As part of the iSociety project, 14 young people from the zone led by Leila Tan embark on a project to support education for children in Laos.
Contributed by Eunice Wong
PHOTOS COURTESY OF LEI ZONE.
While “school” is a much avoided word for most children in Singapore, many of those living in under-developed countries hardly have one to attend. In support of education for the poor children in Laos, and to improve their school facilities, 14 young people gathered in a fundraising project.
The group of youth from a zone lead by Leila Tan, also known as Dream Builders, boasts a strong and committed team of youth ranging from age 13 to 22. The project, which began in May, has already raised a sum of S$2,200 through the sales of goodie bags, guitar picks and postcards.
This secular project is done as part of the iSociety project for City Harvest Church’s Emerge Youth Conference 2012. This year, apart from the requisite talent and preaching competitions, the organizers of Emerge have introduced a new category, “Salt And Light”, which requires the youth to create and execute projects that make a difference to the community.
The proceeds from the sale of the products will go toward building a playground for a school in Laos. The Dream Builders worked with Child’s Dream, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to empowering children and youth in the sub-region around Mekong, which includes Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia, for the project.
The efforts of the project team went beyond drafting of proposal and seeking of donors. One of the team members, Wilfred Ng, 22, composed a song for this very meaningful cause, while another member of the team, Elana Tan, 21, an art media design student from Nanyang Technological University, designed six sets of exclusive postcards.
Come December, two of the teammates, Nicolette Ng, 22 and Elana Tan, 21, will make their way down to Laos to participant in building the playground that the team is funding. In conjunction with the trip, the team has launched a second project entitled “Give A Gift”; team members will be collecting new stationery and storybooks, starting from the month of July, that will be wrapped as Christmas presents for the children.
The youngest member on this team is 13-year-old, Bryan Wong, who explained that his purpose of being involved in this project, despite of his busy school schedule, is to be able to make a difference in the lives of the less privileged.
“I think the best part of this project is the fact that young people are involved. Giving youth a chance to play a part in such a project to help someone less fortunate allows them to realize that somewhere out there, somebody is struggling more than we are today. It doesn’t take a lot to put a smile on someone’s face and to contribute what we can—that, I believe, will go a long way,” shares project coordinator Nicolette Ng.
The public can also do its part by purchasing their products, and also contribute to their Give a Gift project. Visit their Facebook group http://www.facebook.com/buildingdreamstogether.
