By Eugene Koh, Content Contributor
A group of students from Dunman High School curates virtual webinars to raise awareness and funds for the chronically ill in Singapore.
With the ring of the new decade, 2020 did not come in like a bell for good luck. But rather, an ominous siren that shook humanity to its core. COVID-19 has caused many plans to be disrupted or put to a standstill. Stay-at-home orders were given, and our social interactions were reduced to text message and video calls.
As desolate as the situation sounds, a group of students from Dunman High School were undeterred and determined to contribute back to society – even if they’re limited to behind the webcam.
“Project EMBRAVE” was the brainchild of Nicole Yeo, Ashley Yeo, Lin Weilin, Hu Yuzhou and Lee Wyne Sze. In collaboration with Club Rainbow Singapore, they aim to garner more support and to increase awareness for the chronically ill in society. “We felt touched that these children are so courageous in their fight against their illnesses and hence hoped for more people to embrace and understand them.” says Nicole, Founder of Project EMBRAVE. Merging the words ‘Embrace’ and ‘Bravery’, embrave means to “inspire with courage” and “dare to empower, empower to dare”.
- Project Embrave with Ms Dawn Sim
Through the use of social media and by word-of-mouth, the team had managed to garner a total of 47 donors to raise a total of S$2,700 through their webinar sessions. In these sessions, donors would bid for art pieces done by Club Rainbow’s beneficiaries which feature each child’s passions, hopes and aspirations. Apart from that, the group also reached out to prominent social media personalities like Ms Cheryl Wee and Ms Dawn Sim to speak about entrepreneurship and fitness tips. Tickets start from S$10.
- Project Embrave with Cheryl Wee
All of the proceeds go towards Club Rainbow Singapore where the money would be used for a range of services rendered - financial aid, food rations, therapy sessions and programmes for development. As the pandemic has caused financial and emotional instability, the group hopes to alleviate the beneficiaries’ financial burden through their efforts. They also wish to motivate beneficiaries to maintain a positive attitude and to always be resilient despite facing difficulties.
Spanning across 2 months from planning to execution, the group began working on this project during the 2020 Singapore Circuit Breaker measures. Where the bulk of the planning stage was done entirely online without face-to-face discussions. “At times, things could get a little messy, and it was hard to coordinate our plans. However, I believe that because we all knew each other well, we could work well with each other and overcome the limitations posed by the pandemic.” Says Nicole.
Although the group did not hit the amount they set to raise, they were proud and content to see their campaign materialise, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The speakers and webinar attendees also agreed that the webinar sessions were inspiring, and they had learned so much about the children of Club Rainbow as well as the unique challenges faced by these children. Nicole said that the group was very humbled by the experience as it gave them many opportunities to interact and learn about the stories of individuals from all walks of life. Overcoming challenges posed by the pandemic, the team is looking to initiate future projects.
“Giving back to society should not be seen as something compulsory. Rather, it should be done with sincerity and having the true willingness to help others.”
–Nicole Yeo, PROJECT EMBRAVE
Kickstart a giving back journey to the vulnerable little ones in the community!
Your efforts will be doubled as part of the Fortitude Budget, the government is matching donations to charities dollar-for-dollar till 31 March 2022.
To better support NPOs and givers, there will be NO TRANSACTION FEES on Giving.sg till 31 March 2021. Therefore, 100% of your donations will go to Club Rainbow (Singapore).
Do contact us crscpm@clubrainbow.org and we can guide you along to your first online campaign.
Eugene Koh
A social butterfly at heart, Eugene enjoys engaging with the people around him and building meaningful connections. He aspires to use his gift to engage and influence mass markets and make an impactful change in society.
When not mugging for his exams or fulfilling his National service duties, you can find him lurking around the pantry or queuing for bubble tea.