‘I don’t want to go home!’ was a sentiment shared by many Club Rainbow beneficiaries when the CRFR drew to a close.

“I will miss the friends that I made on the trip, I hope to see them again,” said Tan Xue En, 8.

In its 13th CRFR, 40 Club Rainbow families were split into five groups – Capteh, Marbles, Five Stones, Hop-Scotch and Gasing. The families spent four days, three nights at Holiday Inn Malacca exploring the city and getting to know one another.

Some activities were prepared for the CRS families:

Caregivers Workshop

On Day 2, the parents and children were split into different venues. Parents were treated to an informative time with Mr. David Kan, Co-founder and Director of Family Life Centre as they learned how to maintain and maximize interpersonal relationship wellness with their child.

Feedback from parents was generally positive, with almost half of participants indicating the highest score possible ‘Strongly Agree’ that the workshop was helpful. Most enjoyed their time too while learning to sculpt balloons for their kids.

 According to Ms. Pauline Leong, a Counselor from CRS, aside from active learning, such workshops were useful for families to get to know one another better in their respective illness groups.

She said: “They face similar situations in caring for their children. And so, learning from one another gives them emotional support and they are not alone.”

Children and Youth Activities

CRS beneficiaries and their siblings got to try their hand at Batik Painting and Basket Weaving, most doing it for the first time. Beautifully-painted Batik pieces, each different from the next; and meticulously-made baskets were the fruits of their labour.

The kids made their way to the Cheng Ho Museum for a good dose of history. Followed by the Maritime Museum, which itself is a replica of a Portuguese ship that sank off the coast of Malacca while on its way to Portugal, carrying loot plundered from Malacca.

Amazing Race

After two days of mingling with their group members, the families were ready for the Amazing Race. Despite the physical exertion from executing the various tasks, (which included running on clogs, going up a hill bound 3-legged to another and walking down crowded Jonker Street in the afternoon) the families managed to pull through and finish the race. Gasing won first place.

Even after completing the race, 14-year-old Samuel Lim said, “I am not tired! I still don’t want to go home yet…four days is too short.”

We at Club Rainbow hope that the relationships forged between the families will carry on for a long time