Connect with us

Current Affairs

Student collects five-cent coins to fund meals for senior cardboard collectors in Singapore

Published

5 years ago

on

For the most of us, a five-cent coin is troublesome and holds very little value. But that is not the same case for 21-year-old Adrian Foo who started a noble initiative called The Five Cents Project.

The project basically aims at collecting five-cent coins from the public in order to sponsor meals for elderly cardboard collectors in Singapore.

The collected coins will then be sent to Happy People Helping People (HPHP) Foundation, a non-profit organisation that looks at providing free meals for seniors who are cardboard collectors.

As reported by TODAY, Mr Foo said that he managed to gather more than S$700 worth of five-cent coins in less than four months.

“It’s so common for people to disregard five cents because they’re deemed useless and of no value. But something of such small value, when accumulated, can really make a huge difference,” the student told TODAY.

The student also mentioned that when he first started, he would personally go to different places to meet people who are keen to contribute their five-cent pieces.

However, he now has five collection points across the country for the public to drop-off their spare five-cent coins.

Below are the designated locations:

  •  Chippy, Plaza Singapura #B2-38
  • Puri-Puri, 367 Beach Road
  • Soylicious, Bukit Timah Food Centre, #02-166
  • Madas Nasi Lemak, Choh Dee Place Coffeeshop, 233 Yishun Street 21
  • Li Fang Congee, Kinex #B1-K9, 11 Tanjong Katong Road

“Nothing is too small. Even if you think it is, something small is still better than zero. If everyone in Singapore just gave five cents, it would amount to S$281,935. And that’s just five cents, something most people are more than willing to give away,” the Nanyang Technological University student noted.

Highlighting how difficult it is for seniors to earn money from collecting cardboard, Mr Foo said that they earn about 10 cents for each kilogramme of cardboard, and this is already considered the highest rate.

This means that if they want to purchase a meal for S$3, the collectors will have to get 30kg of cardboard pieces, looking through bins and straining to transport them across busy roads.

As the receiver of the funds, Nafiz Kamarudin, the founder of HPHP, acknowledged that Foo’s project was “a brilliant idea”.

“We are very appreciative of what he did and fully support his efforts. We hope more youth would have the courage and initiative to take action when they see something not right,” Mr Nafiz said.

Positive response

According to Mr Foo, one of the best parts of the project is how “people were so willing to contribute”.

“You could really see the community spirit. They would tell me how they amassed the coins from their own parents, schoolmates, colleagues, all of their own accord.”

He also said that when he first started this project, the contribution came mainly came from his friends and family.

But, strangers would also contact him and express their keenness to donate, even when his Facebook page had only about 50 likes.

Major obstacles

Just like any other initiative, the student noted that it was not a smooth-sailing journey as he faced challenges.

One of the main obstacles were trying to convert the coins to usable money. Luckily, a bank offered him a one-time waiver of the fee for large deposits of coins. As such, the coins were changed into a cheque and were given to HPHP on May 30.

However, he is still in talks with other banks to get waivers for future conversions. But, if he fails to do so, then Mr Foo will be forced to pay a fee, which varies from bank to bank.

If that is not all, Mr Foo is also looking at getting his project licensed under the Charities Act so he would be able to increase its reach and make it “fully legitimate” as people have “concerns about the project’s transparency and accountability”.

In addition, he also wants to use the future donations for other causes, apart from sponsoring HPHP’s work.

After TODAY published the article, Mr Nafiz took to HPHP’s Facebook page to reveal his full answers to the questions raised by the site, noting that it’s “honest and uncensored” and requesting the public to share it.

– What do you think about Adrian’s five cents project and his cause?

To be honest, I do not work closely with Adrian. He came up with this idea himself and he worked on it himself. All credits go to him. We are just the beneficiary for his brilliant idea. We are very appreciative of what he did and fully support his efforts. We hope more youths would have the courage and initiative to talk action when they see something not right.

– When Adrian first approached you on this, what were your thoughts?

I thought it was a good idea from the very beginning. But I wasn’t as impressed when he contacted us because I didn’t think he was really young. When I first met him during our Happy Sunday and seeing how genuine and enthusiastic he is to make a difference, then I realized that this kid is a gem. He is not your regular volunteer. He is an activist. An activist is a person who sees a problem and will act on it if there is no available solution. These kind of passionate youth will grow up to be someone important in our society.

– This cumulation of thousands of five cent coins is going to help sponsor meals for the elderly cardboard collectors — is there any particular significance in this?

There is this 80 year old lady I know from whampoa who pushes her cardboard boxes all the way to Toa payoh just because the karung guni man in Whampoa only buys off her cardboard boxes for $0.06 for every kg. In Toa Payoh, she can get $0.10. That’s just 4 cent different. Would we walk that same distance, with that same heavy stack of cardboard boxes, at that age, just to earn 4 cents more? And each trip she makes, at her age she can only afford to carry less than $2 worth of cardboard boxes. If she earns just $2 a day, how much does her salary accumulate to in a month?

To us 5 cents is worth nothing. We’d happily drop it inside a “Tips Jar” in a fancy restaurant where all the staffs there have a stable income every month. But for these seniors citizens to just earn 2 of these 5 cents, they need to scavenge 1kg of these cardboard boxes from dumpsters and push them across dangerous roads to get to the karung guni buyer. When you are 80, with arthritis, poor eyesight, poor hearing and therefore poor judgement, this can be a fatal task.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Current Affairs

Hotel Properties Limited suspends trading ahead of Ong Beng Seng’s court hearing

Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), co-founded by Mr Ong Beng Seng, has halted trading ahead of his court appearance today (4 October). The announcement was made by HPL’s company secretary at about 7.45am, citing a pending release of an announcement. Mr Ong faces one charge of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts and another charge of obstruction of justice. He is due in court at 2.30pm.

Published

8 hours ago

on

4 October 2024

By

SINGAPORE: Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), the property and hotel developer co-founded by Mr Ong Beng Seng, has requested a trading halt ahead of the Singapore tycoon’s scheduled court appearance today (4 October) afternoon.

This announcement was made by HPL’s company secretary at approximately 7.45am, stating that the halt was due to a pending release of an announcement.

Mr Ong, who serves as HPL’s managing director and controlling shareholder, faces one charge under Section 165, accused of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts, as well as one charge of obstruction of justice.

He is set to appear in court at 2.30pm on 4 October.

Ong’s charges stem from his involvement in a high-profile corruption case linked to former Singaporean transport minister S Iswaran.

The 80-year-old businessman was named in Iswaran’s initial graft charges earlier this year.

These charges alleged that Iswaran had corruptly received valuable gifts from Ong, including tickets to the 2022 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, flights, and a hotel stay in Doha.

These gifts were allegedly provided to advance Ong’s business interests, particularly in securing contracts with the Singapore Tourism Board for the Singapore GP and the ABBA Voyage virtual concert.

Although Iswaran no longer faces the original corruption charges, the prosecution amended them to lesser charges under Section 165.

Iswaran pleaded guilty on 24 September, 2024, to four counts under this section, which covered over S$400,000 worth of gifts, including flight tickets, sports event access, and luxury items like whisky and wines.

Additionally, he faced one count of obstructing justice for repaying Ong for a Doha-Singapore flight shortly before the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) became involved.

On 3 October, Iswaran was sentenced to one year in jail by presiding judge Justice Vincent Hoong.

The prosecution had sought a sentence of six to seven months for all charges, while the defence had asked for a significantly reduced sentence of no more than eight weeks.

Ong, a Malaysian national based in Singapore, was arrested by CPIB in July 2023 and released on bail shortly thereafter. Although no charges were initially filed against him, Ong’s involvement in the case intensified following Iswaran’s guilty plea.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) had earlier indicated that it would soon make a decision regarding Ong’s legal standing, which has now led to the current charges.

According to the statement of facts read during Iswaran’s conviction, Ong’s case came to light as part of a broader investigation into his associates, which revealed Iswaran’s use of Ong’s private jet for a flight from Singapore to Doha in December 2022.

CPIB investigators uncovered the flight manifest and seized the document.

Upon learning that the flight records had been obtained, Ong contacted Iswaran, advising him to arrange for Singapore GP to bill him for the flight.

Iswaran subsequently paid Singapore GP S$5,700 for the Doha-Singapore business class flight in May 2023, forming the basis of his obstruction of justice charge.

Mr Ong is recognised as the figure who brought Formula One to Singapore in 2008, marking the first night race in the sport’s history.

He holds the rights to the Singapore Grand Prix. Iswaran was the chairman of the F1 steering committee and acted as the chief negotiator with Singapore GP on business matters concerning the race.

 

Continue Reading

Current Affairs

Chee Soon Juan questions Shanmugam’s $88 million property sale amid silence from Mainstream Media

Dr Chee Soon Juan of the SDP raised concerns about the S$88 million sale of Mr K Shanmugam’s Good Class Bungalow at Astrid Hill, questioning transparency and the lack of mainstream media coverage. He called for clarity on the buyer, valuation, and potential conflicts of interest.

Published

2 weeks ago

on

23 September 2024

By

On Sunday (22 Sep), Dr Chee Soon Juan, Secretary General of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), issued a public statement on Facebook, expressing concerns regarding the sale of Minister for Home Affairs and Law, Mr K Shanmugam’s Good Class Bungalow (GCB) at Astrid Hill.

Dr Chee questioned the transparency of the S$88 million transaction and the absence of mainstream media coverage despite widespread discussion online.

According to multiple reports cited by Dr Chee, Mr Shanmugam’s property was transferred in August 2023 to UBS Trustees (Singapore) Pte Ltd, which holds the property in trust under the Jasmine Villa Settlement.

Dr Chee’s statement focused on two primary concerns: the lack of response from Mr Shanmugam regarding the transaction and the silence of major media outlets, including Singapore Press Holdings and Mediacorp.

He argued that, given the ongoing public discourse and the relevance of property prices in Singapore, the sale of a high-value asset by a public official warranted further scrutiny.

In his Facebook post, Dr Chee posed several questions directed at Mr Shanmugam and the government:

  1. Who purchased the property, and is the buyer a Singaporean citizen?
  2. Who owns Jasmine Villa Settlement?
  3. Were former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and current Prime Minister Lawrence Wong informed of the transaction, and what were their responses?
  4. How was it ensured that the funds were not linked to money laundering?
  5. How was the property’s valuation determined, and by whom?

The Astrid Hill property, originally purchased by Mr Shanmugam in 2003 for S$7.95 million, saw a significant increase in value, aligning with the high-end status of District 10, where it is located. The 3,170.7 square-meter property was sold for S$88 million in August 2023.

Dr Chee highlighted that, despite Mr Shanmugam’s detailed responses regarding the Ridout Road property, no such transparency had been offered in relation to the Astrid Hill sale.

He argued that the lack of mainstream media coverage was particularly concerning, as public interest in the sale is high. Dr Chee emphasized that property prices and housing affordability are critical issues in Singapore, and transparency from public officials is essential to maintain trust.

Dr Chee emphasized that the Ministerial Code of Conduct unambiguously states: “A Minister must scrupulously avoid any actual or apparent conflict of interest between his office and his private financial interests.”

He concluded his statement by reiterating the need for Mr Shanmugam to address the questions raised, as the matter involves not only the Minister himself but also the integrity of the government and its responsibility to the public.

The supposed sale of Mr Shamugam’s Astrid Hill property took place just a month after Mr Shanmugam spoke in Parliament over his rental of a state-owned bungalow at Ridout Road via a ministerial statement addressing potential conflicts of interest.

At that time, Mr Shanmugam explained that his decision to sell his home was due to concerns about over-investment in a single asset, noting that his financial planning prompted him to sell the property and move into rental accommodation.

The Ridout Road saga last year centred on concerns about Mr Shanmugam’s rental of a sprawling black-and-white colonial bungalow, occupying a massive plot of land, managed by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), which he oversees in his capacity as Minister for Law. Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, also rented a similarly expansive property nearby.

Mr Shanmugam is said to have recused himself from the decision-making process, and a subsequent investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) found no wrongdoing while Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean confirmed in Parliament that Mr Shanmugam had removed himself from any decisions involving the property.

As of now, Mr Shanmugam has not commented publicly on the sale of his Astrid Hill property.

Continue Reading

Trending