It takes a village to raise the kids in this Bedok Reservoir 'kampung'

If 12-year-old Niu Yi Cheng were to return to an empty house after school and realise he had forgotten his keys, he would know where to look for help in his HDB estate.

- Thian Wen Li

His mother, Madam Yin Ying, 44, who works in the bioscience sector, has not felt uneasy about leaving her son alone in the area since she moved to Bedok Reservoir in 2022.

Madam Yin also entrusts her house keys with one of her neighbours Madam Sandy Goh, 56, who leads many initiatives in the Housing Board estate.

Madam Goh, a part-time clerk, cooks and looks after Yi Cheng and other children from time to time.

Her three children, aged 14 to 20, grew up in the neighbourhood and were also "passed around different households" when she was busy at work.

Raised in a kampung in Tai Seng, Madam Goh said she wants tbring back a sense of community.

She started organising free initiatives from haircut services to making festive decorations - in 2011 at the senior residents' corner at Block 702.

She garnered the support of volunteers, mostly those who live nearby.

In 2022, she decided to register a society, Sharing Passion, that runs these activities.

At the corner, residents can take part in food distribution and collection, and in leisure activities and parties.