Bishan Home for the Intellectually Disabled (BHID) is a residential home specially built to create a conducive environment for people with intellectual disabilities. With rooms beautifully decorated with colourful murals and clustered into several neighbourhoods, the home provides a community setting which encourages social interaction and training of pre-vocational skills.
Our volunteers interact with and befriend the residents to help them develop their social capabilities, motor skills and intellectual abilities amongst many other essential life skills. By involving them into a wider social network, it is hoped that they can lead a more joyful life and integrate better into the society. In the process, volunteers learn to be more understanding and open-minded as well.
We engage the residents in a variety of activities such as:
- Soccer
- Basketball
- Motor Activities Training Program (MATP)
- Enrichment programmes like art and craft
Volunteers may facilitate events such as inter-home competitions that serve as an additional motivation for the residents to train and develop the necessary skills taught in some of these activities.
On top of the regular visits to the home, we specially organise outings for the residents for them to gain exposure. So far, we have organised outings for the residents to various places like the Singapore Botanical Garden and the Suntec City Singapore Garden Festival. The residents and volunteers alike also have a great deal of fun celebrating occasions like Mid-Autumn Festival and Christmas.
A resident may look like an adult yet the mentality may be that of a child. Hence, volunteers should adopt a positive attitude to encourage them along the way and generously compliment them when they fulfil what they set out to do. Interactions between residents and volunteers are in fact opportunities for both parties to learn from each another.
It is also particularly heart-warming as residents commonly refer to volunteers as Kor Kor or Cheh Cheh (dialect for brothers and sisters) affectionately in the warm family setting of the home. The bonds forged with the residents and fellow volunteers, and life lessons learnt from the residents and peers are definitely invaluable.
There is no better exercise for your heart, than reaching out and helping someone. You can make a difference to the residents and give the residents a chance to make a positive change in your lives by joining us today!
Where:
Bishan Home for the Intellectually Disabled
Bishan Street 13
Singapore 579798
Next to Zion Bible Presbyterian Church
When:
Our weekly visits are from 10 am to 12 pm on Saturdays.
Who to Contact:
Lim Xinyi
Email: nuscsc.bhid@gmail.com
Committee 2009/2010:
Chairperson: Lim Xinyi
Vice-Chairperson: Matias Donny Tirtaatmadja
Secretary cum Treasurer: Leow Suhui
Welfare cum Logistic: Lu Huipi
Programmer: Toh Lui Jue Esther
Programmer: Qian Wei
Publicity IC: Taseen Zaman
Publicity IC: Lee Kai Xin
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