YSA spearheads charity adventure on wheels to Phuket

Six young Singaporeans set off in the wee hours of 5 April 2015 on a 1,300km motorcycle trip to Phuket all in the name of charity  they helped to set up a bakery in an orphanage.

Called “Khwaish on Wheels”, the project by YSA witnessed the men distributing $18,500 to the Home and Life Phang-Nga Foundation. It was set up in 2006 for children who lost their parents in the 2004 tsunami.

The home, which has a coffee shop, has about 25 orphans aged seven to 17. It educates them, gives them job training and, also runs small businesses to sustain itself.

The men consulted the home and listed down what was required for the project  ovens, fridges, ingredients and baking materials costing $18,500. YSA helped raised $15,000. The group raised the remainder of the money for the project.

The motorcyclists reached Phuket on 6 April 2015 to pay for the delivery of ovens and fridges. They stayed on till 10 April 2015 to ensure that the items are in place before returning to Singapore the following day.

One of the motorcyclists, Angad Singh, 31 said, “We were not able to conduct lessons the children or build something concrete for them as we did not have the time. So we decided combine our passion for adventure with doing good by providing the children with material goods to teach them baking skills.”

YSA’s President, Malminderjit Singh, said, “Our association is pleased to be part of the project. Firstly, it is a ground-up initiative deserving of support. Secondly, it is a cross-border project and highlights the softer side of Singaporeans. Most importantly, there is goodwill at the end of it and we hope this will give the beneficiaries in Phuket the life skills they need to start their lives afresh.”

Following the mission, the group will stay in touch with the orphanage to assess the success on the bakery and to see how else it can help the children.