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© 2008, silpstream
Tuesday, 19th July 2005
I've been away for a while so I haven't been paying much attention to the news back home lately. I spent the weekend with my cousin and he told me about this article about my sister that was published in the local newspaper back in Singapore. I must say that I'm ashamed that I'm not as social minded, but I am very proud of her.
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By Leong Chan Teik
3 July 2005
The Straits Times
(c) 2005 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. Co. Regn. No. 198402868E. All rights reserved.
Making money is not a top priority, says former researcher who quit her job to do volunteer work
WHEN Miss Desiree Hwang heard that a leper colony on the outskirts of Manila needed a volunteer, her interest was aroused.
The 26-year-old raised the idea of doing voluntary work there for a year with her parents.
'My father didn't say 'no' outright. My mum was very much against it and she had lots of worries,' said Miss Hwang.
Among their worries was the risk of her contracting leprosy, a disease affecting the skin and nerves and leading to physical deformities if not treated.
Miss Hwang did some research, consulted her doctor, and even flew to the Philippines to check out Tala, home to the leprosy patients and their families, who do not all suffer from the disease.
The inhabitants numbered about 15,000, and sufferers received treatment from a hospital there.
Miss Hwang learnt that patients undergoing treatment are not contagious.
Still, her parents had reason to dissuade her when a letter arrived from an American university saying that she had been accepted for a master's course.
In the end, Miss Hwang's desire to teach and do volunteer work there proved persuasive.
With her parents' blessings, she quit her research job here and headed for Tala in June last year.
Now back home, she is getting ready for her master's course in the United States later this month. But she is squeezing in time for one more charity mission before she flies off.
Miss Hwang is organising a private charity dinner to raise money for the Holy Rosary College Foundation, which funds the education of children with leprosy and children of leprosy patients in the Philippines.
Her parents, who run a computer-related business and have two sons, are enthusiastically pitching in.
They have invited friends to the dinner, which will be held in their Pasir Panjang bungalow this Saturday.
Q: How kind was life to you when you were growing up?
A: Very kind. There was never really anything I felt I couldn't talk to my parents about and I grew up very secure. Materially, I had it better than a lot of people.
As a family, we holidayed twice yearly in various parts of the world, including Europe and US.
Q: What money values did you see practised at home?
A: I remember my dad using masking tape to fasten the sole of his slippers when they came off. He continually sent our Honda Concerto for repairs till it was 15 years old. Then he bought a new car.
I also remember my mum taking out her power tools to make a new shelf for the kitchen with recycled wood. She would mend a broken vase and then decorate it to cover the cracks.
My parents didn't take the material things for granted and always tried to get maximum usage out of the things we had.
My dad always told me that when I spend money, I should have good reason for it. Looking at my wardrobe, I can hardly say I've followed his advice to a tee.
Q: How did you develop an interest in issues involving the poor in third world countries?
A: From myriad places - my Catholic religion, discussions with my father on socio-political issues, books and constant travel and exposure.
But at the end of the day, they must come together, these feelings of compassion, a sense of injustice, a knowledge that the privileges we are born into are not our rights but our blessings.
Add to that, a belief in yourself that you can make a difference.
Q: Before going to the Philippines, what voluntary work had you done?
A: Before going to university in the US, I worked at the YMCA Youth Centre in Bukit Batok. When I was in university, I volunteered at a home for abused mothers and their children. Back in Singapore, I did volunteer work for the Community Involvement Programme in a few secondary schools.
Q: What was life like for you in the leper colony?
A: It was difficult on all fronts, but extremely fulfilling. I fell very ill thrice during the first three months because the hygiene level was so different from that in Singapore.
The most difficult part was the emotional challenge. I was the lone volunteer. The two nuns I stayed with in a little zinc-roofed house provided some emotional comfort but the language barrier made it difficult to communicate on a deeper level.
Interacting with the leper children and their families was extremely fulfilling. I felt very welcome and accepted.
Q: What material comfort did you miss most?
A: Definitely potable running water from a tap. In the leper colony, the source of my drinking water was a well.
Q: Do you have peers in Singapore who are inclined to social or charity work too?
A: Yes. I have friends who are social workers and others who dedicate some of their time to volunteer work locally.
A few of them have gone on trips lasting two to three weeks to third world countries to help the poor. One went to Africa to volunteer for a year.
Q: What does money mean to you?
A: I enjoy little luxuries such as being able to shop at Zara occasionally and eating out with friends.
Making money is not the focus of my life. I have learnt that I can really live with a lot less. I learnt this in the Philippines.
Q: What might you do with the sizeable inheritance that is expected to come your way many years from now?
A: I've never thought about that because I hope that day is far, far away. Assuming I'll be retired by then, I would like to, if there is enough, start a small charity fund. I'm not sure what the cause would be but then I have a number of decades to figure that out.
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(c) 2005 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. Co. Regn. No. 198402868E. All rights reserved.
Holla at her for me man… Thanks.