At MWS, every step towards positive change taken by our beneficiaries is akin to a little miracle. This Christmas season, let us celebrate the heartwarming little miracles that are the result of our beneficiaries’ resilience, our staff’s dedication, and our donors’ generosity.
Getting back on his feet
When the previously strong and healthy Mr Ang suffered a stroke last June, his world came crashing down. The 58-year-old sole breadwinner and soundman for a production company had to quit his job, and was grappling with medical bills and paralysis on the right side of his body.
Without a source of income, he was dipping into his savings set aside for family expenses as well as his two children’s university education. He was wheelchair-bound, and had a speech impairment that left him frustrated and moody. Despite his will to get well, costly treatments set him back.
One morning in late 2016, Mr Ang and his wife passed by MWS Senior Activity Centre (SAC) – Teck Ghee Vista. After enquiring about the Hur exercise-rehabilitation programme, he signed up as a centre member. For a 6-month centre membership fee of $20 and gym membership fee of $40, he was given unlimited access to affordable and effective therapy.
He started working out on Hur machines every morning, and with sheer determination and the centre physiotherapists’ help, he learnt to stand and walk again within two months. He even made it to his daughter’s recent university graduation ceremony. Currently, he is able to perform simple daily tasks such as going to the toilet, brushing his teeth and clothing himself.
Initially aloof, Mr Ang has also opened up to a new circle of friends at the SAC. Their support and positivity drew him out of his shell, and more than ever, he is hopeful about recovery and going back to work again.
Mr Ang’s remarkable improvement is just one of the thousands of little miracles MWS helped make possible with your giving. Please partner us to support the poor and needy in taking small steps of positive change.
Saving is her dream come true
Never in Mdm Noorridah’s wildest dreams could she imagine she would one day see savings in her bank account. The 38-year-old single mother works six days a week at a fast food outlet, but has always struggled to support her two children and a disabled sister.
While her 11-year-old daughter is healthy and coping fine in school, her 8-year-old son suffers from mild intellectual disability and frequent seizures. He attends a special school and needs constant monitoring. Also staying in the family’s rental flat is her older sister, who has severe scoliosis and speech impairment. Mdm Noorridah knows the importance of being thrifty, but saving money has been virtually impossible, until now.
After over a year of being on the debt-matching component of MWS Family Development Programme (FDP), Mdm Noorridah “graduated” to the dollar-for-dollar savings-matching component this March. She was able to save $20 this June, and was ecstatic to see a total of $40 in her bank account. In fact, this October marked the 5th month she managed to save continuously.Although she has been on various types of welfare assistance in the past, MWS FDP’s help is a breakthrough. The programme does not just support her daily living expenses and her kids’ school-going needs, it also provided her with financial counselling and taught her debt-management and asset-building skills. Finally, Mdm Noorridah feels a sense of independence and has hope for a better future.
Grant A Little Miracle
Mr Ang and Madam Noorridah’s stories are just two of the thousands of little miracles made possible with your giving. Please partner us to support the poor and needy in taking small and steady steps towards positive change.