'Little hands, big hearts': How a young family's community projects are inspiring others

The family was mentioned by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his Budget 2026 speech as an example of how ground-up initiatives can make a difference. Advertisement Singapore 'Little hands, big hearts': How a young family's community projects are inspiring others The family was mentioned by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his Budget 2026 speech as an example of how ground-up initiatives can make a difference. Ms Faith Ong showing the posters she designed with her children, Kaizen See and Kay See, as part of their community initiative, Little Hands, Big Hearts. (Photo: CNA/Alyssa Tan) New: You can now listen to articles. This audio is generated by an AI tool. Charmaine Jacob Charmaine Jacob 16 Feb 2026 02:34PM Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. 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Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST SINGAPORE: When seven-year-old Kaizen See and nine-year-old Kay See learnt about the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong, they knew that they wanted to help in any way they could.But when they realised that many others were already rallying to support the victims, the siblings decided to channel their efforts into raising awareness about the importance of fire safety in Singapore.The children designed a poster to educate residents about the dos and don’ts of using electrical sockets, such as keeping wires neat and avoiding the overloading of plugs.This poster will be displayed on digital screens in HDB lift lobbies across Nee Soon town council estates.They also organised a visit to Yishun Fire Station with seven other families, where they presented care packs and handmade gifts to officers on duty.The children told CNA on Sunday (Feb 15) that this was their first “mission” of their community initiative, Little Hands, Big Hearts, which the family embarked on after securing about S$5,000 in funding from the Our Singapore Fund.Since it was introduced in 2016, Our Singapore Fund has supported over 800 ground-up projects. One of the posters designed by Kaizen and Kay to raise awareness on fire safety. (Photo: CNA/Alyssa Tan) The family was mentioned by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his Budget 2026 speech last Thursday as an example that “anyone, no matter how young, can step up to make a difference”.He also announced that a new S$50 million SG Partnerships Fund will be launched to support ground-up initiatives and help them build sustained capabilities and impact.The new fund will provide differentiated tiers of funding over different time frames, including grants of up to S$1 million for larger, multi-year projects. The siblings’ mother, Ms Faith Ong, said: “We felt very honoured. It’s encouraging to see that PM Wong recognised our efforts and agreed with what we are doing.”HOW IT ALL STARTEDAlthough the fire safety project was the first Ms Ong and her children worked on together under Our Singapore Fund, the family has been involved in other ground-up efforts.After reading about the Myanmar earthquake in March 2025, the children decided to sell card-making kits at S$10 (US$7.92) a box to raise funds for Singapore Red Cross’ Myanmar and Thailand fundraising appeal.What began as a small community initiative soon grew into something larger.Kay rallied her school to the cause, delivered a presentation to her fellow students, and up a booth on campus to increase support and boost sales.The project raised almost S$860.“It was very nice and heartwarming to see students empty their wallets. They wanted to donate whatever coins they had,” said Ms Ong, a freelance yoga instructor.“That’s the first time I realised that kids want to help, they just need to be shown how.” Being involved in community projects together has strengthened the bond between the siblings. (Photo: CNA/Alyssa Tan) Last September, the two children held a joint birthday party and encouraged their guests to forgo presents. Instead, they invited them to donate to Singapore’s disaster relief agency, Mercy Relief, in support of children in Gaza.For those who could not attend, the family baked cupcakes and attached QR code stickers to the packaging, encouraging recipients to donate.The initiative raised S$7,500.“I told them that since we decided to do this, we need to make sure we give it our best shot,” Ms Ong said.As a firm believer that grades are not the only measure of success, Ms Ong has instilled in her children the importance of empathy and social responsibility.“So we will discuss what the news is about, how we can help and how we can contribute,” she said. “This leads to them having that sense of gratitude and compassion in them. “I don’t think that academics are everything. I think having a good character is important. If you’re a kind and compassionate person, you cannot go wrong.”CHALLENGESAlthough Ms Ong has laid the groundwork and mapped out plans for the coming months, launching groun