In Singapore, 1 in 7 adult residents experience a mental health condition in their lifetime (Singapore Mental Health Study 2016). This figure translates to about 800,000 residents in Singapore living with mental health conditions based on a population of 5.5 million. A recent survey by the National Council of Social Service found that most people recognized the need for more tolerance and support towards persons with mental health conditions, but they think that the causes of mental health conditions is due to a lack of self-discipline and will-power.

In other words, the stigma again people with mental health issues in our community is still prevalent, despite our best efforts to normalize issues pertaining to mental health conditions. There is a pressing need in our communities to have safe psychological spaces to talk about our mental health and well-being.

The purpose of this campaign is to raise funds to create pockets psychologically safe spaces to have meaningful meaning and uplifting conversations about our mental health.

A co-founder of SOAR, Florence, is a SG Strong Fellow.

The funds raised from this campaign will be utilized in three different projects in 2024:

1. Development of SOAR’s website as a landing page for information about SOAR, co-production in Singapore and to engage volunteers and donors.

2. Collaboration with Penpals in the Community (Valerie Ho) to develop letter writing workshops for families touched by the impact of mental health conditions.

3. Collaboration with Calm Collective (Sabrina Ooi) to co-create a workbook for employers to support employees in the workplace.

About SOAR

Since 2019, SOAR (School of Ability & Recovery) has been co-producing psycho-education workshops to enhance mental health literacy in various communities. By collaborating with organizations like Youth Corps Singapore, the Institute of Mental Health, Singapore Association for Mental Health, and People’s Association, we have created more than 5 workshops series pertaining to personal well-being, workplace mental health and recovery from psychotic disorders. We have reached more than 400 unique participants with our workshops since SOAR’s conception in 2018. Members of SOAR are made up of like-minded individuals with a passion for the cause of mental health as professionals, caregivers, persons in recovery (many of us wear these different hats in our own lives at different times). We believe that persons in recovery from mental health conditions are like the proverbial broken crayons that still colour, in our own unique and vibrant ways.

About Ray of Hope

100% of your donations to Ray of Hope go to people in need. We do not take a cut from the funds. We even cover 3rd party credit card charges that other crowdfunding platforms deduct from your donation for campaigns.

100% of all campaigns are also fully verified, so you know your funds goes to real people with real needs.

We take donor accountability very seriously – with yearly audited accounts and strong governance in place to ensure that your donations is properly channeled to the beneficiaries.

Ray of Hope is a registered charity and a member of the National Council of Social Services.