Multiple gaps and paradoxes exist in Singapore—food insecurity in this food paradise, housing insecurity in this housing nation, and education lags in this education hub. This IEx focuses on self-help, socially empowering underserved and under-resourced communities. Our objective is to empower them to be independent while understanding the broader structural inequities they face.
Teams interested can begin by thinking broadly about:
Their community of choice, and
The issue(s) faced by the community that they would like to address.
Examples of communities and issues that teams have worked with in the past include:
Food insecurity among rough sleepers
App content for shelter residents
Community fridges by disadvantaged residents in Lengkok Bahru/Ghim Moh
Tuition gamification for primary schoolers in Telok Blangah
Cultural mapping for dislocated residents in Dawson
Please note that I only supervise projects addressing housing insecurity, food insecurity, and educational inequality.
Teams interested in participating in this IEx are welcome to email me with their chosen community and issue. For those who wish to explore these topics further, I also teach a course on these issues: NHS2075: Life at the Bottom, offered in 2024-25 Sem 2 and 2025-26 Sem 1.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Questions? You can find me at nmm@nus.edu.sg