Ride for Rainbows 2022 and 30th Anniversary Birthday Bash

Club Rainbow (Singapore)’s biggest event of the year, Ride for Rainbows 2022 and the 30th Anniversary Birthday Bash have successfully concluded on 27 November 2022.

The physical Ride for Rainbows is back after being virtual for 2 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic!

In conjunction with Club Rainbow (Singapore)’s 30th Anniversary, this year's edition for Ride for Rainbows is met with a hybrid format, giving our riders the flexibility to participate in a physical or virtual ride. We also had a birthday bash carnival with a tons of carnival games and rides at the end of the physical ride to celebrate this very special day and spend a fun filled day with our beneficiaries and their families!

On that day, there were over 600 participants and volunteers who turned up at Marina Barrage. This includes 78 families, close to 200 riders and over 100 staff and volunteers.

With that, we would like to take this opportunity to express our utmost gratitude to all our supporting parties, including our beneficiaries and their families, sponsors, riders, donors, staff and volunteers! This event would not be possible without everyone’s help and support. 

We hope to see you all again for Ride for Rainbows next year!

Please email rfr@clubrainbow.org to be a part of Ride for Rainbows next year!

Club Rainbow (Singapore) Family Retreat

We had the SUN, the SEA and all (Club Rainbow) Hearts on board the Spectrum of the Seas!
Our annual family retreat is back!

Bouncing back from the pandemic, Club Rainbow (Singapore) (CRS) is much pleased to bring back the annual family cruise trip this year! The specially curated event is open to all CRS beneficiaries and their immediate family members only. To ensure that all families get the opportunity to be part of the Club Rainbow Family Retreat experience, priority was given to families who have not been on any CRS-organised overseas family retreat event or cruise in the past. 

During this 4D3N cruise getaway, the workshops and activities organised by CRS on board were for the beneficiaries and families to unwind, learn and forge new friendships. The ice-breaker activity saw both young and young at heart getting up and about, scouring around to complete their Bingo sheet.  

One of the highlights of the 3-Day programme is the self-care programme for the caregivers on Day 2. The session was well received by caregivers, with many sharing that it was a good opportunity to reflect, self-comfort and relax. They had an enjoyable time, chatting and laughing with other Club Rainbow parents making reference to being like a big family. Miss Ng, an immediate family member of one beneficiary shared, ‘Time to reflect on me. Do a gift for my child. Write a card to encourage myself and self-meditate time. Best of all, 2 hours away from kids to relax (no worries as we know they are well taken care of by CRS)’.

The most popular activity among the caregivers is the DIY keychain with folded stars carrying the wishes and hopes that the parents have for their children. Many found it to be therapeutic and meaningful. For one parent, the activity showed them how much their son has achieved. Apart from penning their thoughts and wishes for their children, expressing heartfelt feelings into a keepsake was memorable for the parents. Mdm Yeap, mother of a beneficiary looks beyond positively, making new goals and hopes for 2023.

In closing the Day 2 session with self-encouragement, a number of caregivers expressed that they have never once thought of writing to themselves as they are constantly focused on caring for their special need child. ‘I seldom think about my own strength. A bit blank initially as I was not used to self-encouragement but it is good exercise’, shared Mdm Elvira. With much emphasis on the importance of a self-care routine, Mr Teo, father of a CRS beneficiary mentioned that the postcard writing activity helped him with self-care check-in of his own mental health and well-being. Resonating with Mr Teo’s sharing, Mdm Chew was happy that she learned to self-appreciate, ‘I love myself more, my well-being.’

Day 3 shouts out for teamwork and family bonding through the Club Rainbow Fashion Show. ‘Fun & innovative. We are glad to be able to design & create something special!’ said Miss Ng, the immediate family member of the CRS beneficiary. Many inclusive activities are planned to encourage parent-child engagement, ‘Quality time together is so precious. Thank you for organising!’ shared gratefully by Ms Lai, a mother of a CRS beneficiary.

All the families agreed with both mothers of CRS beneficiaries, Mdm Yap and Mdm Lee that the retreat was ‘Enjoyable, refreshing. I feel happy.’ and more importantly ‘We do things as a family!’.

Club Rainbow : Excellence and Tertiary Awards 2022

Education is one of the core pillars of support at Club Rainbow (Singapore) and we believe that it is the foundation and stepping stone in developing the potential of our beneficiaries. The Excellence & Tertiary awards are an opportunity to recognize our beneficiaries’ efforts and celebrate their successes. These awards are for those who completed their major national examinations like PSLE or N levels last year and for those in tertiary institutions.

This year, we presented 3 categories of awards - Excellence, Progress and Outstanding Character. 

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Our Excellence Award winners have performed exceptionally in their major national examinations and in their tertiary institutions.

Excellence Awards recipients:

• Aiden Chan Yen Peng

• Ng Gin Hon Royce

• Eswaran S/O Raja 

Our Progress Awards winners have displayed perseverance in their academics and have overcome challenges to make significant improvements.

 Progress Awards recipients:

• Victoria Tan Hui En

• Vasanthii D/O Raja

Our Outstanding Character Awards winners have participated actively in school and the community, displayed exemplary conduct and leadership qualities, and above all, inspired others by being role models.

Outstanding Character Awards recipients:

• Aniq Irfan Bin Norhisham

• Siti Nur Alawiyah Binti Kamsani

Celebrating Heroes 2022 : Beautiful Inside & Out

365 days, 7 families, 5 commendable siblings, 4 selfless caregivers and 3 outstanding siblings with one common motivation – a loved one.

Celebrating Heroes, an original event by Club Rainbow (Singapore) has been honouring countless caregivers and siblings over the decade. Taking a hiatus from 2021, we continue to recognise these heroes walking in our midst.

Starting as Caregivers Appreciation Day, the event evolved to Celebrating Heroes (CH) in 2015, where the first Exemplary Caregiver Award was presented. Whilst the common saying goes ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ but the most important support comes together as a family unit. Siblings are often forgettable when immediate priorities surround children with chronic illnesses. Acknowledging these young ones as part of the core support system of the family, we appreciate outstanding siblings too who share the daily responsibilities of caring for their brother or sister together with their parents.

This year, we received numerous nominations for many caregivers and siblings from all walks of life and even ages. After many tear-jerking encounters from the interviews with nominated caregivers and siblings, we are proud to share this year’s Celebrating Heroes 2022: Beautiful Inside & Out awardees – 5 commendable siblings, 4 selfless caregivers and 3 outstanding siblings! These awardees are true representatives of the many caregivers and siblings of Club Rainbow who give selflessly of their time to their loved ones.

Exemplary Caregiver Awardee, Mr Gan Keng Aik together with Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Speaker of Parliament Singapore (left) and Dr Sashikumar Ganapathy, President of Club Rainbow (Singapore).

Mr Gan, father of Aloysius and one of the Exemplary Caregiver awardees shared, ‘every parent must dare to dream that their kids can have a dream!’ Mr Gan supports his son’s passion for Boccia as a coach and athlete competition partner. Aloysius has been representing Singapore in the Asian Youth Para Games (AYPG) for Boccia and brought pride to Singaporeans with his first gold medal from the Bahrain 2021 AYPG. Sharing similar sentiments, Karen who is a teacher, a mother of 2 children and a caregiver 24/7 for her son, Mikkel, strongly believes that no child is the same as another. Putting a lot of effort into learning special education techniques and therapy exercises, she hopes that Mikkel would be as independent as he can. Through Karen’s perseverance and guidance, Mikkel has achieved many goals and skills, which were far from an imagined possibility at the point of his diagnosis.

Sharing the same room since the birth of his little brother Yao An in 2008, Yao Kang has been a key part of his brother’s life even before the diagnosis of Yao An’s rare disorder in 2013. He was an elder brother to whom Yao An looks up and bonded very closely. With his brother’s condition degenerating over time from verbal to non-verbal, Yao Kang has never given up on communicating with this little brother and spends his daily life playing music with Yao An to encourage sensory stimulation. A Year 3 student at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine now, though with a demanding academic schedule, Yao Kang still makes time for Yao An. An avid supporter of siblings with special needs, Yao Kang recognises the important role of siblings in a family unit. He is the co-founder of SibsUnite, a volunteer-run organisation.

Like Yao Kang, Auni, an Exemplary Sibling awardee of 2022, takes care of her little brother, Royyan while her mother is at work since the passing of their father. The 11-year-old has stepped up to support her mother in caring for Royyan by encouraging him on every single step of his daily essentials, guiding him on how to get home, helping him with personal care, and supporting Royyan with his academics. 

To hear more of our awardees, watch the Celebrating Heroes 2022 videos here:
Exemplary Caregiver Award 2022
Exemplary Sibling Award 2022

“It’s not what you look at matters, it’s what you see.”

Born Differently For A Purpose

Club Rainbow’s 2022 Education Award recipients Sharvani and Raphael were pleasantly surprised and over the moon when they were notified about their academic milestones and achievement. While this academic journey was mentioned to have been stressful, our recipients have pushed themselves to not give up, and instead, strive to excel and be outstanding.

Club Rainbow is pleased that this Education Award serves as a symbol and reminder for Sharvani to fight on and be confident, because as Sharvani mentioned, “everyone is born differently for a purpose”. This grit has been backed up by Sharvani’s caregiver Mdm Mageletchumei, who constantly reminds him that he is not alone, encourages, and supports him in his studies with the necessary facilities, time and even an evening remedy of healing music in order for him to thrive and be comfortable.

Mdm Carol, Raphael’s caregiver also believes that the Education Award gives extra encouragement, recognizing improvements made by children like her son. While Raphael faced some obstacles through his learning journey, it was through Club Rainbow’s play therapy sessions that Mdm Carol was more informed about Raphael’s need for greater structure and discipline, equipping her with the knowledge and wisdom to better guide Raphael. Together with Raphael’s determination, this has pushed him to attain this academic achievement.

Mdm Carol also mentioned her gratefulness for Club Rainbow’s caregiver sessions that were personally beneficial for herself, where she got the opportunity to engage in various new and creative activities such as art therapy, tea sessions and even embroidery. Just like how she has been blessed by Club Rainbow’s services, her hopes and wishes are for Raphael to be a blessing to others and to give back and volunteer with Club Rainbow when he is older.

Club Rainbow recognizes the importance of such caregiver support, and Mdm Mageletchumei has also echoed such sentiments, advising parents to constantly affirm themselves, and to never shortchange their efforts and love poured into their children’s lives.

Mdm Mageletchumei strongly believes that no child’s education should be jeopardized under any circumstances, and advocates for parents to speak up and fight for the rights of their children. This way, children will gain more confidence in themselves. Mdm Carol’s thoughts also resonate with this and advise parents to manage their expectations of children, and most importantly to not be stressed out, as it is ultimately a journey and process at the end of the day.

From Family to Society

Hean Lee is a distributor and wholesaler of handy electronic and electrical household products ranging from power adapters, portable fans, rice cookers, and many more. Its products, marketed under the Soundteoh Electronic brand, can be found on the shelves of major electronic retailers, including Giant Supermarkets, Best Denki, and Courts. The company has a sweeping presence in several Southeast Asian countries.

We recently had the opportunity to speak to Hean Lee's Director, Mr. Kelvin Lee, to find out more about the company's perspectives on corporate social responsibility following its first charity collaboration with Club Rainbow in conjunction with SG Cares Giving Week.  

“Everyone to think positively and cherish every day. We should always look forward to tomorrow as miracles could happen.”

— Mr Kelvin Lee, Director of Hean Lee

Founded in 1957 by old Mr. Lee Hian Cheong, Hean Lee is now managed by the third generation of the Lee family. Philanthropy has always been part of the family culture as old Mr Lee donated money to build schools, shelters, and roads in Xiamen, his hometown that he left at a young age to escape from the widespread poverty and famine in China. Mr Kelvin Lee and his brother wanted to continue the family legacy of giving back to society after they started helming Hean Lee. They did so mainly by creating and supplying products that they felt were in line with the latest technology to add convenience to users and by partnering with local businesses and communities to help build brand awareness.

Some of Hean Lee's corporate social responsibility efforts included cross-promotions with local businesses and the sponsorship of home-grown football team Geylang International FC. While Hean Lee used to focus mainly on supporting local brands, they made a slight pivot to focus more on people following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hean Lee donated valuable items such as face shields and portable fans to improve the working conditions of healthcare frontline workers who had to work in sweltering temporary medical setups.

In November 2021, Hean Lee partnered with Club Rainbow on a budding artist program as part of the SG Cares Giving Week. As a result, the artwork of an 11-year-old Club Rainbow beneficiary was chosen as the packaging design of Hean Lee's wireless AC-operated doorbell. Mr. Kelvin Lee found it an intriguing process as a business rarely collaborated with a charitable organisation on its product packaging. With the success of the first collaboration, Hean Lee was considering extending or launching similar partnerships with Club Rainbow in the future.  

Hean Lee sincerely hoped the collaboration could help create more awareness and support for Club Rainbow. Their efforts in corporate social responsibility also led to Soundteoh Electronic being awarded the Singapore Prestige Brand Award 2020/2021 Established Brand Award. When asked for words of encouragement for the young beneficiaries of Club Rainbow, Mr. Kelvin Lee encouraged everyone to think positively and cherish every day. We should always look forward to tomorrow as miracles could happen.

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Should your company or organisation wish to support our children and their families, please email us for a discussion: contact@clubrainbow.org

Education Awards 2022 - Rising above difficulties and differences

Recognized for their hard work and improvement, recipients of Club Rainbow’s Education Award Amelia, Sufaira, Keertana & Nazin were thoroughly surprised and elated when they were informed of their academic achievement. For many, this accomplishment was not an easy feat, and they shared that multiple challenges needed to be overcome throughout their learning journey.

For Amelia, the phrase “practice makes perfect, never give up” has motivated and pushed her to be resilient throughout her academic years. This persistence has been backed up by supportive teachers who have worked hand in hand with Mdm Joanna, Amelia’s caregiver, to identify and work on areas requiring more targeted revision. Together with therapy, Amelia’s learning development has improved exceedingly, enabling her to read, count, and, most importantly, grasp more excellent motor skills. These improvements have driven her to clinch many medals and become her school’s representative in competitive swimming.

Mdm Joanna is proud of Amelia’s growing braveness and independence and continues to be attentive to Amelia’s needs. She identified and harnessed Amelia’s love for music as a learning tool, which has played a significant role in making learning and memorization more enjoyable and fun (E.g., Multiplication Table Song). Amelia’s activeness was also expressed through her enjoyment in Club Rainbow’s horse-riding outdoor activity, where she learned to guide, clean and had the opportunity even to hug the horse. Mdm Joanna believes that such avenues of learning should be incorporated to better cater to the needs of children.

Mdm Anisa, Sufaira’s caregiver, also resonates with this and attends courses that impart skills and practices concerning multi modalities to be equipped and self-reliant when helping Sufaira in the areas she is weaker. This practice also aligns with Club Rainbow’s therapy intervention programme that Mdm Anisa praised, where children can explore various ways to express themselves, such as drawings or actions.

On top of this commitment, Mdm Anisa dedicates herself to her daughter’s academic journey. Sufaira has put in her due diligence needed by making duplicates of worksheets, practising, and trying them repeatedly until done right. She has also benefitted from the help of her schoolteachers. She is grateful for Club Rainbow’s tuition programme, which has proven helpful to both Amelia and Keertana.

Keertana has shown continuous improvement, allowing her to clinch this education award for a second time and become more confident in her day-to-day interactions. She has also picked up hands-on life skills such as cashiering at the minimart at school. Keertana believes in “just giv(ing) it a try,” and Mdm Chitra, Keertana’s caregiver, is very proud of her daughter’s mindset and progress. Yet, it can be challenging at times, and Mdm Chitra shares that attending Club Rainbow’s counselling services has proven to be beneficial, where she is able to talk through her struggles and seek advice and help.

Mdm Erni, Nazin’s caregiver, also agrees that such support systems are essential, highlighting her interactions with her parents in similar situations to hers. Where they better understand her challenges and offer more relatable and timely advice and tips on how to raise Nazin. She also mentions how Club Rainbow’s social workers have supported Nazin and herself greatly by providing encouraging and assuring words to push on and move forward whenever she felt down.

This education award recognises and acknowledges the continuous ability displayed to press on, as well as Nazin’s effort in his academic work, where his communication capabilities and range have expanded and advanced, leading him to recognise more words through his picture cards.

While we celebrate the achievement of our Education Award Winners, these milestones are only made possible with our caregivers’ sacrificial and unconditional love and support. They have also shared some words of encouragement and advice to fellow parents who might find themselves in similar scenarios.  

Mdm Anisa’s advice to parents would be to “not compare children with others” but “let them learn at their own pace and method.” Mdm Chitra believes every child is “unique and (has) their strengths.”, while Mdm Joanna encourages parents to let children “explore and blend into society” with which they would eventually be part and for parents to continuously be “patient, believe and have confidence in their children, and never give up on them.”

Education Awards Presentation Ceremony 2022

Last Saturday, we had our first in-person event, Education Awards Presentation Ceremony 2022, after more than 2 years of hiatus. The award recognises the efforts and achievements of the children and motivates them in their academic learning and character building, despite their challenges. Close to 200 attendees including the Guest-Of-Honour, Speaker of Parliament and Patron of Club Rainbow, Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, our children and their families, Council members, corporate and individual supporters, staff and volunteers attended the ceremony at our new centre, Sandbox.

During the ceremony, Club Rainbow’s mascot, Ray, made its first appearance. At the same time, we witnessed the soft launch of Sandbox – a purpose-built space where children and caregivers can attend programmes and services in a safe environment.

Located within Sandbox are also a digital lab, a visual arts studio and a performing arts studio. With these new facilities, Club Rainbow is set to expand and deepen our engagement with the children and families, through Arts and Vocational Development, two of our core pillars.

Looking ahead, Education will continue to be the cornerstone of our immediate and future plans. We will be having new initiatives to address the diverse needs of the children at different stages of their journey with Club Rainbow, from early childhood to youth, with the clear goal to empower them towards being independent, active contributors in society.

New initiatives launched early this year:

LEAP – Early Intervention catering to the younger children

LEAP – Primary and Secondary for the older children with an aim to maximize their learning developments.

The upcoming initiative, LINK, aims to equip our youths in essential soft skills such as social communications and financial management. These skills will be useful for our youths in their tertiary education journey or when they start working.

In the pipeline is an exciting programme – LAUNCH, to provide opportunities to our youths and caregivers through the development of vocational skills based on individual’s unique abilities, strengths and interests, and eventually, micro-enterprises that aim to provide families with a supplementary source of income.

This year is our 30th Anniversary – a new milestone and exciting chapter for us. We wish to thank everyone for journeying with us. With your unwavering support and contributions, we look forward to continue supporting more children and their families, for many more 30 years to come.

Visit our social media, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to learn more about our work and 30th Anniversary celebration.

 Together, we can Dream the Future!

#celebrate30withCRS #clubrainbowsg #dreamthefuture2022 #DTF2022

Celebrating International Nurses Day

By Tang Su Yen, Content Contributor

International Nurses Day is celebrated on 12 May. This is also the birth date of the founder of modern nursing – Florence Nightingale. Florence Nightingale overcame societal norms to professionalise nursing for women in the Victorian era and spurred the revolution of hospital hygiene practices following her experience caring for soldiers during the Crimean War in 1853. Her practice of making rounds to tend to wounded soldiers with a lamp in hand gave her the moniker ‘The Lady with the Lamp’. By implementing concepts that are still being used by nurses till this day, such as infection control, therapeutic communication, public health advocacy, etc., the death rates at hospitals were greatly reduced due to her efforts.

In modern times, nursing has become a much-respected profession within the healthcare sector. It is defined as the care of individuals, families and communities so they may attain, maintain or recover optimal health and quality of life. In reality though, nurses face many challenges in their work. It is a physically and emotionally demanding job, not to mention the stress of having to be exposed to illnesses and chemicals as part of their work. While they are required to be patient, compassionate, strong and efficient while doing their job, nurses are only human and they deserve our respect and care too.

For International Nurses Day this year, we spoke to several beneficiaries of Club Rainbow to collect some heart-warming stories of their experiences with healthcare professionals and gave them a chance to show some love to the nurses and healthcare professionals who cared for them during their time in hospital.

10-year-old Nur Fitri Soleha and Daddy -

“Soleha was born with Thalassemia Major (Alpha) which causes extreme anemia. She had to go for monthly blood transfusions at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) since she was diagnosed at 3 months old until she turned 7. We are extremely grateful to the medical practitioners and nurses at KKH, including Sister Nurse Chewing, Sister Anh, Sister Wai Wai, Sister Nurse Munirah, to name a few, that have taken care of Soleha throughout her journey. May Allah bless you all and repay your good deeds for caring for my family.”

Lotus Flower by 14-year-old Elijah Sim

14-year-old Elijah Sim and Mummy -

“A special shout-out to Nurse Fang at KKH’s Child Development Unit who has constantly been warm, gentle patient with Elijah during his visits, always going the extra mile to render assistance. We have been touched by her kindness and would like to take this opportunity to thank Nurse Fang for her hard work.”

Message from Mdm Wang, Mother of Elijah Sim
The roots of the lotus are in the dirtiest water however they still managed to produce the most beautiful flowers. The nurse just like the lotus flower with their inner strength and determination are able to come out of any difficulties. Thank you nurses for all the selfless  contribution during this pandemic, keep on frighting. We will stand with you.

Thank You by 7-year-old Chevelle Tan

7-year-old Chevelle Tan and Mummy -

“Thank you to all nurses, especially Chiu Ying and Danlin who took care of Chevelle when she was at KKH Children’s Day Therapy Unit. They were caring and gentle while handling Chevelle’s special needs and behaviour issues during her treatment. Thank you for your professional advice and care especially during instances when Mummy felt lost and panicked. We are also deeply grateful and would like to show our appreciation to the nurses in KKH oncology ward 76 who helped and supported us from March 2018 to December 2019. We really appreciate all that you have done for us”

Note: In this article, we have also featured artwork from Club Rainbow’s beneficiaries in appreciation of the healthcare workers who have taken care of them in commemoration of International Nurses Day.

#IWD2022 Building New Identities

Leaving her job presented an emotional challenge apart from a physical one, especially since Annette had come to know her colleagues as a second family.

“All my colleagues were like my family members,” she told us. “They would ask me about my children, about my exams… That made me feel less alone.”

"To care for a child with special needs is tough; there's an endless number of therapy sessions and medical appointments. Let's not forget that there are long waiting hours to endure, [because of] many circumstances that are unforeseen and can't be helped, like when other children need more attention, so appointment hours [can get] pushed back," she explained. "Daily caring is okay, but when there's an emergency… I was fortunate to have such a supportive boss, who would give me the green light to leave when I had emergencies [with the kids] to take care of."

Given the close-knit community, Annette had found in her working environment, leaving her job felt like losing a part of her that had become central to her identity.

"There's a harmful stereotype of housewives, what we call the 'huang lian po' [yellow-faced women]," she described the image of a poorly dressed and dishevelled middle-aged woman, the belittling colloquial. A term often used at the expense of mothers who were not professionally employed and had left their jobs to take care of their children. "Apart from dealing with the mental and emotional drain and burnouts, sometimes we don't feel respected as mothers. People forget that being a Mom is also a difficult job."

"There are times we feel that we're not living for ourselves, but our children."

This explains why Annette advocates self-care, a practice that helps with her self-esteem. "Self-care doesn't need to be luxurious. Making yourself a cup of coffee after the children have left for school, watching dramas, having a moment to sit in silence when you are done with household chores are all forms of self-care. I like to take some time to ensure that I look presentable for myself. Take the time to ask yourself, 'do I like how I look today?"

Engaging in self-reflection allowed her to appreciate herself better as a parent and a woman. While Annette once found it difficult to reconcile her workplace ambition with the responsibilities she shoulders as a mother, she cheerfully told us that the decision to look after Thaddeus and Jovan proved to be rewarding, as it allowed her to access different platforms to spread awareness on special needs.

"I was in and out of different jobs and companies, so I got to meet different people. Along the way, [I found that] some of my colleagues didn't even know about autism. Many of them had their stereotypes, so this allowed me to let them know autism itself is a spectrum, [some] are less impaired in their daily living skills, [and some] are verbal. Letting [others] know that those with special needs are not that different from us, [I consider that] a blessing in disguise."

But she finds that not everyone can be keen to learn more. When asked about her most significant barrier in being a caregiver for persons with special needs, Annette replied quietly, “the eye of the public”.

"There are people who will label you as a bad parent who doesn't guide your children well, especially when younger. Thaddeus and Jovan can experience meltdowns where they would sit on the road and refuse to move, and people will point their fingers at you."

This worry about societal judgment extended to her concern about seeking help. "There was a long period I was so afraid to ask for help. My situation with Thaddeus and Jovan was so different from other people's. To others, I was just an aunt; they couldn't comprehend why I was doing this."

““Life is unpredictable. We can only make the best of what we have.” ”

— Annette, caregiver of Club Rainbow Singapore

Experiencing rejection from kindergartens and childcare centres was almost "a slap to the face", where she found the legitimacy of her family questioned. "Once they knew that I wasn't their actual parent, I would start to experience a bit of pushback."

This desire to help parents like her enabled her to find her calling. After attaining her diploma in special needs education, Annette became a part-time special needs tutor. She helps special needs students with sensory and regulation issues, work habits, and learning gaps. For her future, Annette aspires to lead a social enterprise employing persons with special needs. She encourages women like her who desire to return to the workplace to develop more skills in preparation for the workforce.

"Life is unpredictable. We can only make the best of what we have." she acknowledged. "Let's live at our own pace and don't compare ourselves to others."

Written by: Rachel Kok Chian Yee
Edited by: Club Rainbow (Singapore)