In August 2013, Mothership started a volunteer-led tuition program to offer academic and pastoral support for primary and secondary school students in Tampines, Chong Pang and MacPherson districts.

About two dozen volunteers have since been helping the students who belong to schools in these neighborhoods for the last 18 months.

The small initiative hopes to grow larger in 2015 and there is a need for more volunteers as word of the programme spreads throughout these communities.

One of the volunteers, Falaumaina Mohd Sharil, said the tuition project provides students with academic help and attention to be well-rounded: “The tuition project is like a Homework Club for the students. They bring in Homework which they need extra help in understanding and completing.”

“Besides academics, the volunteers also ask about what’s interesting that had happened that week. As time goes by, the students are able to open up during the session.”

The group aims to keep their student-tutor ratio low in a small group setting with one volunteer to three students.

Falaumaina also said volunteering her time is not too much to ask for given that Singapore youths spend more time engaged in other areas of interest: "I am much happier knowing that my time is well-spent by helping these students out compared to walking around shopping malls over the weekend. Two hours with the students is nothing compared to the amount of cumulated hours we spend on social networking platforms or window shopping."

Keen to be part of the Student Care Programme? You can volunteer at [email protected]