A $1000 Singapore Power (SP) bill of a needy family of 11 cramped in a single apartment has been paid off by kind-hearted netizens, who donated the full amount within one day.
The plight of this family was first highlighted online by activist Gilbert Goh who shared on Facebook:
Visited a needy family at Ghim Moh yesterday and shocked to see 11 family members living within the 3-bedroom household:-
2 special kids,Â
1 infant,Â
1 who needs a long term medication from IMH and can’t be able to work,Â
1 who needs to go thru for dialysis 3 time a week and can’t be able to work
1 old lady(fulltime housewife on medication)
2 girls who is still studying in secondary 1 & 4
1 son in-law ( working low income who needs to support his own family)
1 lady (fultime housewife)
1 old man ( sole breadwinner also on medication)Its a simple sparsely-renovated home with little comfort except for a 21-inch TV that provides some entertainment to a otherwise dull insipid home environment.
Most of the family members are in and they are all over the place: one son sitting in the kitchen bare-bodied staring emptily as he suffers from diabetes, another sleeping in a clampy bedroom full of stuff after taking his medication for his mental illness, the mum resting in another room after limping out for her tiolet break, the 69-year-old father sitting stoically waiting for my arrival and the three young kids providing some laughter to the still lifeless chasm.
I sat for about an hour as they related their desperate situation to me while I pored through their household bills trying to assure them that I can provide some form of assistance to relieve their burden.
The immediate need is the $1000 SP bill which they owed for several months. They told me that their water supply may likely be cut if no payment is made soon. The latest visit to the MP so far does not yield any fruitful result.
I believe in their desperation as I have seen bill with far lesser default experiencing a water cut. There is no mercy and the axe comes down swiftly on the poor.
If you are moved to help the family, please let us know. You can also pay for the bill directly through the AXS machine or online.
Any amount is fine and need not be the full sum owed.
Goh posted the appeal on Facebook on Friday at 12.26pm. In just about 7 hours, by 7.49pm on the same day, Goh updated that netizens had pooled together to sponsor the family’s SP bill:
We believe in humanity!Thank you Singaporeans! The SP bill of $1000 owed by the 11-member family at Ghim Moh is being fully paid up.#poorpeoplecampaign
Posted by Gilbert Goh on Friday, 6 October 2017
Many others also asked Goh in the comments whether they could donate more funds to help the family with their future bills.