Dear Soap Cyclers:
We’ve had a challenging start to 2021, and remain grateful for the continued support. We grappled with revisions to social distancing measures and pandemic fatigue; it was emotionally challenging. Operationally, Soap Cycling Singapore has seen a gradual uptick of activities as we explore new ways of outreach, with new partners. In this issue, our team has compiled some key highlights of our progress this year.
We continue to work with more community partners to distribute soap to communities in need. A big thank you to a joint effort by ACS (International) and Journey of Hearts to distribute over 90kg of soap to Baseco, Philippines. Also, we appreciate Beyond Social Services’ help to distribute soap to rough sleepers and low-income communities in Singapore. Evelyn and Syasya, our research interns from NUS, have been working on a follow up of our prior study on the state of “Access to Soap and Level of Hygiene in Migrant Worker Dormitories and Workplaces”. The humble bar of soap will continue to be a cornerstone of our effort to emerge from the pandemic, and we remain committed to getting this essential resource out to our community. We will share an update on our findings in the coming weeks.
Corporate volunteering proved challenging, but we are fortunate to host sessions with AEW Asia in April earlier this year. The smaller groups allowed for cosier sessions – better interactions between participants and facilitators! As we look forward to measures being eased, we’d love to engage your team to share the work that we have been doing, and how your team can help.
In the last year, we’ve successfully launched an educational workshop series – “Adventures of Our Soaperheroes”. In this series, we discuss very relevant topics – hygiene, sanitation, and wastage. We started the year with 2 sessions, attended by over 80 students, with St. Hilda’s Primary School and Marymount Convent School. These sessions – conducted by our passionate interns from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Elise and Nicholas – were spirited and well-received by the students. The perspective they shared with the attendees was inspiring. We hope to reach more schools with the workshop. Please share the word with your friends too, if they’re keen!
Looking ahead to the rest of the year, we’re hoping to create more impact in our advocacy and education work. If you know of a friend, or colleague, who might be interested to engage with us, please reach out to us at singapore@soapcycling.org. In the meantime, please enjoy our team’s reflections on the half-year that passed us by.
Jeremy Chia, Director of SCSG