Book on women trailblazers to be used as teaching guide
Copies of the inspiring tales to be sent to madrasahs, schools, homes for children and youth by SCWO
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Pioneering dancer and choreographer Santha Bhaskar, 81, with President Halimah Yacob at the Istana on Monday. Mrs Bhaskar was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame along with six other women, who were honoured posthumously.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
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A book on the life stories of honourees in the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame (SWHF) will be used as a teaching guide to inspire children and young people.
Copies of the children's book, Awesome Women Of Singapore, will be distributed to all primary and secondary schools, madrasahs, and homes for children and youth next month by the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations (SCWO).
They will also receive a range of teaching aids and interactive tools to help the young think about their goals in life and how to overcome obstacles they might face.
The initiative, Project Awesome: Dare to Dream, was announced by the SCWO yesterday. It is supported by Deloitte Singapore and the School of the Arts (Sota).
The book, launched on International Women's Day on Monday, features 160 women from the SWHF, including Dr Oon Chiew Seng, the first gynaecologist here to go into private practice, and women's rights activist Shirin Fozdar, who started the now-defunct Singapore Council of Women to lobby for better laws to protect women and children.
"Many of the awesome women were trailblazers who, driven by their vision of a better life, broke through structural and cultural barriers and carved out new paths for themselves and for others," said the SCWO.
The book also showcases the works of 10 local women artists who were commissioned to draw the portraits of 100 women in the hall of fame.
Besides distributing the book to target groups, the SCWO also plans to conduct a pilot scheme between next month and next March to gather feedback from teachers and students to refine the programme.
By 2026, the project aims to have 50 per cent of students here participate in at least one of its activities.
Ms Margaret Thomas, who chairs the SWHF working committee and is a member of the SCWO board, said: "We are keen to work with many more community partners - corporations, educational institutions, civil society organisations, individuals - and to build an awesome community."
At present, Deloitte Singapore is committing funds to Project Awesome, while students from Sota helped design its logo.
Ms Thomas noted that the Government has embarked on a national review of women's development and will present the findings in a White Paper this year. She said the new book will help in the effort to "show boys that women are as capable as men in all areas, and it will give girls strong role models".
Members of the public can contribute to Project Awesome's fund-raising effort at Giving.sg. The book may be purchased on this website.
This article has been edited for clarity.
