No talking to strangers,” Amit, 24, would mutter to himself. An unfortunate misunderstanding years ago with a member of the public scarred this affable young man and left him wary of strangers.
Amit was labelled as a “public nuisance” and lost his hard-earned independence of travelling on his own. His mum, Mdm Nawandirijit Kaur, 55, had to leave her job to chaperone him so he would avoid further trouble during that period.
Amit bounced back from this incident with his cheerful personality and positivity. Upon graduation from Eden School, a special education school, five years ago, he found a job as an urban farmer at Edible Garden City, an organisation which champions the grow-your-own-food movement in Singapore. He would proudly introduce himself as “Amit urban farmer!”
Today, he not only contributes towards his family’s living expenses but also helps out around the house. His daily routine of housework, having chicken rice for lunch at the same coffee shop and evening prayers with his father keeps him secure and focused. Amit’s future aspiration is to spend more hours at work.
Her eyebrows knitted in deep concentration, Narelle, 32, meticulously folds origami lucky stars as gifts for her care staff at St Andrew’s Adult Home (SAAH). Stella, 28, who is the only other female at the home, fusses over a name list of people she knows, who are recipients of her prayers and crafts on different occasions throughout the year. Another resident, Benedict, 26, breaks into a smile from his daze each time someone approaches him for a chat.
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