SINGAPORE - Armed with a pair of scissors, sewing thread and a needle, Wielky Almatis, a Primary Two pupil at Yu Neng Primary School, squinted intensely as he gingerly threaded the sewing needle through a piece of felt cloth.
This was no typical arts and craft classroom lesson but rather part of a good cause to raise funds for ChildAid, an annual charity concert.
Being the eight-year-old's first sewing attempt, he found the process slightly challenging but resolutely maintained that he "was not scared of the needle at all".
Said Joshua Kee,11, an enthusiastic Primary Five pupil who has participated in this annual initiative for the third straight year: "All of the hard work and sweat is worth it as it's for a good deed to help other children ."
Wielky and Joshua were two of the 1,324 students, parent volunteers and teachers who rallied together on a Friday (Aug 4) morning to sew buttons on ecotote bags with owl motifs.
The owl motifs on these tote bags took almost five months to be completed and were made from recycled materials contributed by teachers, parents and students.
The bags will be put up for sale at Timbre+ and at the year-end ChildAid charity concert held at the Resorts World Sentosa on Nov 24 and 25.
Proceeds made from the sale of these tote bags will go to two primary beneficiaries of the ChildAid charity concert- The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund which provides financial assistance to children from low income families and The Business Times Budding Artists Fund that offers financially disadvantaged children opportunities to pursue an arts education.
The two-year-old initiative, Pay-it-Forward (PIF), is a collaborative effort between Yu Neng Primary School, its parent support group and a non-profit arts and culture organisation The Rice Company Limited.
Mrs Clara Lim-Tan, the principal of the 82 year old primary school, highlighted the pedagogic importance for her students to participate in such community projects where "it has enabled (her) pupils to learn that one small act of kindness can create a ripple effect far greater than one could have imagined."
"Through this project, we hope to remind and encourage everyone to adopt the 3Rs - reuse, reduce and recycle for a more sustainable future," she added.
