Caritas Singapore opens Agape Village to aid poor, sick and needy
Singapore (AsiaNews) - "With the Agape Village, the Catholic mission in the capital will extend its scope and improve the quality of care”, says Mrs. Winifred Loh, a Caritas Singapore volunteer since 2012, a few weeks after the inauguration of the new center built by the Catholic charity in the city-state.
Volunteers, members of the group and beneficiaries are eagerly awaiting the 21 November, when the facility will officially open. It has been partly operational since last October First.
It took three years of work, but now the first integrated center for Catholic Social Services is ready to go into full operation. Strongly wanted by Caritas Singapore, the active wing of the Church in society, it can accommodate 24 organizations active in the social services for the poor and needy, without distinction of race, religion and nationality.
Among the groups that will benefit from the services offered by Agape Village there are the low-income families, at-risk youth, people with mental or physical problems, HIV positive or AIDS patients, the terminally ill, ex-prisoners and foreign workers. It will house at least 13 bodies and organizations, which are owned by Caritas Singapore, active in social work.
Agape Village will provide professional advice and psychological assistance to the families of terminally ill patients, providing also room and board; psychological support and practical assistance are also ensured to the wife and children of prisoners, unable to provide for the needs of the family. The advantage for these people is to be able to find a network of support associations and institutions within the same establishment.
As confirmed by the volunteers, some Agape Village organizations have already commenced operations. "The core values of the center - says Ms. Loh - are in line with the teachings of the Social Doctrine of the Church, such as respect for human dignity. It is very gratifying to see the space we have imagined, take shape. Now we are preparing all the final details so that people can enjoy all the services and facilities ".
Grace Ang, executive director of the center, said that Agape Village is also "an opportunity for different groups to work together and reflect on how to provide assistance and help in the Christian spirit", becoming a source of "hope and witnesses" of Christ’s love for others. Facilities include a consulting room, therapy rooms, support, training, a dance school, a space for Masses, retreats, meetings and talks, courses in digital innovation, cooking, hairdressing, beauty and wellness.
In Singapore Catholics number more than 200,000, or about 5 per cent of the total population. Buddhism has the largest following with 43 per cent, followed by Christianity with 18 per cent, Islam with 15 per cent, and Taoism and Hinduism with 11 and 5 per cent respectively.
The local church is going through a phase of growth and dynamism illustrated by the opening of a theological seminary, a real "milestone" for the local community.
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