01 Nov 2011
Seven-year-old Benny* has never heard of the story “Little Red Riding Hood”. He comes from a broken home – his father is in prison for drug abuse and his mother works long hours to support the family. Raised by his 75-year-old grandmother, Benny has never read a book.
But he will now be able to read books at a library built by Singapore General Hospital (SGH) volunteers for the day-care centre that he attends every day after school. Benny is one of the children being looked after by Beyond Social Services, a charity for children from disadvantaged families.
SGH organised its annual charity bazaar in August to raise funds for its various community outreach projects, including the Build-a-Library project for the centre. The Build-a-Library programme was also part of the President’s Challenge outreach programme which SGH has been involved in the last seven years.
Money from the bazaar was used to build the library and buy books to fill the shelves. The hospital’s staff also donated used children’s books which were in good condition.
At the official unveiling of the library in early September, the kids, as well as volunteers, were treated to a day of fun and games. But the biggest treat of the day was story time. Surrounded by shelves and shelves of books in the bright and colourful new library, the children sat, listening to an SGH volunteer read them a story.
*Benny is not the real name of the child. The name was changed to protect the child’s identity.
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