Overcoming Digital Challenges During Covid-19

“Raymond joined our programme in 2018. He is 11 years old this year. He lives in a one-room flat with his mother and younger sister. His parents are not married, and his father is largely absent from his life.

As I got to know Raymond, I discovered he likes attending school and has great motivation to study. He also mentioned he was struggling with his studies. We went through his past results and realized he was failing many exams, despite his positive attitude. I was puzzled and also realized his schoolteachers were when I contacted them to find out more.

Raymond then took a psycho-educational test and we discovered his literacy skills are below average, hence, affecting his learning and understanding of the subjects.

After this discovery, I signed him up for our English Tuition Programme (2019-present), so he can get extra help.

Tuition is a service that many families from vulnerable backgrounds are not able to afford, but much needed to not fall behind, and we can help by providing this academic support on our side.

At home, the siblings access the internet using their mother’s internet hotspot when she is home.

This became a challenge during the Covid-19 circuit breaker lockdown as school and classes were brought online. He was able to obtain a laptop on loan from his school, but he needed more internet data.

When I learnt about this, we bought him extra data so he can continue attending classes.

His mother is also currently unemployed so this will help them save on the extra expense.

I believe that our monthly food rations, which we have increased the quantity, will help them reduce expenses. I’ve also helped link his mother with government-assisted financial schemes to receive more support.

To help relieve caregiving stress for his mother, we had sent an activity pack and organized online social and educational activities to engage Raymond.

We are currently assisting the family to apply for a PC and long-term home internet broadband through the IMDA PC Plus program.

I am always encouraged when I see Raymond improve, even in the smallest ways. I am glad we can help during this challenging period. As we continue this journey together, my wish is for him to have good foundations and ultimately excel later on in his life.”

-Raymond’s caseworker, FOCY programme

___

Would you like to empower our young clients to be stronger? Click here to find out how you can support the work we do.

Follow us on facebook, instagram, and/or linkedin for weekly updates on how your support has made a difference in our young clients’ lives 🙂