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IMAN JUMABHOY, 17
When she saw how badly the migrant workers in Singapore were hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, Iman Jumabhoy jumped into action.
Fuelled by her passion for baking, the great granddaughter of Ameerali Jumabhoy, who was a prominent Indian businessman and community leader, started Jumabakes, a home-based venture that has raised more than $4,000 for charity.
Iman learnt baking from her mother Feryal and what was a hobby and bonding experience for the duo became a social enterprise thanks to her elder sister Sara who came up with the idea.
"It was disheartening to see the plight of the migrant workers who left their families to work here. I find it a blessing to be able to help them," said Iman.
Half of Jumabakes' sales is donated to charities while the other half is used to buy baking supplies.
Jumabakes has partnered various organisations - such as Decathlon Singapore and Muslim Kidney Action Association - since its inception in 2020.
Iman has also reached out to overseas beneficiaries, such as a school for children with special needs and the Medical Oxygen For All campaign in India.
"It has been meaningful to bake and engage in a productive effort. The encouragement and support from our customers have motivated me," she said, adding that there were even customers who wanted to pay extra.
Iman also attended cake-decorating lessons to refine her baked products and elevate the business.
Undeterred by the challenges of juggling school and Jumabakes, Iman spends more than 20 hours baking on weekends and delivers the goods with her mother on weekday nights.
Iman has also learnt the tricks of the trade, modifying Jumabakes' operations to improve efficiency without compromising on the quality of the baked goods.
The St Joseph's Institution International student now plans to engage in social media collaborations to garner even bigger support and more donations.
MITHILA MAHESH, 30
Hailing from a family that has been in the shipping industry for more than 45 years, it's no surprise that Dr Mithila Mahesh felt naturally inclined to work with seafarers.
After a stint with the British public sector healthcare provider Cambridge University Hospitals, the clinical psychologist with more than 10 years' experience, came home during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Mithila then saw a rise in mental health issues among seafarers, the worrying trend exacerbated by a surge in suicide rates. She decided to do something about the situation as she also saw a 10-fold increase in suicidal thoughts among seafarers.
"The seafarers community is relatively less heard of," said Dr Mithila, who started the social enterprise Transworld Wellness last August.
"Language barriers and contactability issues due to them being out at sea for long periods make it difficult for individuals or organisations to reach out to the seafarers.
"It was worrying to see how little help they could get."
Transworld Wellness provides services such as individual or group counselling, basic mental health training, curated exercise regimens and guided workshops.
Apart from equipping seafarers with the necessary skills and understanding to tackle their own mental health issues, Transworld Wellness also strives to destigmatise mental health so that more people will be willing to seek help.
Dr Mithila said the hesitation in seeking help and the unawareness of available help and mental health in general made helping seafarers even more difficult.
So, she connects with shipping companies to raise awareness on the services offered by Transworld Wellness.
Despite her initial doubts about going into this venture full-time, the overwhelming response from seafarers motivated Dr Mithila to go into this for the long haul and plan more initiatives for the social enterprise.
Dr Mithila hopes to expand the outreach to other vulnerable communities in the shipping industry.
SHLOKA SRIRAM, 16
Most Indian women store saris for many years, even if they hardly wear them.
So, two high-school students, who met through dance lessons, have pledged to give such saris a new lease of life by donating them to disabled women in Chennai.
Saree Stories is a social enterprise founded by Singapore-based Shloka Sriram (left) and Chennai-based Ananthi Vivek with the primary goal of empowering disadvantaged women.
It collects and donates well-maintained casual saris to the needy and turns the rest into potli (a type of cloth bag).
The donated saris are channelled to beneficiaries via its partner Saree For Naree, which was founded by their friend Priya V. The potlis are designed by Chennai-based Arya Giri and hand-sewn by disabled women at Better World Shelter.
"Not only does this equip the women with a life skill, but it also provides them a sense of purpose," said Shloka, a student at the United World College of South East Asia (Dover campus).
All proceeds from the sales of the potlis are given to Storead (Store By The Ably Disabled), a startup run by the disabled women themselves.
Shloka pointed out that overseeing the initiative remotely and not being able to interact with the women was tough at times.
Despite the distance, Ananthi, also a high schooler, and Shloka have continued supporting each other and furthering the goals of the venture.
"I have been able to see the impact of our venture only through photos," said Shloka.
"Nevertheless, the sense of fulfilment when I see the photos of the women enjoying themselves or working independently encourages me to do more."
While the enterprise is only two months old, the seeds were sowed last year when Shloka lost two close relatives to Covid-19.
She was spurred to help disadvantaged women and discovered Better World Shelter, through which she helped the women sell their hand-sewn masks.
Despite the challenges they face, these four women serve the community in their own ways,
investing their time and money in meaningful ventures to help the vulnerable.
A. VISHNU VARDNI finds out what keeps them going.
