Singaporean of the Year finalist: Their daycare centre gives kids with cancer a normal childhood
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Volunteer coordinator Geraldine Lee (left) and former nurse Ronita Paul founded Arc Children’s Centre for children battling cancer and other critical illnesses.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
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SINGAPORE – School is out, and the holidays are in full swing at one children’s daycare centre in Whampoa.
After a simple lunch of rice, chicken and soup, a group of girls turn their attention to art and craft, while a toddler dozes off on her mattress. Sitting over by the window, in a cushioned nook, a boy lazily thumbs through a novel, while near him, another group of girls shuffle a deck of Uno cards.
There are occasional conflicts, such as when 10-year-old Harper Lim asks to join in the Uno game, but is told to wait. She sits to the side, eyes red with tears.
This is when centre head Ronita Paul, aka Auntie Ronita, steps in to speak to her. In her firm but gentle way, she explains how the group’s decision is not personal, and she has to wait for her turn. Harper comes around.
At first glance, Arc Children’s Centre is a childcare centre like any other. But on closer look, you would notice that the kids, who are between two and 13 years old, keep their masks on at all times, and are not allowed to go outside much.
Founded by former nurse Ronita Paul and volunteer coordinator Geraldine Lee, the charity daycare centre is Singapore’s only daycare centre for children battling cancer and other critical illnesses.
The centre, which runs entirely on donations, charges a fee of $10 a day, which can be reduced for those who cannot afford it.
“At first, when we started, it was just to have a safe place and option besides home and hospital for the kids. Then we asked, ‘Why is their childhood like that?’ So we ended up providing them programmes that any normal child would get otherwise,” said Ms Lee, citing music, dance and other enrichment activities.
The pair – Ms Lee, 66, and Ms Paul, 72 – are a finalist for the Singaporean of the Year Award, which is organised by The Straits Times to recognise those 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.
The award, now in its ninth edition, is presented by UBS Singapore.
The pair met in 1992 while working at Assisi Hospice, where Ms Paul was a nurse and Ms Lee, a volunteer coordinator.
One day, a boy, Raphael, was brought to the hospice for pain control as his parents had to work. When Ms Paul was celebrating Raphael’s 14th birthday at a daycare centre for hospice patients, the boy asked why there was no such place for kids. She then promised him she would start one.
Raphael died months later.
But Ms Paul remembered her promise. She told Ms Lee about it, and they decided to approach Dr Gerard Ee, former president of the National Council of Social Service, who agreed to guide them.
“We were just nobodies trying to do something like this. And we had no idea how to do it,” said Ms Paul.
Former nurse Ronita Paul and volunteer coordinator Geraldine Lee with children and accompanying siblings at Arc Children’s Centre.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
The two women, who are both single, quit their jobs to start the centre in 2011. They had no income for the first two months.
Dr Rita Yeoh Joo Seang, former chairman of Assisi’s fund-raising committee, gave them “pocket money”, while Mrs Goh Chok Tong, former patron of Assisi, helped them with the legalities of setting up the centre.
“Somehow or other, we were guided. Maybe Raphael was the guide because everything started falling into place,” Ms Paul said.
“The right people started coming forward to help.”
Over time, they introduced more programmes, from taekwondo and dance, to public speaking and career talks.
In 2019, it moved from its premises in Kim Keat Road to 77 Lorong Limau, near Whampoa, which, at 5,000 sq ft, was more than double the size.
When The Straits Times visited Arc on Dec 20, the children had just completed one of their twice-yearly camps at the centre, where they sang karaoke, bowled and played football over three nights.
“We love camp,” one child piped up when prompted. “You all love killing me, right,” joked Ms Paul to the kids, who burst into laughter.
It is tiring work, even on a normal day. Ms Paul said she falls into bed by 8.30pm on some days, as she gets up as early as 6am to respond to text messages from parents, saying that their kids would not be coming to the centre as they were in hospital, or a myriad of other problems.
At the centre, Ms Paul and Ms Lee noticed some kids were having trouble with speaking, and so engaged a speech therapist to help.
Ms Lee said they found that one three-year-old boy was unable to speak, possibly because he had leukaemia, and his parents had done everything for him without him needing to ask.
“In the end, he became a motormouth, talking non-stop,” Ms Lee said.
They also engaged a child psychologist in 2023 to help the kids cope with their struggles.
“But the best support for them was their own peers,” Ms Paul said.
She related how a seven-year-old boy comforted his friend who was terrified to go for radiotherapy – a treatment that uses radiation to kill cancer cells – by detailing the process he had gone through himself.
The next day, the boy came back to Arc after his treatment, excited to share with the rest that the process was, indeed, loud and smelly, but painless.
Moments like these are familiar to Mr Muhammad Hafiyyan Basuri, who attended Arc for several years. He was diagnosed with leukaemia when he was 12, just before taking his Primary School Leaving Examination.
After a year of chemotherapy, which left him drained and too weak to walk some days, Arc found the boy tutors to help him catch up on his studies and prepare for secondary school.
Now a third-year Singapore Institute of Technology radiography undergraduate, the 25-year-old said: “I was really trapped and alone and didn’t really have any form of communication with anyone because I was quite weak.
“So when I was introduced to this group of people who are having the same problems as me, I felt very ‘embraced’, very welcomed. That really helped me find a place where I can somewhat call home.”
Despite the myriad challenges of running the centre, Ms Paul and Ms Lee are pushing on.
On what keeps her going, Ms Paul said: “Seeing the children grow up and lead a normal and fulfilling life. Especially when they start graduating, start getting jobs. They still come back and take care of the younger ones.”
They are very proud of their “alumni”, who include a 23-year-old pharmacist.
Twelve years after starting Arc, the two women’s wishes for the children remain the same.
Ms Paul said: “Hope is something that should never be lost. You just hope that they find a cure for your cancer. And you just hope that everything is well, that you can reach for the stars.”
The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year Award, now in its ninth edition, is presented by UBS Singapore.
Nominations, which close on Dec 31, can be made at str.sg/soty23nominate
Nominees must be Singapore citizens, and recognised for performing their act of service in 2023.
The award recipient will get:
$20,000 in cash;
A pair of Singapore Airlines business-class tickets, up to three pairs for a group;
A five-night stay at any of Millennium Hotels and Resorts’ properties globally, for up to three people.
Finalists will receive:
$5,000 cash for each person or group;
A pair of Singapore Airlines economy-class tickets, up to three pairs for a group;
A three-night stay at one of Millennium Hotels and Resorts’ global properties, for up to three people.
The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year (SOTY) is an award that 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.
The annual award is organised by The Straits Times and presented by UBS Singapore. The official airline partner is Singapore Airlines and the global hotel partner is Millennium Hotels and Resorts.
