FEATURE ARTICLE: BRINGING HOPE AND CARE TO CHILDREN IN THE COMMUNITY

Our children—amongst the most vulnerable in the society—rely on us for proper nurturing and guidance. After all, they are the future of our nations. Underprivileged children are especially vulnerable, as they lack the resources and support needed to thrive. Many of them fall through the cracks and are forgotten by society as the world moves on without skipping a beat.

Life-changing events of this magnitude often stem from small yet impactful initiatives. One such event was the TAP Year-end Carnival for low-income families that was jointly organised with *HIA’s The Alphabet Project (TAP), alongside *MDW volunteers from *ADEO and Citylight Community Church amongst others. Over 500 participants attended the carnival, including Guest-of-Honour Dr Lim Wee Kiak, Member of Parliament for Sembawang GRC, and HIA President.

Children and their families enjoyed a fun-filled carnival with a variety of classic activities like bouncy castle and portrait sketching. It was a joy to see them being naturally playful, much like the way Jesus welcomed children with open arms.

After the festivities, bursaries were awarded to 30 underprivileged children. One excited recipient shared, "I'll use the [bursary] money to buy stationery and school textbooks..."—a poignant reminder of the struggles underprivileged children face. The event also introduced the TAPKids programme, which offers free tuition (up to *PSLE) for children from low-income families. It also hopes to nurture them into well-rounded members of society. As Proverbs 22:6 teaches, "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." Apart from the carnival, SowCare also equips TAP volunteers with kidsREAD training, allowing them to conduct Read-Write-Tell, a recurring programme for children in Bedok.

As Singapore celebrates its 60th birthday in 2025, we are reminded that nation building includes caring for the vulnerable communities—the lost, the least, the last. Let us reflect God’s heart for the nations as we care for and bring hope to them.