Find out what kept these boys busy at the start of the year

26 boys got their hands dirty for a good cause.

StarHub donated the Seeds of Hope Edible Garden to the Singapore Boys Hostel, a voluntary welfare organisation. "We saw the chance to give the boys something meaningful and tangible, which could help them in building their character," Adam Reutens-Tan, CSR Manager, StarHub. 35 StarHub employees participated in the event.

Besides the chance to eat of the fruits of their labour, StarHub also wanted to give the boys the opportunity to establish closer ties with the community and learn to be socially responsible. Hence, some of the produce will be given to the neighbouring Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital.

The groundbreaking event, which took place at Singapore Boys Hostel itself at 8 McNair Road, saw the boys and StarHub volunteers planting the first shrubs and saplings of the garden together.

"One challenge faced was ensuring that staff volunteers for the event avoided sensitive conversation topics with the boys,” shared Mr Reutens-Tan. “Another challenge was photography. As the authorities prohibit photos of the boys, the photographs were mainly of the VIPs and staff volunteers.”

StarHub tries to organise events where its staff has a chance to utilise the two days of paid Volunteerism Leave that they get each year. "We try to get our staff involved on a personal level with our corporate social responsibility; it builds esprit de corps and many of us like working for a company that we feel cares," he said.

The Opening Ceremony of the Seeds of Hope Edible Garden is slated for late-March.