How do you celebrate your child’s birthdays? To most of us, birthdays are all about presents, cakes, fun time with friends and plenty of pleasant memories. However, for children living in challenging circumstances, this may not be possible. This realisation led former kindergarten teacher Falice Ann to start One Wish SG back in 2021. The initiative has since grown to a small team of five made up of volunteers.
What does One Wish SG do?
One Wish SG aims to celebrate the birthdays of underprivileged children, those who usually miss out on birthday celebrations, with a birthday cake. In the past, they have also handed out Children’s Day and Christmas gifts to beneficiaries.
In a 2021 interview with Little Day Day, Falice shared:
“In my years of teaching, I’ve had students who don’t get to celebrate their birthdays. They tend to compare themselves to children who throw parties in school.
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Birthdays might be a small thing when you get older but, as a child, it is everything. Blowing of candles and eating cake are important memories for a child.
One Wish SG started as an idea I had when I was 20. I wanted to help children celebrate their birthdays if they don’t get the chance to. But at 20, I didn’t have the ability and capacity to think how it was going to work. It was only till this year, after quitting my job I had the time to think it through. I have schizoaffective disorder (similar to bipolar) which affects my job often.
When I quit, I had a lot of spare time to think and all I wanted to do was to contribute to the society. However, I didn’t want to just volunteer at any organisation but do something special and unique. Hence, I thought of One Wish SG and took the courage to start it.”
Who are the beneficiaries of One Wish SG?
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The beneficiaries of One Wish SG are children living in challenging situations. This includes those from low income households or who may be facing illnesses.
Initially, Falice approached a Facebook group called “Blessings for Low income families” and took requests from there. Now, she works with partner organisations that can recommend the beneficiaries to One Wish SG.
How many children has One Wish SG impacted?
On average, One Wish SG helps to celebrate 10 birthday each month.
Over the last 3 years, they have celebrated over 400 birthdays for children.
How does One Wish SG work?
One Wish SG relies on sponsors and bakeries to help provide the birthday cakes to children. They have a list of partner bakers who provide special rates for One Wish SG sponsors. There is no limit nor minimum amount for each cake. It depends on the sponsor and the bakery engaged.
Currently, they collaborate with another initiative that has a group of volunteers who celebrate the children’s birthdays with them. In some cases, the sponsors of the birthday cakes may even wish to personally deliver the cake to the beneficiary. Alternatively, the cakes can also be couriered to the beneficiary’s homes.
Moving forward, Falice, who now works in a nursing home, shared with us that she would like to reach out to more organisations to help celebrate their beneficiary’s birthdays. However, to do so, they would need a stable pool of sponsors.
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If you wish to further help One Wish SG and help make a birthday brighter for a child, do get in touch with Falice to find out how you can sponsor a birthday cake or to help out. You can reach Falice dropping her a DM on on the One Wish SG Instagram.
