SINGAPORE: A fantastic smell wafts through the air the moment the door opens. Inside, four women are kneading and shaping dough with their hands. They are making pineapple tarts.

It is a simple scene in a humble place in Whampoa. But the lives of the women here have been far from simple.

Single mother Azizah Mohd Noor has four children, and the youngest is hyperactive with borderline intellectual functioning. Home is usually not a place of rest for her.

“But here, I feel peaceful, happy with the situation,” said the 48-year-old, referring to the training space at the HDB block in Whampoa Drive. “It’s like we’re free to do what we want here.”

It is also where the women are like family to each other.

Everyone calls Rusnah Sajee “Mak Rus”, not only because the 59-year-old is the oldest among them, but also because they consider her to be their substitute mother.

When Yashmin Abdullah received a marriage proposal, the Filipina sought Rusnah’s advice about remarrying. “I always thank Mak Rus, who told me this man is good,” said the 45-year-old, who got married last year.

Mostly, however, the elder woman dishes out advice about baking, such as to make dough by hand instead of using an electric mixer.

“You can feel the texture and (whether) it’s equal in every part. If you use the mixer, the strength of the mixer might be too hard on the dough, and it won’t turn out well,” she said.

Baking is what brought them together, and has benefited them all. These women from rental neighbourhoods are able to earn money from festive bake sales and corporate social responsibility projects, as part of a programme called Bakers Beyond.

Now in its sixth year, it is poised to reach out to more women — and perhaps provide a second home for them, just as its current bakers have done so for themselves.

AZIZAH’S STORY

In Azizah’s case, it was in 2015 when she joined Bakers Beyond, after she got to know Beyond Social Services, the charity behind the initiative. “I loved to bake, but I didn’t know how,” she said. “I just baked anyhow.”

That soon changed as she learned new skills in the volunteer-run programme. She also found emotional respite from her domestic turmoil.

Her divorce had drained her. And when her ex-husband remarried, he did not allow her to see her elder daughter for two years, even though they had joint custody.

“(When) I saw other families and their children, I felt sad because I needed my daughter,” she recalled.

Not only was she feeling down, she was in financial difficulties. Her mother had fallen sick, so she had quit her job as a food packer in a catering company to become a full-time carer.

She could only work part-time as a cleaner, which meant not having enough money for her children. “I couldn’t afford to take them out — to eat outside or watch movies,” she recounts.

That was the first thing she rectified when she began to earn money with Bakers Beyond. If there are orders for, say, 100 hampers during Chinese New Year, Hari Raya or Deepavali, she can earn around S$600 to S$700.

“Sometimes I (take my children) to Johor Baru,” she said. “Of this money, I can (also) save some.”

At the same time, when she wants to get away from the messiness of home life, Bakers Beyond is her escape, where she has friends to turn to for advice and more.

For example, Rusnah has advised her — to good effect — to be patient with her nine-year-old with special needs.

And when her mother died, the group stepped in to help “with everything”, from the preparation to the clearing up. Yashmin even cooked food to serve the mourners after the burial.

“They said I didn’t need to come up with a single cent. I was really touched,” said a teary-eyed Azizah.

ON THE MOVE AT FIRST

Bakers Beyond has given women like her a home from home. When the programme first started, however, they did not have a place to call their own, as they had to move from kitchen to kitchen.

WATCH: The bakery that changes lives (3:45)

They sometimes operated in social enterprise Samsui Kitchen and in the Agape Village, a social service hub in Toa Payoh, depending on the availability of the spaces.

Sometimes that meant baking in Samsui Kitchen from 10am to 2pm, then packing up and rushing to the Agape Village to continue baking from 3pm to 7pm.

Sometimes they also had to train in Beyond Social Services’ main office in Jalan Klinik, where the baking space was small.

Having to move around was something Yashmin could relate to in her life, as she was once homeless. She came here in 2008 after marrying a Singaporean. But when he started divorce proceedings in 2014, he kicked her out.

She took their two children with her and lived in a homeless shelter for nine months and in interim housing for another nine months.

There was added uncertainty because with a divorce happening, her long-term visit pass was revoked, which meant she could not get a job. And she had to go to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority monthly to renew her visitor’s pass.

“The feeling was very hard,” she said. “But when I saw my children at the time, I said I needed to face this problem for (them).”

Eventually, her Family Service Centre found her a rental flat and she started working part-time after getting custody of her children.

A friend she had made at the shelter also introduced her to Beyond Social Services. Although she had “zero knowledge” of baking, she gave Bakers Beyond a try, and the programme, in turn, gave her “peace”, “laughter” and new friends.

“(With) them, I can talk a lot, (sharing) my problems,” said the usually soft-spoken lady. “They’re very good people.”

BAKING, SEWING AND BEYOND

When it came to baking, the women taught her patiently. Her first task was simply to ensure that cookies in the oven did not burn. Today, she is a whizz at making the gingerbread man, her favourite.

The women learn on the job from each other, from volunteers and from facilitators brought in to teach them, say, a royal icing recipe and, in one instance, a pineapple tart recipe brought back from Hong Kong.

They get baking orders through Beyond Social Services, but they handle the business-related matters, for example creating a system of remuneration for the different roles the team members play.

“They have greater ownership of the projects (than before),” said Stella Jayanthi, a team leader at Beyond Social Services.

“Six years ago, I was doing a lot of running around, deciding, budgeting and all that. Now I’m participating only 20 per cent of the time.”

They also get to keep all the proceeds, but they contribute a “love offering” of about S$60 a day to the charity for using utilities and the baking space.

That was the amount they were charged before the Bakers Beyond training space was officially opened last month with the help of sponsors such as Mapletree Investments, Cargill TSF Asia and the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore.

The space used to be Beyond Social Services’ storeroom. After renovation, it now comes complete with convection ovens, electric cake mixers and other commercial equipment.

“The women had a dream,” said T Ranganayaki, the charity’s deputy executive director. “They wanted a space of their own, where they can share their success with other women.’

There are now eight to 10 women in the programme, with the youngest aged 40. But she hopes the training space will be where more in the community can learn not only baking, but also skills like sewing.

“These are the kinds of things we’re looking (to do) next year,” Jayanthi added, “(for) any woman who’s in low-income housing, who’s interested to learn skills … as long as you’re willing to travel here (and) participate in the training.”

Business training is also on the cards, which is something Azizah is especially interested in, as her dream is to open her own shop.

“Thank God many people — volunteers — have helped us and taught us in this training centre. So far, I can see that I’ll go further,” she said.

SINGAPORE: Some of the best e-sports teams in the world will come to Singapore in June next year to play for a prize pool of US$1 million in the final qualifying tournament of the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC), organisers announced on Wednesday (Dec 18).

The Singapore Major will take place from Jun 20 to Jun 28 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and will have the same prize pool as other tournaments in the game’s Major Championship Series. It will be organised by ONE Esports and PGL Esports.

Points gained during tournaments of the Dota Pro Circuit will determine the top 12 teams that play at the grand finals The International. This year’s prize pool for The International was US$34 million – the largest pot for any e-sports tournament.

“(The Singapore Major is) the last major of the Pro Circuit, which means that the fate of many of the Dota 2 teams will be determined during that week and weekend,” said ONE Esports CEO Carlos Alimurung.

“It’s a really exciting time to be observing Dota 2 and a lot of the compelling storylines and storytelling that we’ll be doing are really going to culminate that weekend.”

READ: E-sports is a global game, the stakes are ‘incredibly high’ – ONE Esports CEO

There are five majors per season and they are held in different locations every year.

This is not the first time Dota 2 Majors are being held in Southeast Asia. A major was held in Kuala Lumpur last year and another was held in Manila in 2016.

ONE Esports and PGL Esports are currently heading up the Dota 2 World Pro Invitational in Singapore this week, with the world’s top teams invited to play for a US$500,000 prize pool.

The event is backed by sponsors such as DBS Bank and Lazada. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is also providing financial support to both the World Pro Invitational and the Singapore Major.

“Leading e-sports events are increasingly becoming a motivation for travel,” said executive director of attractions, entertainment and tourism concept development at STB Jean Ng.

“This will not only profile Singapore as a destination of choice, but augment our ambition to develop Singapore as a premier tourism and e-sports hub.”

Ms Ng said that STB hopes to reach out to a younger audience through the media platforms and channels that e-sports are streamed on.

Preliminary matches on Wednesday for the World Pro Invitational this week were viewed by more than 700,000 people on streaming platform Twitch.

The event is also distributed by Huya, Huomao, Maincast, and Malaysia’s eGG.

Ms Ng said there is more to come beyond the Singapore Major.

“This is also the start of a series of major events we’d like to test and assess the appetite for travel for e-sports,” she added.

“It’s through events like that, that we can better understand the profile of these gamers and fans and hopefully in future continue to bring in events that will appeal to them, and help motivate travel.”

STB will bring in the gaming trade show gamescom in October, the first time the tier one event is coming to Asia.

READ: First global body for e-sports headquartered in Singapore, preparations for 2020 Games underway

Ms Ng said while it is game developers who decide where major tournaments are held, proving that Singapore can host major e-sports events will attract organisers of other prestigious tournaments to bring their titles in.

SINGAPORE: The climate crisis is on our minds, now that the Madrid United Nations conference came up short. With a host of holidays on our doorstep, how can we enjoy the holidays and still do our fair share to address global heating?

READ: Commentary: The spectacular failure of the Madrid climate talks

Let’s start with one of the best parts of the holidays: Presents. With online shopping platforms like Lazada, AliExpress and Shopee, it has become even easier to experience the joy of giving. But will the recipient like our gift?

“If they don’t like the gift, they (or we) can always send it back,” we might tell ourselves. However, one reverse logistics company Optoro estimates that 2.5 billion kg of returned gifts received by retailers end up in the rubbish.  

GIVE YOUR TIME

Instead of buying new products, there are so many low-carbon gift-giving choices, if only we bothered to look.

What about offering to enjoy an experience with gift recipients, such as a chance to play their favourite card or board game with us or to go with us to watch one of our many excellent local theatre companies?

READ: Commentary: All these corporate greeting cards and presents are not gifts. They’re spam

In this hectic world, a gift of our time may be the best most valued present of all. If we do want to buy something, here are some climate-friendly ideas.

About 500 billion single-use plastic cups are used annually. That makes eco-friendly, reusable cups a gift that keeps on giving, and these cups come in an assortment of stylish colours and designs. Plus, places such as Starbucks offer discounts to customers who bring their own cups.

Thrift shops, such as those run by charities, including Salvation Army and MINDS, have pre-loved items looking for a new home, and the gift recipients will appreciate you thought so highly of them to believe they would appreciate a reused gift rather than worry their ego would be bruised unless they received something new.

SAY NO TO WRAPPING PAPER

After we’ve chosen or made a gift, we need to wrap it. In the UK alone, an estimated 50,000 carbon dioxide absorbing trees are chopped down for wrapping paper during the holiday season.

The old standby for green wrapping paper is to use old newspaper. To spice up this type of gift wrapping, add fallen leaves or other nature items.

READ: Commentary: The perfect gift this holiday season? Maybe none at all

Another alternative is to use a second present as the wrapping by putting presents inside towels, scarves, other clothing, and jars found at thrift shops. Yet another alternative is to use no wrapping at all.

Instead, organise a scavenger hunt by hiding the unwrapped presents with the recipients’ names on them and letting everyone search for their own and others’ presents.

DON’T FLY

Many people like to travel for the holidays. Reduced air travel is another area in which combating the climate crisis can open our eyes to alternative ways to enjoy holiday time together.

READ: Commentary: Air travel’s huge carbon footprint and its climate-friendlier alternatives

Rather than hopping on a plane and enduring long journeys in cramped cabins and long queues at customs to holiday in Iceland, South Africa or Korea, we can board a boat and in almost no time be enjoying nature, visiting a spa and tasting local delicacies in Batam and Bintan.

Or, even easier and quicker, we can try a staycation. About two-thirds of Singaporeans have staycationed at least once and  demand for staycations has risen 15 per cent recently.

Sometimes, the happiest and most surprising discoveries lie right in our backyards, not far away on the other side of the world.

For example, how many of us have checked out the many Singapore heritage trails, such as the new one in Kallang, or tried the guided walks offered by NParks, VegThisCity and other providers?

Hundreds of local Meetup groups and local media have pages listing the huge variety of cultural, recreational and educational events available in Singapore, some of which are free of charge.

READ: Commentary: Take your cardio from the shops to the great outdoors

Here in Singapore we have easy access to a rainbow of cultures, from our local multiracial, multireligious society to the cosmopolitan array of peoples working and visiting here.

We can expand our horizons without boarding a climate-warming airplane by stepping outside our comfort zones and meeting people different from ourselves here in Singapore.

READ: Commentary: Carbon emissions? Sorry but I will keep flying until someone stops me

For example, many charities, such as the Singapore Children’s Society and ACRES, welcome volunteers.

The connection goes so much deeper and can be so much more fulfilling when we volunteer at home, because the relationship is not hello-and-goodbye; it can be ongoing, with all the travelling done in only a matter of minutes on public transport.

HIT PAUSE ON FASHION

Fashion presents more opportunities to respond to the climate crisis, while reveling in being unique in our holiday best.

With the advent of fast fashion – inexpensive clothing produced quickly to respond to the latest fashion trends – we are now buying and discarding more clothing more quickly.

A 2017 report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation predicted that by 2050, the world’s fashion industry could account for more than a fifth of our species’ carbon footprint.

It is ironic that while it is fashionable to walk around with intentional holes and tears in our jeans, at the same time, we feel we must throw away other items of clothing at the first sign of wear-and-tear.

READ: Commentary: Behind that fast fashion label is a story of modern slavery

Maybe we can start a new fashion trend using our Instagram and other social media. Let’s share pics of us wearing our shirts longer.

For example, even when a shirt collar begins to fray, we can savour its familiar look and comfortable feel for another year or more.

Plus, we can find colourful ways to do patches and other coverups, for example, by frequenting the local tailor and alteration shops found at wet markets.

RETHINK EATING MEAT

Last but not least, the centerpiece of many families’ holidays is the food. Here again, we can do our share to protect the earth for our younger generations to enjoy by tweaking the foods we enjoy so much.

Animal agriculture – using animals for food – has produced more CO2 emissions than the entire global transportation sector over the last 100 years.

Fortunately, we can increase our consumption of plant-based foods and, in the process, discovery a wide variety of new foods and flavours, using spices – curry, chili, ginger, cumin, and more – with tofu, tempeh, lentils and other alternatives to meat, eggs and dairy.

Many Singapore entrepreneurs are already engaged in recreating our favourite foods in climate-friendly ways.

For instance, Singapore startup TurtleTree Labs is developing cow’s milk without the cows. Another Singapore startup Karana makes plant-based meat from jackfruit.

READ: Commentary: The vegetarian’s meal in Singapore is changing, with huge help from science

It’s great to have many new foods to try at restaurants and to experiment with in our own kitchens.

Here is one more thing to celebrate for the holidays: The more recent Climate Change Public Perception Survey by the National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) found that more people are now ready to make changes in response to the climate crisis.

In that spirit, let’s ring in 2020 and the Year of the Rat with progress towards a low-carbon future.

Dr George Jacobs is the outgoing president of the Centre for a Responsible Future.