What if we stopped viewing volunteering as something 'extra'?

A society that values collective well-being recognises that our individual lives are stronger when we all look out for one another.

- Neeta Lachmandas

Before I joined the board of a local charity, I believed I had a fairly good understanding of the social landscape in Singapore. Like many others, I was aware that inequality exists, and that not everyone has the same access to opportunities. We don't see the kind of visible poverty that confronts those in other global cities: No tent-ridden streets, beggars on the pavement, or people openly dealing drugs.

But over the past year, my eyes have been opened in ways I didn't expect. Through my work with the charity, I've come face to face with stories that don't make the news: Families struggling quietly. The elderly suffering loneliness with no one to speak to for days on end. Desperate parents who are too ashamed to ask for help, and young people silently drowning in mental health challenges.

They aren't holding up signs or sleeping on the footpath. Their pain is behind closed doors - invisible, but no less real.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's National Day Rally carried a strong message about the Singapore Spirit - standing and thriving together in a "we first" society where each one does their part for the collective well-being.