There’s no doubt that 2020 has been a tough year for everyone.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges thrown our way, the NTUC-U Care Fund which was established in 2009 had committed $31.5 million to help lower-income union members as well as those whose incomes have been significantly reduced.
More than 33,000 NTUC union members and 26,000 children have benefitted from various assistance programmes implemented last year. These are real people, facing real hardships, who have been supported.
Among the beneficiaries was Mr Ismail, a 57-year-old Traffic Marshall who was retrenched by Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) in their retrenchment exercise last year.
Losing his job amidst the Covid-19 pandemic meant losing a source of income for the family.
Fortunately, the father of four children is a union member under the Attractions, Resorts & Entertainment Union (AREU), which makes him eligible for the NTUC Care Fund (e-Vouchers) to help him defray some of the cost for the daily necessities, as well as the cost of the school-going necessities for his children.
https://awesome-mclean.165-22-105-94.plesk.page/retrenched-at-57-with-4-kids-singaporean-man-says-he-is-lucky-to-have-his-wife/
Mr Wong Wai Hong, an audio-visual technician who was retrenched by Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre in September last year, had too, benefitted from the NTUC Care Fund (COVID-19) and the NTUC Care Fund (e-Vouchers) Programme as a union member under Building Construction and Timber Industries Employees’ Union (BATU).
The cash relief which he received had helped him defray some of his children’s school expenses, as well as for the family’s daily necessities. While the amount is not a huge one, he was deeply appreciative. Often, we just need to know that someone out there cares.
https://awesome-mclean.165-22-105-94.plesk.page/carrying-the-weight-of-the-family-retrenched-father-trudges-on-strongly/
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many families’ lives were disrupted – including Madam Walter – a single mother to a 20-year-old daughter currently studying at a local polytechnic and a 21-year-old son with Down Syndrome. Times were tough but giving up was not an option.
The 53-year-old bowling coach described that “everything came to a standstill” when she recalls the tough period, where her coaching assignments stopped from April to late June.
Thankfully, the NTUC Care Fund, Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme (SIRS) where she received $1,000 a month for 9 months, and other COVID-19 cash payouts helped her along the way as she continues to soldier on. Despite all the hardship she has faced, Madam Walter’s positivity is admirable!
https://awesome-mclean.165-22-105-94.plesk.page/on-difficult-times-what-single-mum-madam-walter-has-to-teach-us-about-grit-and-courage/
A little help goes a long way
$300 – an amount that some of us might spend on a staycation or a fancy meal. For others, this may mean a month’s grocery! What seems little to you actually goes a long way in helping others. When it comes to giving, no amount is too little.
https://www.facebook.com/960923553928378/videos/1041005423039870
The support and help rendered by NTUC and kind donors have indeed touched the lives of many.
Here’s wishing 2021 will bring better things for anyone facing hardship. Together, we can.
