'Acts of service are my love language': PAP candidate Cai Yinzhou on juggling social work, fatherhood & politics

Acts of service are Cai Yinzhou's love language. And now, he's bringing that ethos into politics.

Cai, a social entrepreneur, is now part of the People’s Action Party (PAP) team contesting Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the 2025 General Election.

But long before he entered the political arena, the 35-year-old had already made a name for himself on the ground — providing free haircuts to migrant workers and those in need, leading walking tours through Geylang and Dakota Crescent, and his work in eldercare.

As he recounted his many grassroots efforts in an interview with Mothership, I found myself reflecting on my own indifference.

What inspires such deep commitment to the community? And what’s the origin story behind this civic-minded candidate?

It turned out to be one simple act of kindness that led him down the path of social entrepreneurship.

Origin story

Growing up in Geylang, Cai often hung out with a group of migrant workers behind his house.

He recounted how they played badminton together and formed close friendships.

One of them, who had confided in Cai about his financial and family struggles, mentioned he hadn’t had a haircut in weeks.

Cai, who decided to learn how to cut hair from YouTube videos, then offered to do it himself.

That small gesture sparked his first social initiative — Backalley Barbers, which offered free haircuts in the alleys of Geylang to migrant workers, the elderly, and anyone in need.

Building on that, he founded Geylang Adventures, which conducts educational walking tours to help people understand Geylang as a “social ecosystem”.

Even when Covid-19 halted these tours in 2020, Cai found a way to continue serving the community.

He pivoted to eldercare, joining St Luke’s ElderCare as a nursing home care staff, and eventually becoming the centre manager at Anchorvale Active Ageing Hub.

After over a decade since his first step into social entrepreneurship, Cai is now making his political debut.

Inspired by Louis Ng

What motivated him to make the switch?

"The transition to joining [politics] was not so clear," Cai replied.

His first brush with politics came in 2018, when he began volunteering as former Nee Soon Member of Parliament (MP) Louis Ng’s legislative assistant.

He also contributed to various social initiatives in Nee Soon East, collaborating with the town council on projects focused on migrant workers and elderly residents.

Watching Ng in action, Cai said, was his first understanding of politics — particularly Ng’s “way of advocacy” and how he used "backdoor discussions" to bring people together.

"There wasn't like a period of time where you changed to be aspiring to be a politician, but I think I was naturalised into the idea of how advocacy in Singapore can be impactful as a parliamentarian," he said.

Cai shared how he was also inspired by Ng's "model" of using collaboration as a way to bring people together.

This approach, he explained, involves engaging those affected by the issues, raising suggestions, coordinating interactions with policymakers, and then changing policies through that process.

Juggling four hats

With his potential new role as an MP though, I was surprised to learn that Cai, a father of two, is determined to continue both his eldercare and social entrepreneurship work.

When questioned how he was going to juggle these four hats together, Cai was thoughtful as he explained that he has always been an "avid multitasker".

"So I think many of these juggling of responsibilities have happened since I was young. I've always been very focused about what is important to me," he said.

For instance, Cai took on multiple part-time jobs to meet his goal of becoming "financially independent" in his younger days, as he did not wish to rely on his family members.

Since his polytechnic days, he’s held part-time jobs such as bartender, boat driver, kayaking instructor, camp leader, and organiser of mass sporting events.

Now as he jumps into politics, Cai said he has had discussions with his wife on how his priorities may shift.

"So with this new responsibility, definitely, it's about reprioritisation and re-looking at what I may have to give up and at what cost in this new role," he said.

Missing kids' milestones

One of the things he has missed so far as he actively campaigned the past few days are some of his children's milestones. 

"The past few weeks, I've also realised I've missed some milestones already, and it's been a struggle to realise that I will continue to miss some of these milestones in the near future. It's difficult," he said.

His days have been hectic — he wakes up at 6am and his first activity starts at 8am.

After two rounds of GRC walkabouts and house visits later, he will have a meeting before ending the day.

"We're done close to midnight, and then the cycle repeats itself and that explains why I haven't seen my sons awake for the past week," Cai shared.

After a week of late nights, he finally got to hold his older son again recently and noticed something had changed.

"I carried him [when he was] lying down and his legs [could reach] the floor, and normally it's on my stomach," Cai said with a bittersweet smile.

He spoke about his children with clear love and fondness in his voice, tinged with a quiet wistfulness.

While his wife has committed to "filling in the role", he vowed that he will also be carving out time to spend with his family.

That was one piece of advice he was given upon deciding to foray into politics — to "carve out time for family proactively, and have space in the week in the calendar that is prioritised for family".

"And the protected time is important so that you don't lose yourself, but you don't lose your family as well," Cai said.

Building a community for his children

If he knows what he stands to miss, why is he still doing this?

Before I could ask, Cai himself asked out loud the question I had in my head.

"I think for me, from the start, service has been something very close to my heart — service to the community, service to family, service to now my spouse and my kids," he explained.

Now that he's a father, his kids are his "new motivation".

He wants to build a community for them that is “safe,” one they can call “home” and be proud of, he said.

A place where people come together, each with their own reasons, to care for one another.

Going back to his experiences serving in Geylang and Dakota, Cai said the "magic moment" truly happens when "people come together with no agenda other than to serve".

"This is an environment that I want my kids to grow up in. These are the values that I want them to learn, and that's why I'm here," Cai said.

When asked if he also wanted his kids to be inspired by him, Cai said that rather than that, he wants his kids to be "inspired by the community and the acts of service that they can do, to not just help others, but to work hand in hand".

It ultimately circles back to Cai's love language.

Serving the community, be it through social initiatives or politics, is the most meaningful way Cai believes he can show his love and care — to his children, and to the world around him.

Top photos by Khine Zin Htet/Mothership and yinzhoucai/Instagram