patrons stumble out and hostesses with their makeup still smeared. 50 years later, he stood underneath the Bodhi tree at Jing Si Hall, exclaiming, “The path of spiritual practice — how many lifetimes must one walk it?”
From embracing the corporate grind to volunteering and now working in a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Sharifah Faizah has led quite a colourful life. She shares more about how she got to this place in her life, the challenges and her own personal development.
Ang Chin Koon, an entrepreneur who has a deep affinity with Tzu Chi and has been engaging in charitable activities for 24 years, delved into the worlds of culture and art to contribute to charity.
The contact between healthcare professionals and their patients tends to be closer when medical services are delivered at the patient's home. Dr Ho Xin Qin revealed, "When you step into the patient's home, the patient becomes a person with a family.“
Not only does Tin Tin take care of Madam Koh's domestic work 24/7, but she also plays a vital role of a “saviour” in extraordinary times.
With a declining birth rate and a rapidly ageing society, elderly people are having a tough time looking after each other. The community’s varying degrees of medical care and everyday living care services are critical to the elderly Toh couple’s retirement life at home.
Nobody knows how long her journey as a caregiver is going to be, but Ho Ngit Wah still looks forward to her golden years.
Reaching our golden years would often signal an opportunity to sit back and enjoy a long-awaited break after slogging hard for the better part of our lives. However, for one senior, she is bucking the trend through her zeal to learn and help fellow seniors.
Every visit is a valuable opportunity despite the time constraint and limited contact for volunteers to provide the most in-depth and targeted support possible.
While most seniors would typically be enjoying a life of leisure upon retirement, this has not been the case for two senior Tzu Chi volunteers. Find out how they have remained active through volunteering at Tzu Chi TCM Free Clinic (Redhill) in their golden years.
Compared to other commercial TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) clinics, the Tzu Chi TCM Free Clinic is mainly supported by a pool of volunteer TCM practitioners, with more than 70% of its practitioners serving on a pro bono basis. We shine the spotlight on two of them who have been actively contributing their services at the Redhill branch.
Do you have any gifts given to you as a child which you still hold on dearly to? For Ms May Tai Nyeok Moi, one particular present she received as an eight-year-old helped change the trajectory of her entire life.
“I don't know if it's too cliché to say that, but 'as long as it is right, just do it!' because there may not be a second chance.” Chua Hwee Pheng, who suffered from a rare brain disease, once said firmly. And she practised what she preached as she always went out of her way to ensure that no regret remained.
To contribute selflessly is a blessing;
while to eliminate worries is wisdom.
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