More than 50 volunteers from the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) and Young Sikh Association – Singapore (YSA) scrubbed windows, cleaned bathrooms, mopped floors, wiped surfaces and helped beneficiaries with any concerns they had under a new initiative known as Project Shine across the island nation yesterday.
SINDA, Habitat for Humanity and Young Sikh Association organised Project Shine as part of the annual Project Give campaign as a volunteer opportunity during this challenging time due to COVID-19. It is hosted by SINDA every year around Deepavali to encourage the spirit of giving back to society
Through Project Shine they spent time interacting with underprivileged families and elderly in the community. In teams, volunteers helped families with some basic cleaning of their homes and put up Deepavali decorations.
SINDA chief executive Anbarasu Rajendran told Straits Times that Project Give was started many years ago, with fund-raising being a key component.
"But along the way, it has evolved, and we are looking (to cultivate) a collective social belonging in the Indian community," he added.
Gurnihal Singh, 24, a Nanyang Technological University undergraduate, was one of the YSA volunteers. He said he decided to volunteer for Project Shine to help members of the community who are often overlooked.
“Not only do we have COVID-19 but dengue cases are also on the rise. Many beneficiaries do take the time to clean their homes, but there may be some nooks and crannies that they are unable to reach,”
he said.
