Speech by Dr Lim Hong Huay at CaringSG Family Day on 7 September 2024

Hi everyone,

Thank you so much everyone for being here today because it’s really a very heartwarming time for me.

I have been helping caregivers since I became a doctor. But really stepping into supporting caregivers as a caregiver, the journey started in 2019. Before that, I was just joining support groups, being like any other caregiver. But in 2019, SG Enable (Prema and Yew Cheong) approached me and asked me to help galvanize the caregivers together so that we could have an amazing time like today.

Why do we call today a CaringSG Family Day?

Because over 2019 to now, the four to five years since 2019, we have grown as a family. If you look at the people outside, people look at caregivers as if we’re just complaining and writing letters to forums. But that’s not true. Caregivers can be well and empowered, and that’s what you see today at CaringSG Family Day.

I always say that CaringSG was started on the shoulders of giants. You may not know them, but people like Yvonne, Chiang Kai, and many others who started support groups and home businesses saw the gaps for their children and for fellow caregivers’ children.

They decided to do something to help each other. That’s the spirit of CaringSG.

Over the past five years, CaringSG has grown. Now, today we have about 5,200 members, of which about 4,000 are caregivers. I’m really, really happy that many of you are here today to celebrate with us.

I want to thank the funders and SG Enable for making CaringSG possible. The funders who supported us, such as Rao Foundation and individual donors like Hao Yao, funders like NCSS, Tote Board and Temasek, we have benefited from their support over the last five years.

Thank you to all the professionals who have been journeying with caregivers all these years and helping us—friends from different ministries like MOE, MSF, and others. I’m so thankful you have helped our family to grow.

I also want to thank my board members. David, you were the first person I talked to when I wanted to start CaringSG, and also our board advisors Mdm Rahayu Mahzam, Mayor Denise Phua, and Dr. Gerard Ee, who really encouraged us to start and bring caregivers together.

The theme today is “Uplift Caregivers, Uplift Community,” because we don’t just want caregivers to do well; we also want the community to be strong. The reason why caregivers chip in is that we are building the community, not just for ourselves, but for our children and future generations.

That is why, if you look at CaringSG’s logo, “Caring” is in green, symbolising peace and wisdom, while “SG” is in yellow, symbolising hope and joy. The beautiful multicoloured heart stands for inclusivity and diversity, with a tick at the bottom meaning that if we serve with a good heart, the right heart, the community will grow, and diversity will one day blossom.

With that spirit, I hope CaringSG will continue to have many more family days. Thank you all for coming today to enjoy this family day. Let’s enjoy this day as a family.