“As the sky got darker, there was still no sign of Papa Bear”

During our Children’s Day Virtual Carnival on 3 October 2020, we were honored to have Guest-of-Honor Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Law to be a part of our event.

Minister Shanmugam regaled our children with the story, Power of Faith written by June, a mother from our In-care Mama programme.

“Teddy Bear was excited to have some of the delicious fish that Papa Bear would catch for dinner.”

The story tells the tale of Papa Bear getting lost at sea while gathering food for their family dinner. During that time, Mama Bear and Teddy Bear did not give up and continued praying in the hopes that Papa Bear will one day return home.

June shared that the book was written to illustrate her fears and regret while being apprehended by the police. She explained that the heavy storm that caused Papa Bear to get lost at sea was to represent her emotional turmoil as she awaited her sentence.

June wrote the ‘Power of Faith’ during her time with New Life Stories’ In-Care Mama programme where trained counsellors hold customised self-awareness and resilient building workshops. During the programme, they are encouraged to pen and narrate stories to their children, which are then recorded and shared with their families.

Through these books, we hope to bring the voice of the parents to their children to sustain their relationship from beyond the prison walls.

Read Power of Faith, written by June here.