SINGAPORE - Some 1,250 children celebrated Children's Day at Universal Studios Singapore on Thursday with crafts and performances at an annual event for children under the Ministry of Education's financial assistance scheme.
Pupils from CHIJ (Kellock) put on a theatre-dance performance and created gift packs with personal notes for their peers, at the event called Children for Children. More than 1,000 children in the aid scheme took part.
The event is in its seventh year and this edition was put together by The Business Times, CHIJ (Kellock), Resorts World Sentosa and The RICE Company, which runs arts training.
A sum of $320,000 was raised for the event, which, after covering the outing, will be shared between two charities that help students from low-income families -The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund and The Business Times Budding Artists Fund.
Minister for Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin, who was the guest of honour, said the event was "a good way for young children to start thinking about how they can contribute back to society in different ways".
He also presented his recently launched photography book, The World We Live In, to donors who contributed $5,000 or more.
Primary 4 pupil Ananya Sharma from CHIJ (Kellock) acted in this year's performance after being involved two years ago. In the run-up to the event, she was part of a group of pupils that ran a survey in school to find out about their peers' spending habits.
"We actually spend quite a lot," said Ananya, nine. "We learnt that we shouldn't take things for granted because there are always people who have less."
