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Projek Muhibah
[Goodwill and Friendship] After 3 successful community projects in the Tanglin Halt estate, SPACES was invited to the Toa Payoh estate to serve the needy and disadvantaged in conjunction with Hari Raya Haji and Chinese New Year. Projek Muhibah aimed to bring cheer to mainly underprivileged Chinese and Malay elderly and families by offering to paint and clean their homes for Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Haji 2005. Apart from offering people from all walks of life opportunity for social service, it also promoted inter-racial and religious harmony. At a time when different races and religious groups in the world are drifting apart from one another, we wanted to set an example of how different peoples, regardless of race, language, religion, age, sexuality, gender, nationality, educational level or economic status can work together to make Singapore a better home for each of us. Projek Muhibah Muslims observe Hari Raya Haji in remembrance of Abraham's obedience to Allah’s instruction to sacrifice his son whom he loved. In return of his obedience, Allah provided a ram which was sacrificed instead, and Abraham and his descendents were blessed by Allah. The Chinese New Year is a celebration of the start of spring in the northern hemisphere when the snow melts away to usher in a new season. Thus in a way both Hari Raya Haji and Chinese New Year is a celebration of a new lease of life. Muhibah is a Malay word that is derived from the Arabic word "Muhib" which means "one who loves and cares". The word Muhibah means "Goodwill and Friendship" in Malay. In this time of racial and religious conflicts all over the world, we in Singapore are fortunate to enjoy a peaceful environment where different ethnic groups and religions co-exist. However, we should not take this for granted as it may only take just one misguided person to initiate a situation of hostility and unrest. SPACES Community embraces diversity and seeks to build bridges across differences. This project was the time where volunteers of all kinds unite in our diversity to lend a helping hand to needy and underprivileged people as we fostered the spirit of Muhibah across communities. We hoped that in the process of our project, we fostered inter-community goodwill and friendships – these are the bonds that make a strong nation. In conjunction with Hari Raya Haji and Chinese New Year, we brought in a new season, a new life of inter-community sharing and perhaps new friendships too. View our Projek Muhibah video clips here! What We Have Done We painted the homes of Chinese, Malay and Indian Singaporeans living in one and three-room flats in the Toa Payoh estate. This was followed by a reunion dinner, where we invited the Chinese, Malay and Indian families to a Halal Chinese dinner. Apart from serving the families, this project gave us a cross-cultural experience and an opportunity to participate in community building. Who We Have Helped We served Chinese, Malay and Indian families and elderly living in the
1-room rental flats and a few 3-room flats in the Toa Payoh area.
Read Press Release -
Not Forgetting the Needy Among Us Reflections By Volunteers Hoe Fun Project Muhibah From An Insider's View Reflection On The Elderly On 9th Floor Words Fail Me, But I Try Mailing List Join our Yahoo! Groups
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