What: Door knocking with Beyond Social Services

When: 10th-14th October 2011

Where: Taman Ho Swee (Blk 29 & 31)

Participant(s): Jolie, Jean, Jia Min, Rui En and Xinyi

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Rui En, Volunteer:

Sometimes it takes only a sneak peek into someone else’s world to make you realize a lot about your own.

That was my experience over the few days doing door-knocking with Beyond Social Services from 10th Oct 2011.

I’d previously volunteered at their now-defunct home in Woodlands, when they asked me to do this door-knocking I was happy to be able to help them.

The purpose of this door-knocking was literally to go from door to door in a low-income neighbourhood of temporary housing along Havelock Road to have the most visceral experience of talking directly to the occupants and finding out how many youths under the age of 19 years old were there in Block 29. I’d always felt helpless and not involved enough somehow doing charity appearances and performances, and this was my first chance to get down to the grassroots level, something I’d always wanted.

First of all, it was my first experience with temporary housing and rental flats. To find out that there are two families squeezed into 2 standard HDB rooms per flat, sharing a living room and kitchen, was quite jolting for someone who complains that her room is never big enough for all her things and whose possessions tend to spill inadvertently out into the living room. (Me). In one of the flats, there were 10 people squeezed into a flat.

The state of cleanliness of the lift lobbies and stairwells also took some getting used to. One of the residents likened it to a “forgotten” world where the cleaners and maintainence crews seemed somewhat less regular than we are normally used to. The smell of urine became a familiar one. A common complaint was that the void decks and corridors were noisy well into the night and mornings. A resident mentioned how it was hard to get used to the noise level after being used to other HDB estates.

Most surprising though, was how warmly and openly some of the residents received us. Most of us urban dwellers are more used to guarded stares, awkward lift rides and minimal human contact with our neighbours. Yet some of the residents welcomed us perfect strangers straight into their homes without asking for permits or licenses, seemingly eager to share their stories with other human beings. And share they did. Every household had a different story and every single person had a story to tell. It was like a different TV drama from door to door. Their stories were completely heartbreaking yet uplifting all at the same time. Some had no choice but to move here due to the unexpected deaths of their loved ones and breadwinners. Some were content with simply having a roof over their heads, and had adapted, others were still experiencing a “culture shock” of some kind. Some were morose, others were intent on keeping positive and happy.

I met the bravest woman I’d ever seen, due to losing her husband to a sudden heart, she fed a family of 5 while paying $500 rental on a $1000 monthly income, all done with a serene smile on her face and what I saw as a staunch refusal to turn bitter at life. We lesser beings would have succumbed to anger and bitterness a long time ago. She probably has the most heart I will ever see in a human being.

As we all move onwards endlessly and as everything always seems to be never enough, I urge you guys not to forget the ones who can’t catch up and are left behind. More and more will be unable to catch up, and that will be the time for you to step up to the plate.

Rui En

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RBKD: Rui En would have preferred to keep a low profile with regards to her volunteering. But at times when we walk pass her, we just can’t miss the sincerity in her voice. It is this sincerity in her that prompted us to invite her to write for our blog, to share her experience and hopefully, inspires us all.

Community