Shena Foo can never forget the emotional encounter she had with a single mother who broke down after relating the difficulties in finding after-school care for her child.
“That incident moved me a lot, and I was driven to do more to provide assistance to the women who knock on the doors of WDS to seek help,” said Ms Foo.
She leads the WeCare For U Sub-Committee which developed the WeCare for U Project, an initiative to assist single mothers in building greater resilience and independence.
Like all mothers, single mothers also have the same dreams and aspirations in building up their families. But the social realities for these women can be harsh.
“These women yearn for a listening ear and some words of hope and strength to hold their families together. Through our moments of engagement with them, we are discovering that there are a number of areas we can help them in,” added Ms Foo.
The WeCare For U Project also inspired the WeCare Kids’ Read Programme where single mothers can bring along their children for a reading session.
Families are also treated to recreational trips to places like Universal Studios Singapore, regular movie screenings, dialogue sessions with women leaders and workshops.
This year, the Committee is exploring new ventures by organising a platform for women with handicraft skills to market their products and learn entrepreneurial skills.
"At WDS, we care for all working women, and as the Labour Movement, we want to explore all avenues to make them better workers to build better lives for their families,” Ms Foo concluded.
Original article written by Naseema Banu Maideen, and can be found in NTUC This Week (16 February 2014)
