Latest news with #YellowRibbonProject
AsiaOne
10-05-2025
- AsiaOne
'Why didn't my mum try harder?' Woman serving jail time confronts painful past in Mother's Day visit, Lifestyle News
At first glance, the classroom could have belonged to any school — blue student tables, a teacher's desk and a whiteboard. But the lack of windows and the presence of correctional officers were quiet reminders that this was no ordinary class. Inside, nine women sat waiting for something more personal than just teachers. This was a rare opportunity for them to reconnect with their mothers or daughters. Among the nine inmates was Sarah*, a 21-year-old serving her third sentence for a meth-related offence. She has been behind bars since 2022 and is expected to be released between February and April 2026. Sarah's relationship with her mum, Nora*, has long been marked by pain and abandonment. But as they embraced in the classroom that day, you wouldn't have guessed how fractured things were not too long ago. Past wounds On Monday (May 5), at Institution A4 located within Changi Prison Complex, these women participated in a beauty workshop conducted by beauty brand Benefit Cosmetics Southeast Asia in collaboration with the Yellow Ribbon Project to mark Mother's Day. But while the session provided tangible takeaways on skincare basics and makeup techniques, it was about so much more than just beauty advice. Inmates and their mothers or daughters took this as a chance to rebuild their relationship and regain confidence in preparation for life beyond the prison walls. For Sarah, the cosmetics was secondary to the moment of emotional intimacy this special day provided her. "I miss her touching my face. It's not about the makeup, [today] is about my mum," she said. During the interview with AsiaOne, both mother and daughter would get slightly distracted as they broke into laughter, enjoying each other's presence. Could you blame them? Their last meeting was in December 2024, when Nora visited for Sarah's birthday. Prior to that, their relationship was far from rosy. From a young age, instability and precariousness had become part of Sarah's reality. She recalled being kicked out of her grandmother's home with her mother, admitting that it felt like an "us against the world" moment. However, that sense of mother-daughter unity would quickly fade. When Nora remarried soon after, her attention shifted towards her new husband and Sarah was left behind. "I gave up custody to her father [when she was 12]...and I could feel the attention I gave to her get lesser and lesser," the 51-year-old mum admitted. Sitting beside her mother in a prison classroom, Sarah asked the question that had been weighing on her mind all these years: "Why didn't my mum try harder?" The silence that followed spoke louder than any words ever could. Regardless, Sarah did her best to rationalise Nora's actions, perhaps as a defence mechanism. She pondered aloud: "Maybe she had other responsibilities. She needed to fulfil her husband's needs. "Cannot be 24 hours with the kid, right? My mum also needed to take care of her parents, too." Road to forgiveness In October 2023, then 19-year-old Sarah became a mother herself. When Sarah spoke with AsiaOne about her young son turning two later this year, Nora's face lit up with pride — a grandmother cherishing this opportunity to build bonds with a new family member. It seemed like the arrival of Sarah's child became a catalyst for healing the bond between mother and daughter. "It's not a bad thing when I say that I don't want to become like my mum," Sarah said. "It is just a reminder for me to not neglect him, because I know how that feels and it's not nice to put that on my son." Sarah quickly turned to her mother to reassure her that those words came without malice. And while she noted that a younger Sarah used to be clumsy and awkward with her "I love yous", this was something she wanted to change moving forward. "I want to say 'I love you' and thank you for sticking by, even if it is only since last December. Because if there's no you, there's no me... and I'm trying," Sarah said. For her own son, Sarah is determined to not have him follow in her footsteps and wants to do her best to provide him with the stability and love her growing up years lacked. A mother's redemption arc Nora, too, is on her own journey of change. It wasn't too long ago that Sarah handed her some hard truths, relating to her mum not putting any effort in their relationship. Nora did not deny any of this, adding: "I did not see her in prison for the longest time." When asked why, she paused to collect herself. Part of the reason, she admitted, was the influence of her then-husband. But Sarah's letters from prison eventually proved to be a turning point and Nora realised her absence in Sarah's life deeply affected her daughter. "I could not expect her to change if I wasn't willing to change as well," she said. With that, prison visits became more regular and this shift in her mum's behaviour felt like an answered prayer. Despite "being like this" — a quiet reference to her past struggles with addiction — Sarah too, like many others, reached out to God during her moments of darkness. "I asked God to open my mother's heart and help her see that I can make her happy," she said. Holding back tears, an emotional Nora made a promise to her daughter. "I [will] try my best to be a good mother until my final days... I cannot, and will not, abandon her like how I did the past few years." Keeping the faith As Sarah awaits her release in 2026, both mother and daughter know their journey together is far from over. "First and foremost, I really urge her to get out of this place. Then, we can [mend] all these holes and reconcile our past," Nora said. She also brought up faith, suggesting they could learn the teachings of Islam together, in hopes that the values imparted can provide a moral compass to steer their lives and relationship forward. Though their past is scarred by absence, pain and missed chances, Sarah and Nora seem to be taking ownership of what lies ahead. In the small windowless classroom in Institution A4 that Monday afternoon, both women took an extra second to revel in each other's company. "I will stick by you," Nora whispered through tears. "No matter what." *Pseudonyms were used to conceal the individual's identity. [[nid:682776]] amierul@
Nylon
09-05-2025
- Business
- Nylon
Benefit Cosmetics and the Yellow Ribbon Project teamed up to make Mother's Day a meaningful celebration for inmates and their loved ones
Mother's Day has always been an important date where we celebrate the women in our lives who have given us nothing but love and support as we grow. Benefit Cosmetics Expert explaining the product at the workshop. Image courtesy of Benefit Cosmetics. In an effort to provide women inmates and their mothers or daughters to strengthen their familial ties through beauty and self-care, the Yellow Ribbon Project and Benefit Cosmetics Southeast Asia recently teamed up to host a beauty workshop for the women inmates at Institution A4 on 5 May 2025. Led by Benefit Cosmetics' training team, the session focused on the importance of cleansing using Benefit's Get Unblocked Pore Clearing Cleansing Oil & Good Cleanup Pore Purifying Foaming Cleanser, as well as hydration with the Hydro Pop Hydrating & Smoothing Essence and Smooth Sip Lightweight Gel Moisturiser, and some makeup tips. This was in addition to the goal of creating a safe space for inmates and their relatives to have a meaningful connection, and the rare opportunity for physical touch after potentially years of separation. The Benefit Cosmetics team with Adrianne Quijano on the left. Image courtesy of Benefit Cosmetics. Speaking to NYLON Singapore, Adrianne Quijano, PR & Digital Executive of Benefit Cosmetics shared that the idea came about when they were looking for a project to celebrate International Volunteer Day as part of their Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Project. 'We reached out to Yellow Ribbon Project Singapore (YRP) where they linked us up to conduct a beauty workshop for NeuGen, a charity that provides holistic and empathetic support to reformed offenders, their children and families to prevent intergenerational offending.' Seeing the partnership as a value-add, Assistant Director (Aftercare) of the Yellow Ribbon Project Saraswathy Gunasegaren told NYLON Singapore that the partnership was a 'natural progression' since both organisations shared the same belief that every individual deserves the opportunity to rebuild their lives with dignity. 'The workshop goes beyond just makeup application and empowering women with skills — it is one that helps them build that connection with their loved ones, and can help rebuild their lives as well as confidence for a successful reintegration and rehabilitation,' said Saraswathy. One of the inmates watching the Benefit Cosmetics' Expert applying makeup on her mother. Image courtesy of Benefit Cosmetics. For Benefit Cosmetics, this marked the first time a beauty brand had collaborated with the Yellow Ribbon Project and Institution A4 to organise something like this. Adriane Quijano from Benefit Cosmetics, said: 'Benefit Cosmetics goes beyond focusing solely on external beauty. We strive to demonstrate that we are here to foster genuine connections and to raise awareness for the important social causes championed by Yellow Ribbon.' Even though hosting a beauty workshop is not something new for Benefit Cosmetics, it was not without its challenges for the Benefit team, especially when Changi Prison Complex is a government facility that has maximum-level security. 'For instance, no personal belonging, especially technology is allowed within the facility and this posed an obstacle as we were unable to capture the area for space planning,' said Adrianne. She added, 'We also had to declare all of our items days beforehand to ensure that the cosmetics will be authorised for clearance. This required deeper consideration for the products and display items that we wished to bring in as following the submission of the declared list, no further additions were permitted, and this meant there was a need for meticulous preparation from the outset.' The workshop was also not open to all inmates and only selected participants who were identified by the officers based on the evaluation of the inmate's conduct and family relationship. Staff Sergeant Noor Aisha interacting with one of the inmates during the workshop. Image courtesy of Benefit Cosmetics. As someone who interacts with the inmates daily, Personal Supervisor Staff Sergeant Noor Aisha Azman shared with NYLON Singapore that she personally finds that unique workshops like this is a 'good opportunity' as it allows the inmates to foster relationships with their loved ones, who have been impacted by imprisonment. 'Female inmates tend to present different challenges due to the diverse roles they take on and some of them had adverse experiences (e.g. abuse) related to the varied roles which needed specific intervention such as support in mothering roles, trauma, mental health needs, and negative self-worth,' said Staff Sergeant Aisha. In addition to external workshops like this, Staff Sergeant Noor and her colleagues also implement initiatives to help inmates foster a sense of community and rehabilitation, as well as build networks and social capital. She said: 'For example, we introduced the Grief Support Group for female inmates affected by significant losses and the aim was to help address their emotional needs, foster positive social connections within the prison community, and promote emotional healing, self-efficacy, and support-seeking behaviours.' Another example is the Peer Supporter Initiative that trains suitable female inmates as peer supporters to provide support and guidance to fellow female inmates to enhance their overall well-being and self-coping strategies. An inmate and her mother applying the makeup skills during the workshop. Image courtesy of Benefit Cosmetics. On top of providing another way for inmates to continue building their confidence, Saraswathy Gunasegaren from the Yellow Ribbon Project, sees this workshop as a great opportunity to empower these women. 'For an international brand like Benefit Cosmetics to step forward and partner the Yellow Ribbon Project to empower females in our community; it reaffirms Singapore's rehabilitation efforts,' said Saraswathy. 'Their commitment to empowerment and inclusivity is heartening to see and will hopefully inspire others. It also showcases how corporates can contribute meaningfully to a more inclusive society.' When asked if this would mean more of such workshops in the future, Benefit Cosmetics' Adrianne Quijano said that they are 'currently in conversations' with Yellow Ribbon to continue this partnership. She added, 'For future events that they wish to engage us in, we hope that it will be as meaningful as this year's Mother's Day Event.'
