Sembawang Youth Committee Help 300 Low-Income Students Receive School Supplies

Growing up, most of us are blessed to be able to afford necessities such as school bags and stationary.

However, not everyone has the privilege of buying new school shoes every year or two.

Thankfully, the Sembawang Community Club Youth Executive Committee has ensured that a large number of kids from low-income families will be able to begin the new year with new school supplies.

Sembawang Youth Committee Help 300 Low-Income Students Receive School Supplies

Around 300 students between the age of seven and 21 years old will receive new school bags, stationery, and $100 worth of bookstore and supermarket vouchers.

This is all thanks to the Pack My Backpack programme, an initiative that began five years back with the aim of providing assistance to low-income families who are getting ready for school.

The initiative is organised by the Sembawang Community Club Youth Executive Committee.

So you must be wondering, where did the money come from?

One volunteer at the event told The Straits Times, “As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child.”

How true, because it took the donations of both community partners and individuals, such as Leong Guan Food Trading, which donated $5,000 worth of bookstore vouchers.

Pack My Backpack was held alongside the WeCare @ North West – Ready For School programme, wherein 137 pre-schoolers between the ages of five and six years old were given bursaries worth $200 each.

These bursaries comprised of goodies such as bookstore and supermarket vouchers, generously provided by the North West Community Development Council.

Just this year, the programme has raised more than $500,000 worth of bursaries for 1,600 kindergarten pupils.

And let me repeat that this number is just for 2019 alone.

The event was held at Sembawang Community Club, and it was a big event with notable figures present such as Mr Khaw Boon Wan, Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport.