3 Singaporean women to watch this International Women’s Day

(L-R):Zulayqha Zulkifli,Balli Kaur Jaswal and Shayna Ng.

Taking care of local communities

It’s not every day that you meet someone so dedicated to their community that they set up residents’ WhatsApp groups to ensure their needs are met.

This is just one of the ways 28-year-old social worker Zulayqha Zulkifli serves her community of rental flat estates in Queenstown. Together with her brother Zulhaqem, Zulayqha founded the ground-up initiative Project Hills in April 2020.

Zulayqha and Zulhaqem Zulkifli, co-founders of Project Hills

It was born out of her family’s concern for some of the estate’s residents during the pandemic. The Circuit Breaker brought to light residents’ struggles and anxieties surrounding navigating technology, understanding official Covid-19 updates, and sifting through fake news.

Being an estate resident herself, Zulayqha took matters into her own hands. She offered to interpret everything - from local news to ComCare assistance forms - for her fellow residents. “I realised I could use my skills and knowledge of social work to see how to best tighten the gaps (in community resources),” she shares.

Zulayqha and a volunteer from Project Hills packing bags of resources in a car.

At first, residents assumed, based on Zulayqha’s age and appearance, that she was a salesperson and she had to reassure them that she and her family were keen to help. While she kicked off Project Hills by working with 17 families, these days Zulayqha keeps in touch with more residents through a WhatsApp group. Here, they tell her what resources they require, thus informing Project Hill’s upcoming programmes. Recent engagements include the Hot Meals and School Readiness Bag programmes.

Zulayqha handing out laptops as part of Project Hills’ Tech Access for All (TAFA) programme.

For Zulayqha, one of their standout programmes is the Milk and Diapers Fund, which continues on an ad-hoc basis. It provided these necessary resources for low-income families and alleviated their financial struggles. Looking back, Zulayqha shares how the fund empowered a mother from a debt-ridden family in the estate.

This mother received assistance from the fund and despite initially being a stay-at-home mother to four children, felt inspired to bring about change in her own life. No longer wanting to wait for help to be given to her, the mother decided to place her children in full-time childcare while she pursued part-time work to supplement her husband’s income. “It was a huge achievement for us to see her and her family emerge debt-free after two years,” Zulayqha says enthusiastically.

This International Women’s Day, Zulayqha has a striking piece of advice for women: to “channel your emotions purposefully and positively.” While emotions are traditionally seen as weaknesses, she encourages women everywhere to adopt a fresh perspective on this to grow as an individual and make a difference in the community.

The importance of sharing diverse narratives

39-year-old novelist Balli Kaur Jaswal has made waves in the literary community with her humorous — and at times, unflinching — explorations of intersectional femininity, gender roles, and the patriarchy.

With cultural roots in Punjab, she also touches on how women navigate the tensions between modernity and tradition. She’s known for titles like ‘Sugarbread’ and ‘Inheritance,’ which have garnered both local and international acclaim.

Portrait of Balli Kaur Jaswal.

The novelist was first compelled to write as early as primary school, before committing to the craft in her university days. Ever since publishing her first novel, Balli’s works have shed light on the barriers and injustice that women and marginalised individuals from all walks of life continue to face.

Inspiring women and women writers in Singapore has also been a “lovely byproduct” of her writing, she shares. “I’ve had readers approach me and say that they’ve been inspired not to remain silent and open up conversations (about societal issues). There were very few Indian female writers while I was growing up so to be that for a younger generation is an honour and a dream.”

Speaking of obstacles, Balli has some words of wisdom for women who are keen to put pen to paper but feel hesitant to do so. She’s especially encouraging, exclaiming, “There’s no reason why you can’t do it!”

“The hesitation is usually societal conditioning telling you that women’s perspectives aren’t important — but they are. There are plenty of people who want to hear from you, more so than those who wish to silence you,” she asserts with confidence.

Inspiring women from all walks of life

While we might know world champion bowler Shayna Ng for her fantastic results on the international stage, did you know she also advocates for women as part of her work on the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC)’s Women in Sport Committee (WSC)?

Shayna with her bowling balls.

“The WSC pushes for women’s increased participation in sports,” the 32-year-old shares. “We don’t just encourage women to become athletes, but also coaches, officials, and leaders.”

A key recent project that Shayna was involved in was a four-part video series ‘She Does It.’ It celebrated the passions and achievements of Singapore women to highlight how women from different age groups and industries can remain fit and healthy.

A particular highlight for Shayna was the ‘She does it to Empower’ video, which featured 59-year-old nurse and parkour practitioner Bernice Tan. Bernice is one of a group of women living in Bishan whom Shayna enthusiastically calls “the parkour aunties.”

“They’re really cool!” Shayna exclaims admirably. “They break down the misconception that you don’t have time to exercise and keep fit when you’re working — which is what WSC strives to promote.”

Shayna taking a shot.

This aligns with Shayna’s aspirations for women and increased gender equality in Singapore, as she comments, “I hope that people can approach women in sport with a different mindset, and overcome the perception that women are weak and are not made for sports.”

“Hopefully, in time to come, with more women becoming athletes, sports administrators and leaders, we as a small country can bring sports to greater heights,” Shayna concludes.