SG Volunteer

People fiddling with their smart phones and tuning in to their music, staring listlessly into space in an attempt to avoid meeting the eyes of the one standing right opposite him. Someone accidentally brushes past and hits his elbow.

tsk.

Sounds familiar? The MRT on a busy morning.

Ever watched 跑吧，孩子！or those nostalgic Channel 8 kampong shows, where it seemed like everyone was friends with everyone, and kids literally LOVED the tok tok mian and ice cream uncle? Yes, sooooo old school, we all wish we were in that era, doing the things they did, running around wild in our kampongs. But what ever happened? The same people residing in this country, but what is it about city life that differs from that kampong that our parents experienced 40 years back?

It’s the pace of life, the development of the country and how it has led us to put other priorities ahead of us. No longer people but things. We treasure that new gadget more than our relationships. We claw for that next 5 figure salary at the expense of our family. And on an everyday basis, we overlook the people around us and their needs in our drive to focus on getting work done.

So, what, really, is Project Hello Stranger about?

Project Hello Stranger is a voluntary movement by a group of Singaporean youths who want to see a happier Singapore. As like in many cities, we are often forced or socialized into building a wall around us due to the competition that we are used to in school and at work, and that permeates into other areas of our lives. However, we know that within those walls lie big hearts and we aim to break them down by infecting Singaporeans with the spirit of giving and love.

This movement involve lots of guerilla strategies and engagement of Singaporeans mainly through social media as we carry out different activities to get Singaporeans to show their soft and friendly side. We believe that a simple act of kindness can spread a whole lot of joy and warmth to the people around us and that’s exactly what Project Hello Stranger is about.

So join us now in putting our hearts into use. Let’s spread some love!

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/ProjectHelloStranger
BLOG: HelloStrangerProject.wordpress.com
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/HelloStranger12

The Bone Marrow Donor Programme (BMDP) announced its intention to expand its local register by a further 5,000 volunteer donors this year.

BMDP is a Singapore-based non-profit organisation which partners transplant hospitals here to identify matching bone marrow donors for patients stricken with diseases such as leukaemia and lymphoma, who need a bone marrow transplant in order to survive.

The odds of finding a match is only 1:20,000. Expanding the register is thus critical, especially in consideration of the prevalence of small families here, which makes finding a matching family member difficult, said BMDP President Jane Prior.

BMDP relies on public and corporate donations to fund their work.

The total cost of running the organisation is around $1.5 million per annum, including the $750,000.00 required for the 5,000 new donors to be added to the register.

In March, the BMDP’s annual charity ball raised $580,000. These funds will be channelled in to growing the local register, said BMDP.

The amount is expected to cover the cost of adding 80 per cent of this year’s target number of additional donors.

The register today has around 50,000 volunteer donors all signed up and fully tissue typed.

As a donor match is most likely to be found from within the same ethnic group, the target is to expand significantly the registers for the minority groups, BMDP said.

“Public education is key. There are many myths about the donation process and even the requirements for signing up,” said Prior.

She clarified that all it takes is a simple mouth swab to sign up as a donor. This can even be managed remotely via mail.

Today’s bone marrow or blood stem cell transplant is no longer a high-risk procedure, saving lives that would otherwise be lost unnecessarily to these most common forms of cancer, said BMDP.

Once a search request is received, the search begins in Singapore and will extend around the world if required. The organisation received preliminary search requests for 174 patients last year, and found successful matches for 51 patients.

When a donor is confirmed as a patient match, BMDP makes sure he or she is fit and healthy to donate.

Last year, five local donors gave their bone marrow to patients in Singapore, as well as Hong Kong and the US.

yamadak@sph.com.sg

Source: Asiaone