A Little Love Goes a Long Way

In August, the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine launched the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme to cultivate a culture of volunteerism and service in the School and build camaraderie amongst staff while making a positive impact on society. The programme comprises three activities – Environmental Conservation, Animal Welfare and Community Service – giving staff an option to choose a cause which resonate most with them.

Putting trash in its place

The first of the three CSR activities to be rolled out was Environmental Conservation. For its maiden activity, the team focused on marine litter in mangroves and partnered with International Coastal Cleanup Singapore (ICCS). ICCS has over 20 years of experience in coordinating clean-ups and raising public awareness of coastal conservation.

A safety briefing and educational talk conducted by the ICCS prior to the cleanup ICCS prior to the cleanup gave informative and thought-provoking information to participants, who learned about the resurgence of biodiversity in Singapore, the effects of trash on recovering habitats and the importance of conservation.

Volunteers reached the Lim Chu Kang mangrove site on August 12, excited to start their day. Nine teams fanned out to retrieve trash along the 150-metre stretch of mangrove. The discarded bottle caps, straws, plastic bags, foam pieces, glass and construction materials added up to 164kg!

Observed a participant, “The activity ended with a substantial amount of trash cleared and many new friendships forged. Most importantly, it was an opportunity for a group of people to be closer to nature and understand the intimacy between us and the environment, which has been silently providing for us”.

Adopt, don’t shop

The animal welfare volunteers were greeted by Stinko, the office dog at Mutts and Mittens on the morning of August 24. The mild-mannered dog was blind, injured, frightened and reeked of a foul smell (hence, the name Stinko) when rescuers found her at an illegal breeding farm in Singapore.

This is just one of the many sad stories that staff shared with volunteers at the commercial boarding facility, which is also heavily involved in animal welfare work. There are about 100 rescued dogs and cats under their roof, waiting for new homes. Many are old and require medical and tender loving care.

NUS Medicine volunteers were brought on a short tour of the facility before cleaning the area, which includes a park and swimming pool. While the act of sweeping leaves and pulling weeds under the blazing sun may not be appealing, it was certainly most rewarding. Clean spaces provide these animals a healthy and conducive haven as they wait for adoption.

The rest of the day was set aside for staff to spend time with the furry friends. Canines were let out of their cages into the spacious field for their afternoon run, while felines took a lazy afternoon nap. Many purred in contentment when their chins were gently stroked. It was a joyful sight to see these once abused and abandoned animals now free of the horrors of their past.