Noodles that bind
Noodles for Good, a corporate social responsibility programme by Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant, has provided families with special needs individuals skills training for a viable livelihood. This is the Lau’s family journey.
For the past two years, 21-year-old Lau Chun Seng, an alumnus from Eden School (a special education school by Autism Association Singapore) and his mother Chan Mee Fong have been working diligently to serve the hungry students of Pathlight School and Catholic High School handmade Sichuan dan dan noodles and onion oil noodles with chicken dumplings. “Chun Seng is the happiest when he is cooking his noodles,” shares Chan.
This is Chun Seng’s big leap towards independence as he is now able to earn his own income, and it’s all thanks to Noodles for Good, a corporate social responsibility programme jointly initiated by Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant, Central Singapore CDC, and Autism Resource Centre (Singapore), also known as ARC.
A bowl of goodness
Since 2016, Noodles for Good has equipped three special needs individuals and their family members with skills training on how to set up a micro-business in community spaces. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. This quote resonates with me very much. I believe that children with autism or individuals with special needs are capable of developing into independent individuals with sufficient training,” says Wee Wei Ling, executive director of Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant.
Through the last decade, Si Chua Dou Hua Restaurant has put significant emphasis on partnering with community organisations to contribute to the restaurant’s expertise in programmes that give back to the community. Noodles for Good is one such project, which Wee holds dear to her heart.
With Chun Seng, it took Peng Yi Chun, master dim sum chef of Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant, two months to teach him and Mee Fong how to cook the noodles and fold dumplings. There were initial difficulties as it was Peng’s first time teaching an individual with autism. Communicating with Chun Seng posed its own challenges so Peng had to get Mee Fong to act as their intermediary.
“This programme opened my eyes to the world beyond what I can see. As a father of two, I can empathise with this family. It breaks my heart knowing that a child is unaccepted by society. This is where Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant comes in to help integrate kids with special needs into society,” Peng shares.
Before the Laus opened a Noodles for Good stall at Catholic High School, they started out operating a kiosk at Pathlight School for a year. There are days where they are overwhelmed by the number of orders and the students’ demands, but they take it in their stride. “This programme has given my son a future and hope. Before this came along, I was contented with him following me to my workplace but now he can earn his own livelihood. And it is always nice to know that the students and teachers love our noodles,” Mee Fong says with a twinkle in her eyes.
To ease the mother and son’s workload, Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant goes the extra mile by providing additional help. Raw ingredients are sold to them at cost price, and checking in on the family, dishing out kitchen tips to improve their noodlecooking skills, and offering business advice whenever they face any hiccups.
A dose of hope
Seeing such encouraging results from the mother-son duo, Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant and ARC hope to work with more community partners to bring Noodles for Good to more locations in Singapore’s central district.
“As our society progresses, it is important for us not to forget those who may be left behind. While many special needs individuals are capable of finding employment, there remains some who are unable to enter the workforce on their own. They need a leg up, and projects such as this provide them with that lift,” shares Denise Phua, mayor of Central Singapore District.
With this programme, Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant hopes to inspire more employers to step up and contribute their resources in helping to address social gaps.