Singaporean of the Year finalist: Mother of six gives free breakfast to children in Ang Mo Kio

SINGAPORE – For 40 minutes, three times a week, a void deck in Ang Mo Kio Street 23 comes alive as children gather to tuck into a simple but nourishing breakfast spread.

At its busiest, the free breakfast initiative served as many as 35 children, although the usual turnout is around 25.

A medley of breakfast items, including cereals, fruits, biscuits and bread, as well as Milo, milk and juice, would have been prepared by Ms Lydia Susiyanti Sukarbi since 6.30am, often with the help of her friend, Ms Halinah Yatim, who lives several blocks away.

Ms Lydia

started Breakfast Buddy in February

, providing free breakfast to underprivileged children in her neighbourhood every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

A former school canteen stall vendor who now does social work part-time, she started the initiative as she had seen first-hand how some students went hungry during recess so that their younger siblings would have money for food.

“I feel that children shouldn’t be hungry,” said the mother of six children aged one to 15, whose family lives in a two-room HDB rental flat in Ang Mo Kio.

Among her extended brood that she feeds is Aina Adrianna Mohammad Fareez, 11, who comes three times a week.

“She’s kind,” said Aina, the second eldest of five children, about Ms Lydia. “She makes everyone eat before they go (to school) and always makes sure that we will not be late.”

Ms Lydia initially forked out $300 to $400 a month to buy the breakfast items, but with cash and in-kind donations, she now has to come up with about $200 a month.

Beyond providing meals, her aim is to give the children a safe space to gather and build social skills, and the opportunity for her to lend them a listening ear.

“I think the joy is to be a support system for these children,” she said. “I like to work with children and be part of their childhood. It’s like being part of history-making in their story.”

Besides preparing breakfast, she also arranged for dance classes which began in August, and football in October. These are helmed by other residents from the neighbourhood.

“I knew some of the children usually hang around the playground to play, so I thought having an opportunity for these children to play football and dance creates more purpose,” said the 36-year-old.

She believes that such enrichment activities will not only help prevent children from going astray, but also teach them values like responsibility and commitment.

Ms Lydia is working with community members to provide the children with costumes and equipment such as soccer balls. She is also helping with a donation drive that redistributes football gear like soccer boots.

Securing locations for the classes remains challenging, and the dance classes are currently held at void decks, she said.

Ms Lydia’s work now is rooted in the community. She works part-time at social service agency Allkin Singapore, where she organises activities and programmes that bring people together.

She also works on an ad-hoc basis at social enterprise Skillseed, where she is a mentor guide who leads journeys in her neighbourhood and shares her experiences and strengths of the rental flat community.

On her community work, she said: “For me, it’s very important because this kind of connection is what all of us need.”

Ms Lydia encourages others to contribute, even if it is just to provide a listening ear.

She earns about $3,000 a month. Her children are on the Education Ministry’s Financial Assistance Scheme, which helps with basic schooling expenses.

She said her love of giving was cultivated from an early age.

When she was 10 or 11, she would invite children she met while playing to go home with her for a meal.

“My mother would simply feed them without any complaints,” recalled Ms Lydia, who is the eldest of five.

She credits her mother, a retired hawker, as her inspiration for compassion.

“I grew up in an environment where most of my friends are not well-to-do. So we see the hustle, we see the struggle,” she added. “(But being hungry) shouldn’t be a silent struggle.”

Ms Lydia is a finalist for The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year award, which is given to a Singaporean or group of citizens who have made a significant contribution to society.

This can be through achievements that put Singapore on the world stage, or by going beyond the call of duty to selflessly improve the lives of others in the community, among other ways.

Now in its 11th year, the award is organised by The Straits Times, and presented by UBS Singapore.