Forgiveness and Second Chances towards ex-offenders amongst the community

During my growing-up years, gangsterism and drug addiction were rampant in the fishing village where my family and I lived. My brothers and I were fatherless since I was aged four. When I was a boy, I used to witness how gangsters fought with knives in gang fights and how drug addicts took drugs and ended up in thefts. Thank God, the amazing thing is that my brothers and I grew up in such an environment together but we never got involved with any gang and any fight and we have never smoked a single stick of cigarette in our lives. Incidentally, my two younger brothers are school Vice-Principals in Malaysia.

As I recall those childhood scenes involving crimes and drug addiction, I am reminded of a recent message delivered by the gentleman who originated the idea of the Yellow Ribbon Project. The Yellow Ribbon Project was conceived to spread the message of offering forgiveness and second chances towards ex-offenders amongst the community.

I surfed The Yellow Ribbon Project website and I learnt that "Every year, more than 11,000 individuals are released from various prisons and Drug Rehabilitation Centres (DRC) in Singapore. Many ex-offenders who sincerely wish to change face uphill challenges after their release. Their attempts to lead normal lives are fraught with difficulties caused by the stigma that they inevitably face. Shackled by their criminal records, they are often turned away from job opportunities as soon as their past convictions are revealed."

If you are interested to know more and see how you would like to get involved, you may like to visit http://www.yellowribbon.org.sg/