PPIS Newsletter June ’21

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Mohon Maaf Zahir dan Batin from all of us at PPIS! 

I hope your Syawal was safe, cosy, and meaningful. For my family and I, Syawal 2021 was all about gratitude.

Like you, we were grateful for small mercies, pun fully intended, and was pleasantly surprised to find ourselves enjoying celebrating in smaller groups. It was the perfect opportunity to reconnect and have insightful conversations, where we can be fully present.

This year PPIS also celebrated our annual Harmony Raya virtually, for the second consecutive year. Friends from various women and faith groups logged on to join us and learn more about mindfulness. As we battle a pandemic in a hyper connected world, it is important to reaffirm our commitment to take better care of our mental wellbeing, and one another’s. PPIS too, is committed to caring for you.

As always, in Ramadan we launched our Projek Ihsan Ramadhan (PIR) to help women and their families.  We also celebrated Mother’s Day, sending our love and gratitude to mothers of all sorts as well as mother figures. Recently, PPIS also had the pleasure of hosting President Halimah Yacob at our newly-renovated Family Service Centre in Bukit Batok. With the expansion, we hope to help more residents in the area be stronger versions of themselves. Another important milestone for PPIS, is the official signing ceremony for our 17th centre, the Rise Above Halfway House.

Our efforts are possible with your unwavering support and generous contributions. Thank you for believing in our cause.

We need one another during these trying times. Let‘s be thankful for what we have, share what we can, and be there for each other. The recent incident on the online poll showed us how important it is for us to stand with one another. Ladies, you don’t have to be alone. PPIS is here for you.

InsyaAllah, things are looking up. Let’s not lose sight of hope and keep on walking towards the light at the end of the tunnel.

I am grateful to see women and their families remaining resilient and doing their part during the Phase 2 Heightened Alert. I am grateful to our Board of Governance, volunteer and our staff, the heart and soul of the organisation, for working tirelessly to uplift women. I am grateful for you, the woman we serve.

As Syawal comes to a close, let me once again wish you and your loved ones Eid Mubarak.

– President Hazlina Abdul Halim

Eid Mubarak! Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri to everyone. I hope it has been a meaningful celebration albeit the restriction of two guests per visit and two houses per day. Let us find comfort and gratitude in moments like this.

As we adjust to the new normal, I hope that everyone has settled well into each of your physical and virtual spaces. It has been slightly more than a year since we moved some of our work from the office to our homes. But hopefully, everyone is finding some balance.

Despite the restrictions and heightened alert, PPIS is fully operational. We are committed to providing the best service to the community. Digitalisation has made this possible.

In the last two months, we expanded our collaboration initiatives to include our partnership with delivery platform Hungryy. This was the first time that we had collaborated with a delivery platform in our initiative called “Gift of Ramadan”. We thank Hungryy and generous individuals who donated iftar meals to our beneficiaries from the various social services centres.

The success of the Gift of Ramadan initiative has prompted Hungryy to reach out to us again in another giving called Gift of Adha. Individuals can perform the sacrificial slaughter and donate the meat to our beneficiaries.

We also thank donors who contributed generously to our Projek Ihsan Ramadan campaign and we hope that more will come forward to donate for the cause of women and families, as well as children.

The months ahead will be exciting as we start work on new initiatives (which we will share in our next issue). In the meantime, let’s fill our hearts with gratitude and look forward to when we can interact with each other in person and see the smile behind the masks and not just in the eyes.

– Mdm Tuminah Sapawi, CEO

The past month has certainly been an eventful one. Even though we have had to readjust, once again, to being in Phase 2 (and on Heightened Alert, for that matter), PPIS continues to press on in our mission to inspire women and strengthen families.

And we did just that, first and foremost, by celebrating women and motherhood in all its forms. As the pioneering Muslim women’s organisation, PPIS supports new and aspiring mothers, mothers-in-law, grandmothers, stepmothers, foster mothers, single mothers and working mothers – and we will continue doing so.

PPIS hosted President Halimah Yacob at our newly-renovated Family Service Centre (West) (FSCW) in Bukit Batok, where we shared with her about FSCW’s Support@Home programme for mothers from low-income families. We also celebrated our very own mothers in PPIS – many of whom juggle being a full-time jobs in the workplace and at home.

PPIS is also grateful to have celebrated Ramadan, with our Raikan Ihsan project, which saw the organisation collaborating with halal food delivery partner, Hungryy. As part of this project, 80 beneficiaries from PPIS received free meals for iftar which have already been paid for by members of the public who wished to donate.

Our ongoing projects and initiatives in line with inspiring women and strengthening families would not be made possible without the tireless efforts of our staff. As #OnePPIS, we will continue to serve the community and uplift the lives of women and their families.

As we slip into Phase 2 after getting used to a semblance of normalcy in Phase 3, we are bound to make some adjustments to our lives again. With the implementation of Phase 2 (Heightened Alert), we can no longer do some of the things that we enjoy most like dining out with family and friends. Just as we have gotten used to going back to the office, we now find ourselves working from home once again.

While this may paint a dull picture, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. With more time spent at home, there is plenty to be grateful for. We now have more time to ourselves and even with our loved ones. Never have we seen mental health and mental well-being brought to the fore as it is now.

With so many changes in the past year, and even past few months, it becomes all the more important to make room for these changes and practices that can help you find balance. Here are some ways to do just that!

Set boundaries

With work from home becoming the norm, many have voiced that they struggled with work-life balance. This is why it is especially important to set boundaries at work. This can include switching off notification alerts from emails after work hours

Try to practise being open with colleagues and supervisors, especially when you are struggling. Being open with how you feel is the first step towards healthy professional relationships in the workplace.

Allocate time to yourself

In an era where work, health and relationships are prioritised, it may be easy to overlook much needed time to ourselves to indulge in small pleasures. Try to take at least 30 minutes of uninterrupted time to yourself to do something that you enjoy. This can be a hobby or starting a new passion project, or even spending that time to catch a wink. Before you know it, this simple act will improve your well-being and you will begin to see positive effects in other areas of your life as well.

Build a schedule

With most of us may be working from home, it may be difficult to unplug and take breaks. On another note, we may even become easily distracted by our surroundings. One useful tip to overcome this problem is to build a schedule as if you were going to the office. With this structure in place, it will allow you to increase your productivity and it can even help with setting boundaries both within work hours and outside of work hours.

PPIS Research and Engagement Department (RED) organised its annual Harmony Raya celebration last Saturday, 5 June 2021. The online event was attended by Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State (MOS) for Education, as well as Social and Family Development, and over 50 participants, including 30 female community leaders from various faith-based and secular organisations, had participated.

Earlier in May, Home Affairs and Law Minister, Mr K Shanmugam underlined how mental wellness has become a vital concern amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, this year’s Harmony Raya centres on embracing mindfulness in times of crisis. Aptly themed, “Women Embracing Mindfulness: Finding tranquility in a busy world”, the event seeks to empower the community to lead more meaningful lives through acquiring good mental health.

Addressing the theme for this year’s celebrations, MOS Sun Xueling and PPIS President. Hazlina Abdul Halim, highlighted the prevalence of emotional, psychological and financial stress among women, during the pandemic.

In their speeches, they also spoke about the importance of creating a culture of equality and respect between men and women in our society.

Part of the day’s programme also entailed three multi-faith speakers sharing on their respective faith’s interpretations of mindfulness, practices and philosophy. The speakers were Mdm Hafiza Kemat, Ms Foo Siew Fong and Ms Susie Wong. Through this sharing, PPIS aims to foster an enriching, interfaith conversation that would deepen the understanding of mindfulness among the participants.

You may read the official media release here.

Link to The Straits Times’ article: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/covid-19-pandemic-brought-womens-mental-health-needs-to-the-forefront-muslim-womens

Link to the BERITA MediaCorp’s article: https://berita.mediacorp.sg/mobilem/singapura/ppis-sambut-baik-khutbah-jumaat-yang-bela-kaum-wanita/4618536.html

Link to the Berita Harian’s article: https://www.beritaharian.sg/setempat/sokongan-bagi-wanita-galas-pelbagai-tugas-di-tengah-pandemik-covid-19

PPIS’ Projek Ihsan Ramadan is our signature fundraising campaign, where we raise funds to support beneficiaries across 16 of our centres islandwide. This year, PPIS is raising funds to support vulnerable children towards creating a better future for them.

We would like to seek your support in helping us reach this goal. Your gift today, is their brighter tomorrow! Click here to donate!

International Women’s Day Celebration

What does the future for women look like in the next three decades to come? In a panel discussion organised by PPIS Research and Engagement Department (RED) in celebration of International Women’s Day, participants were invited to envision the potential of Singaporean Muslim women in 2052. Read about it here!

The Tudung Issue

PPIS weighed in on the Government’s position to consider allowing nurses to wear the tudung as part of their uniform. PPIS President Hazlina Halim further mentioned that a supportive ecosystem is important in creating a just and equitable society for women. Read about it on The Straits Times, The New Paper and BERITA MediaCorp!

Giving Back to Society

In April’s edition of Her World, our very own PPIS President, Mdm Hazlina Abdul Halim, talks about her role as the President of PPIS and in particular, why she makes it a point to give back to society. Read about her story here!

PPIS Early Childhood Education

In this op-ed penned by Ms Nurhuda Binte Ibrahim, Assistant Curriculum Executive, Preschool Development (PSD), she wrote about how children can benefit play-based learning. Read about it on Berita Harian here!

PPIS Oasis

As part of PPIS’ Light Lives fundraising campaign under Projek Ihsan Ramadhan (PIR), PPIS featured various beneficiaries whose families PPIS has assisted. These beneficiaries come from our 16 centres islandwide, such as our Family Service Centres, Student Care Centres and Child Development Centres. Read about it a student from ECE whose family PPIS had assisted in terms of financial aid here!

Tunas Bersama M³ Programme

The Tunas Bersama M³ programme aims to bring together young leaders under 45 years old who hold high office positions in Malay-Muslim Organisations (MMOs), for training. PPIS President, Mdm Hazlina Abdul Halim, who qualifies for the programme, welcomes the move as it is important to nurture the next generation of leaders. Read about it here!