Heeding the maxim that “experience is the best teacher”, the annual GB Fast, Food, and Fuzz Camp offers Girls a taste of what it’s like to be a person in need.
Over a weekend, 300 Girls put up with spartan conditions – eating and living simply with one aim – to help their “families” escape poverty.
Lunch and dinner consist of white rice and boiled vegetables. After an afternoon of games, many Girls were grateful for the simple pleasure of a full belly – a luxury that 1 out of 11 people globally do not have.
While the Girls enthusiastically tackled many challenges to earn “money”, they soon realised that escaping from poverty was no easy task. What with rent, expenses, and even fines to pay, it felt like their hard-earned money slipped out of their hands faster than they could earn it!
Learning to honour those in need
Girls also had the opportunity to learn more about people in need living within and beyond Singapore, namely rough sleepers. After watching a documentary by CNA on the plight of the homeless in Singapore, some Girls were impressed by how considerate rough sleepers were towards others – leaving their sleeping areas early in the morning to avoid giving cleaners any trouble.
“Although they don’t always receive the help they need from others, these people in need always help other people – even when they don’t have enough for themselves.” (Jingwen, The 59th P Company, Greenridge Primary School)
Seeing rough sleepers as individuals with their own strengths helped to move Girls from a place of pity toward respect.
Learning how difficult it is to get water the “old-fashioned way”.
Having learned more about the complexities of poverty, and seeing human faces behind this obscure term, we hope that these young hearts will desire to make a positive and sustainable change for others in the future.
As we do our part to empathize with, and respond to the needs of the downtrodden, we look forward to the day when younger generations will lend their own hand to help others escape poverty.
Experiencing the difficulty of doing simple tasks without electricity.