“My s’pore story, a tile at a time”- (How a photo of MM Lee helps the disabled integrate into society)
From TODAYonline.com (8 Sept 2007). Article by Lois Ng:
SIX years ago, I gave up my dream of globe-trotting the world to help the poor and came home to care for my ailing father. It turned out to be a life-changing move because I became a social entrepreneur.
… This is also the story of a motley group of 15 disabled people aged 15 to 60, who work with me. They include people who are mentally and physically disabled, as well as the autistic and the hearing-impaired.
My business mission is to transform the disabled who are lowly-educated, unskilled and cannot fit into society to become part of a skilled workforce, which can contribute to our economy. This requires time, a custom-designed training programme and a holistic approach.
It led a government scholar to plainly state that what I am doing is fèi wù xún huán, Mandarin for the recycling of waste.
I was shocked and angry, but the element of truth in his words sank in. Our society does not make a distinction between charity and empowerment. All help given to the disabled is charity and the way to help is to give to charitable organisations.
