SINGAPORE – For 40 minutes, three times a week, a void deck in Ang Mo Kio Street 23 comes alive as children gather to tuck into a simple but nourishing breakfast spread.
At its busiest, the free breakfast initiative served as many as 35 children, although the usual turnout is around 25.
A medley of breakfast items, including cereals, fruits, biscuits and bread, as well as Milo, milk and juice, would have been prepared by Ms Lydia Susiyanti Sukarbi since 6.30am, often with the help of her friend, Ms Halinah Yatim, who lives several blocks away.
started Breakfast Buddy in February
, providing free breakfast to underprivileged children in her neighbourhood every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
A former school canteen stall vendor who now does social work part-time, she started the initiative as she had seen first-hand how some students went hungry during recess so that their younger siblings would have money for food.
“I feel that children shouldn’t be hungry,” said the mother of six children aged one to 15, whose family lives in a two-room HDB rental flat in Ang Mo Kio.
Among her extended brood that she feeds is Aina Adrianna Mohammad Fareez, 11, who comes three times a week.
“She’s kind,” said Aina, the second eldest of five children, about Ms Lydia. “She makes everyone eat before they go (to school) and always makes sure that we will not be late.”
Ms Lydia initially forked out $300 to $400 a month to buy the breakfast items, but with cash and in-kind donations, she now has to come up with about $200 a month.
Beyond providing meals, her aim is to give the children a safe space to gather and build social skills, and the opportunity for her to lend them a listening ear.
“I think the joy is to be a support system for these children,” she said. “I like to work with children and be part of their childhood. It’s like being part of history-making in their story.”
Ms Lydia Susiyanti Sukarbi (right, in background), a former school canteen stall vendor, started Breakfast Buddy as she had seen first-hand how some students went hungry during recess so that their younger siblings would have money for food.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
Besides preparing breakfast, she also arranged for dance classes which began in August, and football in October. These are helmed by other residents from the neighbourhood.
