Singaporean of the Year finalist: He writes to inmates, volunteers with them after release

SINGAPORE – Dr Roger Tan may never meet the men he writes to daily. But they know him well – his is a familiar voice from the outside world.

Over the past 3½ years, Dr Tan has penned more than 26,000 letters – in the form of e-mails – to Changi Prison inmates, offering them news about the outside world and gentle reminders that they are still a part of it.

Some stay in touch after their release. Once a month, Dr Tan gathers this group to volunteer together under the H Project, a non-profit he started in 2022.

“It’s better than if we just go out and makan,” he said with a laugh. “It’s more meaningful.”

In June, the H Project joined a Singapore University of Social Sciences programme that helps start-ups grow by providing them with resources like mentorship and access to funding.

Dr Tan, 48, was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer in 2024. He is determined that the H Project – H stands for hope – outlives him.

He published a collection of his daily e-mails – Dear Inmates: Daily Emails To Prisoners – in May.

Dr Tan is a finalist for The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year award, given to an individual or group who has made a significant contribution to society.

This can be through achievements that have 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 11th year, is presented by UBS Singapore.

A car accident in 2013 left Dr Tan, who worked at a bank in risk management, seriously injured. He was in a body cast for six months and had to learn to walk again.

Dr Tan has a PhD in empathy media from the University of Hertfordshire, where his thesis involved creating a computer game to help people bond with their pets.

He began reading self-help books to come to terms with the accident, which also ended a long relationship.

“I tried to learn to be happy,” he said. “The tipping point came when I learnt about self-compassion.”

The practice changed his life, and he decided that he wanted to learn more and teach it to others to help them.

He threw himself into volunteering. Through a Buddhist charity, he began working with inmates in 2018.

When the Covid-19 pandemic put a stop to physical visits, Dr Tan started writing. At first, he was writing to a handful of inmates, but the numbers grew as word spread.

Dr Tan then created an e-mail group in June 2022. “It’s like a blog,” he said.

He writes about everything that might interest inmates – about football, movies and Netflix series. He also writes to encourage them to stay positive, keep exercise routines and stay away from drugs.

At one point, he was e-mailing 100 inmates a day. Altogether, he has written to about 200 of them.

Today, he spends one to three hours each day crafting an e-mail to about 25 inmates. He also corresponds with those who write back.

Each inmate can send up to four e-mails a month, so he treasures each one and makes it a point to reply.

One of his correspondents was an inmate on death row.

When he was sentenced to death, the man told Dr Tan he was scared to die.

“I wonder what the noose will feel like around my neck,” he wrote.

“I felt very helpless,” Dr Tan said, wiping away tears. “I didn’t know what to say.”

Drawing on what he had learnt from volunteering at hospices, Dr Tan told him: “First of all, say sorry to those you have wronged.

“Secondly, forgive. When it’s time to go, don’t bear grudges. Thirdly, tell people you love them.

“Last of all, say goodbye.”

The man was hanged in December 2024.

Some inmates who are released get in touch with Dr Tan after leaving their cells, and join him in monthly volunteer work.

“They begin to see they’re capable of doing good,” said Dr Tan. “They feel redeemed. They realise, ‘I’m no longer a bad guy. I can change’.”

Some have even confided that these monthly outings help keep them on the straight and narrow.

Former inmate Max D’Ryan, 48, has been involved with the H Project since 2022.

He said that volunteering has helped him become more patient and loving.

“It’s my first priority,” he said. “I want to do something good for society.”

Since June 2022, Dr Tan has spent about $18,000 of his own savings doing charity work, such as packing care bags for orphans and buying and serving food to hospice patients.

To better understand and help inmates, he enrolled in SUSS in 2023 for a degree in forensic psychology, studying how psychology shapes rehabilitation and crime prevention.

The H Project is now being incubated at the university. Dr Tan is helping develop a pilot course on self-compassion, which he says can help people resist drug cravings.

The plan is to roll out the course to inmates first, but it may be open to the public later, he said.

To manage his cancer, he takes a daily chemo tablet, as no other treatment is available. “It’s a waiting game,” he said.

Dr Tan was diagnosed with liver cancer in August 2024. An operation to remove the tumour in September went awry when it “exploded” during the procedure, leaving him with a blood mass in his liver.

Doctors have given him about another year to live, he said.

“What’s happened since (the diagnosis) has been very meaningful,” Dr Tan said. “It’s not exactly ideal, but I’m embracing it.”

He hopes the H Project will live on after him. “I want it to continue helping people, whether I’m around or not,” he said. He hopes the course will fund meals for volunteers and inspire others to write to inmates.

“It’s not about the cancer,” Dr Tan said. “Since the accident, I’ve wanted to help people – and that’s what I’m doing. So I’m very happy.”

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 award seeks to honour a Singaporean or Singapore organisation that has made a positive impact beyond our borders, contributing to Singapore’s global reputation.

They must have delivered a project, initiative, or body of work that benefitted a community or country outside of Singapore.

The award seeks to recognise a young Singaporean, who is under 18-years-old, who has shown courage, compassion, empathy, kindness and/or a spirit of service, and has made a positive impact among peers.

The Awards are organised by The Straits Times, and it is presented by UBS Singapore. The official airline partner is Singapore Airlines, and the global hotel partner is Millennium Hotels and Resorts.

Award recipient receives

• $20,000 cash

• One pair of Singapore Airlines business class tickets for each individual/group, up to three pairs of tickets for the winning group

• A five-night stay in any of Millennium Hotels and Resorts’ properties globally, up to a maximum of three sets of accommodation for the winning group

Award recipient receives

Award recipient receives

• $5,000 cash

• A pair of SIA Economy Class tickets

• A three-night stay in one of Millennium Hotels and Resorts’ properties globally