The article featured Mr Ismail Didih Ibrahim from THK Brotherhood programme (THK Family Services). He shared his journey from being an ex-convict to a stall owner of
The People’s Nasi Padang in Tai Seng. While serving his time in prison, he learned that many convicts faced challenges in upskilling and finding employment for themselves. He decided to take the opportunity to set up a stall and give other ex-convicts a second
chance by offering them a job. This initiative not only provides employment but also creates a safe space for them to steer clear of negative activities. Currently, he is
implementing a framework in which new staff will be required to undergo counselling sessions and receive social support.

In response to Shen Wen Feng’s letter published in Lianhe Zaobao on 27 November,
Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities (THKMC)’s Family Service Centres (FSCs) receive up to 8 cases a month of families who are affected by debt. THKMC Chief Executive Officer, Mr Jason Lee shared that social workers would engage the affected families
to understand their family situation and assess the impact and consequences of their debts. They will then refer the families to community resources such as Social Service Offices, Credit Counselling Singapore, and social service agencies that provide consultations and negotiations with creditors on debt repayment plans, according to
each family’s specific situation.
Debt clearance support is beneficial to families that have very limited means to support themselves. Some may have fallen into debt due to circumstances beyond their
control. Helping families that are putting in effort to clear their debt can reduce their anxiety, improve their decision-making ability, and allow them to make better progress
towards long-term goals. Complementing intervention services provided by THKMC
and other social service agencies, ComLink+ will enable such affected lower-income families to clear their debt and get relief from their immediate situation; while we
continue supporting families in developing the ability to better manage their finances over the long term.

In the Straits Times forum, Mr Benjamin Alexander Chua thanked Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities for supporting his daughter. She underwent a kidney transplant in October, and he expressed gratitude to the organisations that supported her during the period. Mr Benjamin’s daughter received education support through the early intervention programme under THK EIC Services.

To many, the idea of doing time in prison is a harrowing one.
And on the other hand, there is Ismail Didih Ibrahim, who said he
actually missed his time in the slammer after he got out.
Don’t get him wrong though— the 38-year-old entrepreneur has no
intentions of doing anything to land himself back in jail.

Straits Times featured Mr Ismail Didih, a member of the THK Brotherhood programme.
In 2021, he joined the programme to seek help to manage his anger and appreciate the support he receives from the brothers. He recently set up a nasi padang stall to help others like him. Mr Ben Ang, Principal Social Worker from THK Family Services, shared that there are currently 40 men in the programme.

In the news feature by Lianhe Zaobao, the shortage of manpower is a common issue amongst other organisations. With the increasing number of seniors, Mr Dennis Oen, Senior Operations Manager, shared that THKMC is actively exploring on the use of technology to support staff, so that they may focus on other vulnerable seniors.
The RS fall monitoring system is currently in its initial phase with 20 seniors being invited by THKMC to participate in the programme. THKMC serves about 10,000
seniors across Singapore, with 78% of them living alone.

RS系统目前在最初的试用阶段，太和观慈善机构邀请了20名独居老人参与这项计划。

Micro-jobs scheme

Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities introduced the Brotherhood Programme in 2019 with
the aim of offering a support platform to family violence abusers. Through groupwork sessions, the programme provides them with the ability to manage their emotions, with the objective of helping them reconcile their relationship with their families. To date, more than 70 people have joined the programme.
THK Family Services’ Principal Social Worker, Ben Ang, shared with Lianhe Zaobao that more than 90% of the abusers had unhappy childhood, and had experienced a certain level of abuse from their family. The experiences a child was exposed to from childhood will have a certain degree of impact to the next generation. In order to help break this vicious cycle, it’s important for us to help the current abusers step out of their current situation. One of the ways for them to accept what is past is to treat the core issue, by encouraging the Brothers to share their stories, build their confidence and at the same time, this helps heals them. Ben Ang also shared with Lianhe Zaobao

the activities by Brotherhood which helps strengthen the Brotherhood support system and bond, to let the Brothers know they are not alone, and they will support each other and succeed together.
Lianhe Zaobao interviewed two of the Brothers in the Brotherhood programme, Firbaus and Lee Teck Wei, who stepped forth to share their stories and encourage people to seek help for a better self. In the boxed feature, Lee Teck Wei shared that abuse does not only apply to physical, but verbal threats are also a form of abuse, and he shared his story. Both Firbaus and Teck Wei have reconciled with their wives and
children.