In it together
2020 is a year that will go down in history as the year where almost all of human race ‘caught a cold’. It is a year that disrupted many industries and lives.
It is a pivot year for both organisations and individuals - a test of resilience and embracing change.
On a positive note, one would see it as a year of opportunities. It gave way to technology that did not reach its potential such as virtual events, tools and technology integration. With the pandemic giving the population a push to connect virtually locally and beyond boundaries, making unified communication the keyword to communicating today.
Not ready for change
Our beneficiaries and their families faced tremendous pressure from the lack of access to technology for education and professional, increased financial aid. Many of these families depend on the gig economy for monthly sustenance.
With the pandemic, many experience loss of income coupled with worry for the safety of their chronically-ill child whose immune system is severely compromised, leaving the little ones susceptible to contracting the virus.
Forward Nonetheless
From a year of trials and opportunities, these 3 important aspects apply to almost everyone:
1. It’s OK to be not OK
The pandemic changed
the way academic lessons are carried out
the way businesses are operating
social interactions are restricted to minimal
social activities are either cancelled or reduced to smaller group size.
Some CRS beneficiaries and their families felt disconnected and were at a loss during the lockdown.
Many children needed laptops and internet access to keep up with ongoing academic lessons. The children’s usual leisure activities are also cancelled or converted to online sessions. We are thankful that many corporate and community donations came in to support these immediate needs.
2020 indeed took CHANGE to a whole new level. All aspects of comfort were disrupted for both personal and professional. The personal touch was quickly replaced with unified communication and integrated technology. This brought about uncertainty, a need to retrain and upskill.
2. Always Keep An Open Mind
With CHANGE, there are always opportunities for personal and professional growth.
CRS teams were challenged to think out of the box to increase community engagement, conversion of physical to virtual events and engagement with the beneficiaries and their families. Children and their families were also encouraged to participate in online activities to keep connected and engaged.
3. Never Give Up
An encouraging and positive environment helps to give the children confidence as we go through one of their critical milestones – PSLE. All the children who have been attending weekly tuition with us passed their PSLE exams this year. It wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of volunteer tutors who still came forward for these children and never gave up despite the pandemic.
As the saying goes ‘The community that plays together stays together’ and this couldn’t be more true than in current time. The support from relevant authorities helped charities with financial support such as the Fortitude Budget and matching grant from Toteboard. Donations from individual and group fundraisers aid in the increased need for financial assistance, food rations and immediate demand for hygiene products to maintain adequate sanitisation.
We want to thank all our corporate partners, group and individual fundraisers, donors, volunteers, beneficiaries and their families for their perseverance and getting through 2020 together.
Let’s continue to Stay Safe, Stay Strong and Stay United!
We wish everyone a Happy Ox-picious Lunar New Year! May the year of Ox bring all of us good health, abundance and prosperity!
