Local personalities pitch in for photography campaign to help the hidden poor
Member of Parliament Louis Ng's photo as part of a photography campaign, titled Making the Invisible, Visible, to highlight the plight of the hidden poor.
SINGAPORE — A one-room rental flat shared by a family of five was the location of a recent photoshoot for Member of Parliament Louis Ng.
Stacked plastic boxes, a wardrobe, a rack and a bunk bed show the cramped living conditions of the family — a 38-year-old mother who works at a fast-food chain, her three children and a granddaughter.
The setting was not unfamiliar to Mr Ng, who walks the ground in his constituency.
He decided to take part in a photography campaign to highlight the plight of the hidden poor, after realising that some volunteers who work with him are not aware that poverty exists in Singapore.
The campaign, titled Making the Invisible, Visible, is a partnership between social-impact photography outfit imaginem and The Salvation Army, Singapore.
Shot by photographer Aik Beng Chia, it features Singapore personalities at homes or locations frequented by the beneficiaries of The Salvation Army.
Besides Mr Ng, other people to be featured include Ms Nichol Ng, co-founder of the charity Food Bank Singapore, World Toilet Organisation founder Jack Sim and actress Cynthia Lee MacQuarrie. They have agreed to come on board and their shoots will take place at a later date.
The identities of the Salvation Army beneficiaries are not revealed to protect their dignity and privacy.
The campaign was inspired by a similar one by The Salvation Army Finland, which had famous individuals such as former Finnish president Tarja Halonen and Angry Birds creator Peter Vesterbacka posing as homeless people.
Mr Vesterbacka was recently in Singapore for a tech start-up event, and talked about his experience from the Finnish campaign, saying that businesses should benefit society.
Ms Ng of Food Bank Singapore said that she joined because she was concerned that despite Singapore's first-world status, the income gap is widening and it still lacks a minimum wage.
"These very individuals are not able to get help as they are not the traditional 'poor'. I felt a need to lend support to the campaign because it's a first step towards shedding light on the elephant in the room," she said.
Imaginem co-founder Lu JiaQuan expects more personalities to take part in the campaign, and a public exhibition will be held towards the end of the year.
The organisers hope to raise S$150,000 for The Salvation Army's beneficiaries, and donations can be made via Giving.sg.
Mr Ng hopes the campaign will spur more people to step forward to help. Besides handouts, the less privileged should be supported by the wider community and have access to mentorship, among other resources, he said.
"Ultimately, this needs to be a sustained effort and we all need to work together to continue to shine the spotlight on this and continue to fight inequality," he added.
