At Lengkok Bahru on November 2nd, we were with an aunty in her 80s as she settled into her home after being discharged from the hospital. With limited mobility, she was wheeled up from the ambulance by social workers, and our Keeping Hope Alive volunteers got to work making her space livable and safe.

With her permission, we sorted through her belongings - photos in one pile, money in another, notes and religious artifacts in yet another. We handled each item carefully, understanding that some held monetary value while others carried precious memories. Big items and small, we went through them one by one.

Aunty is hard of hearing in one ear, but that didn't stop her from chatting and joking with our founder Fion Phua, who is legally blind. Watching these two ladies laugh together, their faces lit up with big smiles, was a beautiful sight. "感恩," aunty kept saying, expressing her gratitude. We reminded her, "感谢您让我们做有用的人" - thank you for letting us be useful people.

The toughest task was disposing of a refrigerator left unused for far too long. But we did what we could - tidying, cleaning, making the space just a bit safer for her to move around.

We left with something more valuable than anything we gave - her smiles and her thanks. That's the real gift in this work.