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'Seeing their smiles makes it all worthwhile': NUS student spends thousands to buy, distribute 3,000 N95 masks

Wanting to help Singaporeans combat haze across the island, this student at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has decided to take matters into his own hands.In total, he's managed to secure 3,000 masks to be distributed to households across the country, according to a Reddit post by user Fireregin last Friday (Oct 16)."My dad is a taxi driver and...

AsiaOne Singapore2026-10-22 12:22查看原文 ↗

'Seeing their smiles makes it all worthwhile': NUS student spends thousands to buy, distribute 3,000 N95 masks

Wanting to help Singaporeans combat haze across the island, this student at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has decided to take matters into his own hands.

In total, he's managed to secure 3,000 masks to be distributed to households across the country, according to a Reddit post by user Fireregin last Friday (Oct 16).

"My dad is a taxi driver and my [grandmother] loves going around collecting cardboard," he shared in the post.

"Seeing them head out during the haze hits close to home, and I know other families, outdoor workers and businesses are affected too," he added.

"I wanted to do something practical, so I started SG As One."

Over $5,000 spent on masks

Speaking with Lianhe Zaobao, the computer science student, Lin Hongfu (transliteration), explained that SG As One was launched last Friday alongside a website that he personally designed with the help of artificial intelligence (AI).

While the Government has aided the community in providing masks via self-service machines and community clubs, some residents — especially elderly — have difficulty obtaining them, he said, citing long queues and mobility issues.

His plan, the 25-year-old shared, is to "fill the gaps", delivering masks to individuals who may have fallen through existing measures.

These individuals can submit requests for masks via the website, while other members of the public can sign up as volunteers.

Some volunteers can also sign up as representatives of their block to collect masks before distributing them to their neighbours.

He told the Chinese morning daily that he will coordinate mask distributions based on volunteers and requests across Singapore, stating that some applicants may not be able to receive masks due to limited supply.

"I also use AI to plan manpower allocation and delivery routes," Lin said, sharing that over 130 people have signed up to be volunteers while more than 20 offered to be representatives in specific HDB blocks.

Speaking on the difficulties faced in getting SG As One off the ground, Lin also explained to Zaobao that he had spent around $5,000 purchasing the 3,000 masks from local resellers, as buying masks online would require up to two weeks of delivery time.

Setting his plan in motion, Lin began on Tuesday (Oct 20) evening, where he gave around 600 masks to a representative in Macpherson.

He then worked with a volunteer to deliver around 500 masks in door-to-door visits in Ang Mo Kio.

"Seeing the smiles on the faces of the elderly makes it all worthwhile," he said.

Lin added: "I understand now the importance of giving back to society and to the elderly. I believe youth like myself should actively help those in need and contribute where we can."

AsiaOne has contacted Lin for more information.

[[nid:747830]][[nid:748500]]

khooyihang@asiaone.com

为了帮助新加坡人对抗全岛的雾霾，这位新加坡国立大学的学生决定亲自采取行动。

据 Reddit 用户 Fireregin 上周五（10 月 16 日）发布的帖子称，他总共设法筹集了 3000 个口罩，将分发给全国各地的家庭。

他在帖子中写道：“我爸爸是出租车司机，我的奶奶喜欢到处收集纸板。”

“看到他们在雾霾中外出，我感同身受，我知道其他家庭、户外工作者和企业也受到了影响，”他补充道。

“我想做一些实际的事情，所以我创办了SG As One。”

花费超过5000美元购买口罩

计算机科学系学生林洪福（音译）在接受《联合早报》采访时解释说，“SG As One”于上周五上线，同时推出的还有他本人借助人工智能（AI）设计的网站。

他表示，虽然政府已通过自助售货机和社区俱乐部向社区提供口罩，但一些居民——尤其是老年人——由于排队时间过长和行动不便等原因，仍然难以获得口罩。

这位 25 岁的年轻人表示，他的计划是“填补空白”，向那些可能未能通过现有措施获得口罩的人提供口罩。