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Bringing blessings in a bag

The children who benefit from Blessings in a Bag

Her face and voice may be familiar to many radio listeners in Singapore but 26-year-old Emily Teng is also the founder of local social enterprise Blessings In A Bag. We speak with the exuberant individual on how she got started on this road.

When and how did you get the idea to start Blessings In A Bag (BIAB)?
It was at the end of 2007 when I couldn't sleep one night and was scribbling down crazy ideas for what I wanted to do for the Christmas season. I wanted to find an easy and impactful way for my friends to give back during the season of giving. I didn't want people writing cheques because I didn't want people to feel that they couldn't make a difference with whatever they had. Finally it was decided that friends could donate quality items that were specifically requested by a group I had been building a relationship with. There was only so much stuff people could keep at home, and it bothered me that most of it would be chucked away instead of given a new life with someone else who would treasure it.

And that's been the driving motto that everybody who helps out with BIAB shares: Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.

Tell us more about the work BIAB does?
We’re a social enterprise on a mission to bring “Blessings” to disadvantaged children and communities here in Singapore as well as across Southeast Asia. 

The beginnings of each “Blessing” start in the household of the everyday Singaporean. For example, Mrs Tan will look around her home for pre-loved items in good quality and then drives them over to one of our drop-off points located across the island. Our “Big Boy Friends in the Big Offices” also come by on a regular basis to donate lots of brand new goodies like hygiene supplies, stationery, clothing and books!

Then, it’s time for our passionate group of World Change Agents (volunteers) to roll up their sleeves to sort and pack these items into individual Blessing Bags, full of love for Education or Sanitation.

Thanks to our connections with frequent travellers, airlines and logistics folk, we’re able to fly over 150,000 Bundles of Blessings across the whole of Asia to be handed over to a growing number of children and communities per year. That means if you're traveling to any Asia destination and know of a community in need, you can let us know what items are needed and take them with you when you travel.  We also have a few local partners in various Asian cities that have set up their own drop-offs in various places of interests. It's a great way to use all that excess baggage space for GOOD!  One family took up 115kg worth of brand new school supplies that had been donated to us – all in their luggage!

Besides this, we are also about to start a retail arm to provide skills and exposure to young Singaporeans who many may have given up on for coming in at the bottom 20 percent for their PSLE. They are now on their way to being the faces of Singapore’s retail and F&B industry. The inventory comes from what can't be passed onto the kids and communities for some reason or the other such as cultural norms or items that weren't even requested for.

What are some of the biggest challenges you face in getting the message of your work out to the public?
When you give, you should give with thought and with love. You should ask yourself who the end-recipient will be and not how you will feel when you pass stuff onto us. You should ask yourself, "Would I give this to my own kids? Would I give this to a loved one or someone I really care about?” before giving items to us. I think if people gave with thought and heart, it could really change the amount of stress and work we have to go through just to get the right items across. The amount of trash that comes our way is just appalling. People need to stop thinking that we take in everything and anything!

We also need more groups and individuals who know of communities in need to come forward and either (a) pick up items to carry with them and/or (b) help us spread the word. It's really simple, fill up the form online and someone from our team will get in touch with you. We currently have 8 tons of donations in kind ready to go to wherever supplies are needed but we need the support of the aviation industry and the support of travelers to spread the word in order to reach out to more communities.

You resigned from full-time radio work to focus on BIAB. The workload must be tremendous! Could you give us a glimpse into the amount of work you need to accomplish in a given day?


Tremendous is an understatement!  When you are your own boss, especially “Chief of Awesome”, you really do have to get your hands dirty and get involved with every aspect. Even with the workload, I've really learned in the last year what's important in life: Health. Friends. Family. Fun. Recently my health has suffered a setback and so it's been a great reminder as to why I quit to focus on BIAB - it was not only to shoulder more responsibility and make things around here more awesome ... but it was also to allow me time to celebrate and enjoy life's moments. I think no matter what you're doing and where you are in life, it's so important to take time for yourself and be with the people who make you happy.  I try my best to take more time for myself - whether it's going to Selective Fitness and getting in a kickass Powerplate routine, making sure I'm meeting up with friends or someone I'd like to get to know better at least once a week, etc.

What keeps you going?
My family, friends, mentors and cheerleaders who I would never want to disappoint. The World Change Agents, because seeing them realise and unleash their “awesome-ness” is such a beautiful thing to witness. Building this community has been so challenging, painful and frustrating but it's great to hear some of the personal stories from the WCAs who have been impacted in some way through doing what we do. Of course, the kids and communities keep me going - knowing that a set of school supplies can enable a child to go to school, receive an education and have the opportunity to break the poverty cycle is a very powerful motivation.

What keeps you awake at night?
Financial worries (of course).  We definitely could use some financial backing considering I've spent most of my savings building this up.

Ideas and dreams that I have yet to realize.  The impatience in me creeps up every now and then.

My never-ending lists of to-dos that seem to get longer and more crazy as each day passes.

That constant feeling that I'm under-achieving at 26 - it's almost as if I feel that I'm running against a clock because there's so much that I want to do.

The lack of Dream Team members to make awesome happen.  We need more people!

How do your friends and family support you in your work with BIAB?
My family is most supportive because I know a lot of parents would rather their children take the tried and tested route – the one that has the most payoffs. They've pitched in with proposals, ideation phases or comforted me through the many breakdowns and multiple sessions of the “ugly cry”. They have also given me less to worry about by making sure I have a roof over my head, bed to sleep in and food to eat - it sounds so basic but I think many people who start their own gigs will attest to the fact that even the simplest of things can bring so much peace to mind.

Friends wise –  they make it known that they're rooting for me all the time. What I like most about my friends is that when we get together, we don't have to talk about all the frustration and stress and anxiety (if I don't want to) – I just hang out with them, we laugh and I'm so incredibly happy in that moment. I recently took a breather trip to Europe with two long-time friends – there was never a day that we didn't laugh till our stomachs hurt.

If there was ONE thing you could do differently with your life, what would it be? Why?
Making my own happiness a priority.  It would have meant that I would not have been as afraid to make certain decisions earlier on in life or busied myself trying to please people. It would have meant that I would live a lot more fearlessly and tried as many things as possible that came my way. It would have meant that I could follow my heart and do what mattered to me earlier. It would also have meant that I would know that I am able to take full responsibility for my happiness.


How can Singaporeans help BIAB?
We're currently collecting second-hand or good quality designer or luxe items whether it's clothing, accessories or bags. These will be used for our upcoming retail training programme in partnership with young Singaporeans who are in need of an opportunity to realise their awesome potential as World Change Agents after having been labelled a “failure” by society.

We need more groups and individuals who know of communities in need to come forward and either (a) pick up items to carry with them and/or (b) help us spread the word. We're also desperately in need of funding at the moment.  We have various proposals ready depending on who's interested to hear more.

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