home July 19, 2009 thesundaytimes

Foster parents lauded

for their loving care
Lisabel Ting
Unable to conceive, Madam Norli-
za Selamat had wanted to foster a
child but did not want to rush into
it.
It took two years, and the en-
couragement of her mother, before
she sent in an application to the
Ministry of Community Develop-
ment, Youth and Sports (MCYS).
“My mother knew a neighbour
who was a foster mum, and she saw
the joy in their household. She
knew I wanted it too,” said Madam
Norliza, 44, a housewife.
She and her husband, Mr Kim
Andrew Aitken, also 44, a manager
in an offshore surveying company,
had tried to conceive after their
marriage in 1996 but were unsuc-
cessful.
The girl the couple decided to be
foster parents to in 2004 is now
eight years old.
In 2006, they adopted a four-
year-old girl.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO Madam Norliza was one of 190
At the launch of Web portal CLing in St James Power Station yesterday were (from left) MP Josephine Teo, Mr Ang Kok Yong, PM Lee Hsien Loong, Ms foster parents, together with more
Mandaraz Lim Shi Hui, Ms Rachel Peh, Business China chairman Chua Thian Poh and senior executive vice-president of SPH’s Chinese Newspapers Division than 300 foster children, who at-
and Newspaper Services Division Robin Hu. Mr Ang, Ms Lim and Ms Peh had helped PM Lee in a quiz on the Chinese language and modern China. tended Love Beyond Boundaries, a
party hosted by MCYS at Down-
town East yesterday.
The annual event, graced this
year by Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon,
Minister of State for Community
Development, Youth and Sports,
celebrates the resilience of foster
children and shows appreciation
for the efforts of foster parents.
A total of 21 long service awards
were given out to recognise foster
parents with at least 10 years of
service.
Special mention was given to
Madam Thiravingdam Sembugava-
lie, 70, a housewife who has spent
35 years taking care of a total of 39
foster children, including several
with special needs. She is still a fos-
ter mum to two children.
As for Madam Norliza, she has
been caring for her foster daughter
for five years now.
“When the girls come to me and
say ‘I love you’, that’s the best feel-
ing ever,” said Madam Norliza.
“Nothing in the world can beat
that.”
Volunteers interested in learn-
ing more about the fostering
scheme can visit www.mcys.gov.sg
/fostering

Brush up
on your
Chinese
at new
portal
Quizzes and songs among the
offerings at portal created by
SPH’s omy.sg and Business China
Kor Kian Beng

Secondary 3 student Rachel Peh struggled with Chi-

nese when she first went to Nan Hua High.
She was used to an English-speaking environment
in Raffles Girls’ Primary. To improve her Chinese, she
listened to Mandarin pop songs.
Yesterday, Rachel, 15, put her knowledge of Man-
darin pop to use when she and two other youths
helped Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during a quiz
on the Chinese language and modern China.
Mr Lee aced two of the three questions on his own
but was unsure when asked which Singapore singer –
the choices were A-Do, JJ Lin, Stefanie Sun and Jocie
Guo – had never appeared on China’s Lunar New
Year Eve television show.
After consulting the three assistants, he answered
correctly that it was Stefanie Sun.
The quiz marked the launch of CLing, a new Web
portal (cling.omy.sg) set up to help raise Chinese-lan-
guage standards among young Singaporeans and ex-
pose them to various aspects of modern China
through quizzes,
Web novels and
songs. Get understood
CLing is jointly “If people from
created by omy.sg – other countries
Singapore Press Hold- cannot understand
ings’ (SPH) bilingual
news portal – and
our Mandarin, it will
Business China, a not be useful to us.”
business networking PM LEE, on the importance of
speaking proper Mandarin
group.
At its launch at
the Dragonfly nightspot in St James Power Station,
Mr Lee said Singaporeans need to speak good Manda-
rin and take advantage of the opportunities China
presents.
Reading Chinese newspapers is a good way to stay
in touch with the language, he said. He also urged Sin-
gaporeans to speak proper Mandarin.
“If people from other countries cannot understand
our Mandarin, it will not be useful to us.”
Some 300 participants, mostly students and young
working adults, exchanged views with four local mu-
sic personalities.
Producer Billy Koh, lyricist Xiao Han, compos-
er-producer Lee Shih Song and singer Chen Diya
shared their experiences in building up the local Chi-
nese music scene and achieving success beyond Singa-
pore.
Mr Chua Thian Poh, chairman of Business China,
said it aimed to stimulate young people’s interest in
China and encourage them to deepen their know-
ledge through various activities and platforms, includ-
ing CLing.
Mr Robin Hu, senior executive vice-president of
SPH’s Chinese Newspapers Division and Newspaper
Services Division, said an interactive new media plat-
form like CLing would play an important role of
reaching out to young Singaporeans.

kianbeng@sph.com.sg