Jamiyah Halfway House (Darul Islah) officially opened a newly refurbished computer classroom at the halfway house. The refurbished computer classroom is part of the IT Skills Programme, an initiative between Darul Islah, Yellow Ribbon Fund (YRF) and Acronis.
Acronis had sponsored $100,000 through the Yellow Ribbon Fund to the project -$50,000 for the renovation and upgrading of the computer classroom, including 15 new laptops and other equipment. Another $50,000 will be used for IT training courses in 2022.
YRF and Acronis have a shared vision of developing a computer classroom that can support regular IT training for the residents of Darul Islah. Both stakeholders saw the value in equipping the residents with IT skills as it will open more opportunities for them and allow them to secure better jobs as well.
Addressing the guests invited at the opening event, Dr Isa Hassan, Senior Vice President III of Jamiyah Singapore and Chairman of Darul Islah said: "At Jamiyah Halfway House, we equip offenders with relevant training to enhance their employability in a digitalized world to prepare them for successful reintegration and instil a culture of lifelong learning in our residents and facilitate their skills deepening in the community, even after release.
"Most individuals finish their stay at the halfway house hoping to contribute to society in a meaningful way. Not being able to find employment and lacking necessary workplace skills can put a damper on that expectation. Facing daunting employment and career development issues can also interfere with an individual's sense of self-worth.
"At Jamiyah Halfway House, we offer job readiness training to help newly recovered individuals learn valuable skills and ways to solve problems, communicate effectively, and work as a team. Finding a job after recovery can help individuals build healthier relationships, provide for their families, and boost their self-esteem, which helps prevent relapse and maintain their long-term recovery."
Mr Faizal Abas, Head of Darul Islah said: "Jamiyah Halfway House is truly grateful for the newly refurbished computer classroom. It will surely create a very conducive training environment for the residents of the halfway house.
"The sponsorship will also be utilised for IT training and courses to be conducted…for our residents and other Jamiyah beneficiaries. We believe our residents and other beneficiaries will gain useful IT training and knowledge to use digital applications and enhance their employment opportunities with better salaries and rehabilitate in their rehabilitation process to lead a crime and drug free lifestyle."
The collaboration between Darul Islah, Acronis & Yellow Ribbon Fund started in 2018 when they conducted the ICDL Microsoft Skills Course for the residents. The residents were awarded with the Microsoft Certified Certificates upon the completion of the course.
The first IT training for 2022 was conducted by a trainer from Acronis, for 1 week from 10 February 2022 to 17 February 2022. Participants learnt the ins and outs of creating and designing documents on PowerPoint and Word, how to perform spreadsheet functions on Excel and drafted and sent emails on Outlook. All of them passed the course.
Alex (not his real name), resident of Darul Islah, who was one of 16 participants in the first IT training course held at the newly renovated computer classroom reflected on his experience: "I feel encouraged to learn new things. Previously I worked in odd jobs, without requiring any IT skills.
"When I study new IT skills with the help of the Darul Islah staff and the trainers, it makes me motivated to change my life for the better. I think this course will help me in the future. The trainer who taught us has a lot of experience. He was patient and calm when teaching us, which makes it easier to understand."
The Computer Classroom and its programmes are offered in addition to other rehabilitation and community-focused enrichment programmes offered by Darul Islah, such as the Art Therapy Programme and the Project Happiness Programme.
The Art Therapy Programme uses art to encourage free self-expression among the residents through painting and drawing. On the other hand, Project Happiness is part of Darul Islah's community outreach engagement programme, where residents clean, decorate, and paint the houses of needy Singaporeans to bring joy during the festive seasons.
The opening of the newly refurbished computer classroom was graced by Guest of Honour Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs & Ministry of National Development.
In his closing remarks, Assoc Prof Faishal said: "Employability has always been a huge hurdle for ex-offenders. Jobs that provide financial stability will help ex-offenders rebuild their lives. Given how technology has become part of our daily lives, being computer literate will open doors of opportunities for both our offenders and ex-offenders.
"I'm glad that the Yellow Ribbon Fund, Acronis, and Jamiyah Halfway House have realised their shared vision to develop a classroom lab that can support regular IT training for residents of the Halfway House. The Computer Classroom will enable the residents to upgrade their IT knowledge and skills, build their confidence in this field, and consequently improve their employability upon their release."
About Jamiyah Singapore
Muslim Missionary Society Singapore, also known as Jamiyah Singapore, was established in 1932. Its mission is to work and contribute towards the welfare and overall development of the community regardless of race or faith. Its services are focused on education, welfare and community outreach programmes, and inter-faith harmony.
Jamiyah now manages 3 Welfare Homes - the needy & destitute elderly (Jamiyah Home for the Aged - Darul Takrim), those needing intermediate & long-term healthcare (Jamiyah Nursing Home - Darul Syifaa), and also for rehabilitating ex-drug offenders (Jamiyah Halfway House - Darul Islah).
It also has 8 Education Centres, Community Outreach Services such as Family-Centric Services; Counselling; Free Medical & Legal Clinics; Food Ration Distributions, FoodBank and other related community welfare and development services.
As one of the founding members of the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO), Jamiyah has always emphasized interfaith harmony. Together with the various faith leaders, Jamiyah is at the forefront of fostering religious harmony for the community through its various creative and pragmatic programmes.
About Jamiyah Halfway House (Darul Islah)
Jamiyah Halfway House, or Darul Islah, was established in 1996 to serve as a centre for rehabilitating drug offenders to lead a new life before they are released and reintegrated into society.
Jamiyah Halfway House provides a conducive rehabilitative environment with varied programmes and services to prepare the residents in their journey to return to society.
Jamiyah Halfway House is a partner of Singapore Prison Service (SPS), and Yellow Ribbon Singapore (YRSG).
About the Yellow Ribbon Fund
The Yellow Ribbon Fund (YRF) was launched in 2004 and is the first national charitable fund devoted entirely towards the development and implementation of rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for inmates and ex-offenders, as well as family support programmes to strengthen their family ties.
Proceeds from the various fund-raising activities will go towards funding a variety of rehabilitation and family programmes, as well as aftercare services. The main areas of support are in Education and Training, Reconnecting Families, Residential Support, Financial Assistance and Aftercare Support, including New Innovative Programmes. About $17 million was disbursed to fund programmes and services, helping more than 54,000 beneficiaries.
YRF is registered under Yellow Ribbon Singapore (YRSG) and is a member of the CARE Network, an alliance of public and non-government agencies that aims to promote supportive aftercare for ex-offenders.
In 2019, YRF achieved the Transparency Award from the Charity Council, signifying exemplary disclosure and good transparency practices by Commissioner of Charities (COC).
For more information on YRF, please visit https://www.yellowribbon.gov.sg/yellow-ribbon-fund
About Acronis:
Acronis is a global cyber protection company that provides natively integrated cybersecurity, data protection, and endpoint management for managed service providers (MSPs), small and medium businesses (SMBs), and enterprise IT departments. Acronis solutions are highly efficient and designed to identify, prevent, detect, respond, remediate, and recover from modern cyberthreats with minimal downtime, ensuring data integrity and business continuity. Acronis offers the most comprehensive security solution on the market for MSPs with its unique ability to meet the needs of diverse and distributed IT environments.
A Swiss company founded in Singapore in 2003, Acronis has 15 offices worldwide and employees in 50+ countries. Acronis Cyber Protect is available in 26 languages in 150 countries and is used by over 20,000 service providers to protect over 750,000 businesses. Learn more at www.acronis.com.