We walk journeys of restoration with individuals and their family units who have decided to no longer be involved in or influenced by the trades of the red light district.
Valuing individuals form the heart of our relationship with the people we work with. Building close relationships with one another takes time and love. Our team regularly reaches out to and engages with the people in the red light district. We want to come alongside them to journey together towards wholeness and stability.
Our outreach work involves walking through the streets of the red light district and intentionally stopping for one person at a time. We want to connect with each individual and show them that they are loved and of value — to lift up those who are feeling down and to comfort the brokenhearted.
We engage with open hands — bringing gifts of snacks, drinks, or hygiene and beauty products — and open hearts to build friendships with both the men and ladies on the streets. These relationships take time to build. As those on the streets start to recognise us over time, a deeper friendship is formed. We exchange life stories and talk about our own dreams. We try to provide assistance whenever we can, be it social, financial, or legal.
When an individual is ready, we encourage them to consider taking the first steps in leaving the trades of the red light district.
Through our Restoration Centre, we aim to bring hope, help, and healing to people who have been in or are affected by the sex trade. We believe in providing space for our people to rest, heal and to dream again, having stepped out of what may have been a chaotic and confusing environment. Our staff and volunteers do life together with our people, journeying daily alongside them through laughter and tears.
CASEWORK
Those in our Restoration Centre receive assistance, equipping, and mentoring in the following areas:
Every brother or sister in our Restoration Centre works together with their case worker and work manager to set out personal goals that are reviewed periodically. We believe that our values and thoughts influence our lifestyle and habits, and ultimately affects our destiny. Through regular one-on-one sessions, we empower our brothers and sisters to make decisions that lead towards peace and stability in their lives.
In addition, if any of our brothers and sisters require the assistance of social service professionals, we help to connect them to their nearest Social Service Organisation or Family Service Centre and other social service agencies.
COUNSELLING
We also arrange for counselling in our Restoration Centre. Many of our people have experienced emotional pain, neglect or abandonment, trauma from verbal, physical, and sexual abuse, and other issues. While some of these are deeply entrenched, we believe that our people can experience true freedom as they take time to process the events in the past.
COMMUNITY
In Tamar Village, we work to wrap every brother, sister, youth, and child with a community of people who can be family to them. We want to come alongside our people to journey with them towards wholeness.
The root causes of issues like broken marriages and family dysfunction can be linked to a lack of paternal and maternal figures in one’s growing years. At a stage in their lives where they needed protective figures most, some of our people have experienced neglect, absence, or abandonment.
Having a family-like community, who believes in and genuinely cares for them, will help in restoring a sense of worth and bring healing.
WORK @ SPROUT
Through our work initiative, named SPROUT, we hope to develop positive work habits that are transferable to any job our brothers and sisters take up in the future. THe Product Departments under SPROUT include Sewing, Pottery & Handcraft, Garden, Barista, and Pre-sales & Logistics. Our brothers and sisters are involved in the operations, production, packaging, and sales of the various products made under SPROUT.
Valuing families is one of our foundational values. We encourage the development of strong and healthy family units. We believe that every family member can contribute his/her gifts in unique and complementary ways towards the thriving of the family. In our Restoration Centre, we work together with the spouses and children of our men and women. We involve the whole family in celebrating important events and playing on day-outs (especially during school holidays).
Supporting Women
She joins a workplace invested in her growth and development towards her aspirations. She earns enough for rent, food, and other expenses for self and family. She gains sound advice on how to manage her finances wisely. She is supported to continue working with young children in her care, with child-minding facilities and assistance provided at work. She also grows as a parent, from exchanging know-hows with other parents at the centre and attending workshops on life skills.
She finds stability in housing in a rented room or an open home we provide while working towards obtaining a rental flat from HDB or even home ownership. Dental and medical assistance allow her to address untreated issues and regain health. She finds new ways of coping emotionally with a counsellor’s guidance and listening ear. New friendships are found and spur her on toward the new life she desires.
Supporting Men
He joins a workplace invested in his growth and development towards his aspirations. He earns enough for rent, food, and other expenses for self and family. He gains sound advice on how to manage his finances wisely. We assist in skills training and job matching to plug him into a stable job.
He finds stability in housing in a rented room or an open home we provide while working towards obtaining a rental flat from HDB or even home ownership. Dental and medical assistance allow him to address untreated issues and regain health. He finds new ways of coping emotionally with a counsellor’s guidance and listening ear. New friendships are found and spur him on toward the new life he desires.
Supporting Children
Their parents’ newfound regularity at work creates new rhythms that encourage more regular attendance at childcare or school. A stable housing arrangement also allows the family to create more conducive and safe living conditions for the child. With their parents’ receiving a consistent income, regular meals, with more nutrition, are possible.
In this community, the child gains many mentors invested to nurture him to his fullest potential. The child is encouraged and stimulated to learn and his academic foundations are strengthened. The child is looked out for by a community who will watch out for his safety and well-being. As parents learn and grow from others in parenting, the child is nurtured at home with more positive parenting practices.
We work together with our brothers and sisters who are parents to care for and nurture their children through our children and youth initiative, named ACORN. Our children and youth are aged from 0 to 21 years old. On weekdays, we run a Children Drop-In Program. Children younger than school-going age are cared for by our team while their parents work, whereas some of the children who go to school come to our Restoration Centre after school dismissal to eat, do homework, and play. On weekends, we run a tuition program called Nuggets of Wisdom and a character-development program called SHINE. Our heart is to see the children of our men and women growing in wisdom and stature.
Find out more about the situation in the red light district.
Support our work as we walk journeys of restoration with individuals and family units.