He built an app to bring neighbours closer. Keeping it going hasn't been easy

After nearly seven years running GoodHood.SG, founder Nigel Teo reflects on the challenges of sustaining the platform and the volunteers who have helped him along the way.

GoodHood.SG founder Nigel Teo (left) speaks to CNA's Claudia Lim. (Image: CNA)

This audio is generated by an AI tool.

SINGAPORE: For GoodHood.SG founder Nigel Teo, the kampung spirit is more than a fond childhood memory.

It is something he has spent nearly seven years trying to bring back through GoodHood.SG, a platform launched in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to help neighbours connect and support one another.

But the journey has not been easy. Mr Teo, 46, has struggled to secure funding, grappled with burnout and spent years running the initiative without pay.

A former government scholar who worked in the public service, technology and finance sectors, Mr Teo said he has supported himself by living simply and through investments.

FROM CHILDHOOD MEMORIES TO COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Growing up in Braddell View, Mr Teo remembers a neighbourhood where children regularly gathered to play and neighbours knew one another.

"Every day we'll come down and play with the kids, and that's something that we always look forward to, like meeting other people of the same age, having fun, playing in the rain, actually jumping down the stairs," he recalled.

He remembers how neighbours would come knocking on his family's door if he did not turn up.

"It's very nice because everybody knows everybody, and you feel a sense of belonging."

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less

As he grew older, Mr Teo felt that such connections between neighbours were becoming less common.

"I've seen the kampung spirit die, but I actually think people do crave it, people do want to help," he said.

"I think the big problem was that neighbours are all cooped up and not talking to each other, and there's actually a lot of social isolation," he said.

He believed technology could help bring residents together by making it easier for them to offer assistance or seek help from one another.

Through GoodHood.SG, residents can, for example, list unwanted household items for neighbours who may need them or seek help with tasks.

The initiative attracted 2,000 users in its first week, according to Mr Teo.

By June 2026, the platform reportedly had around 120,000 users, with more than 120,000 items listed and over S$6 million (US$4.7 million) worth of goods given away.

FUNDING STRUGGLES AND PERSONAL SACRIFICES

Mr Teo said the platform initially received a small grant, but the money ran out within four or five months.

His decision to focus on serving the community, without plans to expand beyond Singapore, also made it difficult to attract financial support.

He recalled how potential funders questioned his approach when he told them he had no business model.

"Everybody looked at me like, 'What's wrong with you?'"

Over nearly seven years, GoodHood.SG has received more than S$1 million in total funding through government grants, philanthropic support and contributions from Mr Teo himself.

The challenges have also prompted Mr Teo to reconsider his initial reluctance to generate revenue from the platform.

"I was purist to the extent (of) thinking revenue was bad, because it would corrupt (the) community, so now I'm a little bit more practical and knowing that you know we do need resourcing," he told CNA.

Looking ahead, Mr Teo hopes to expand GoodHood.SG one neighbourhood at a time, working with corporate partners, philanthropists and government agencies that share its vision.

He said finding partners with similar values was important, as some potential funders had offered financial support with conditions attached.

"The question then is how do we manage that resourcing in a respectful manner and in a manner that never compromises our community," he said.

Beyond the financial challenges, Mr Teo acknowledged that his desire to help others had also taken a personal toll.

"I would say the biggest challenge is probably myself, because I think often many people in this space are more givers, and we tend to burn out because we want to help as much as we can," he said.

Mr Teo said his optimism and desire to help others had sometimes led him to take on too much.

He has since learnt to be more cautious about making commitments, allowing more time and resources to fulfil them.

GoodHood.SG volunteer Mei Juan See-Toh speaks to CNA's Claudia Lim. (Image: CNA)

VOLUNTEERS WHO STAYED THE COURSE

Today, around 300 volunteers contribute their time and skills to GoodHood.SG, according to Mr Teo.

Among them is Ms Mei Juan See-Toh, 21, a business management student at University College Dublin, who joined as an intern in 2024 and now helps develop the platform.

She also gives away items through GoodHood.SG, including belongings she believes her neighbours may find useful.

For Ms See-Toh, volunteering is about more than exchanging items.

"The relationship that we build is genuine, sincere, and kind. We always look out for each other," she said.

She added that volunteers continually look for ways to help and strengthen the community.

Mr Teo said he was grateful to those who had remained committed to the initiative despite the difficulties.

"The first few years I definitely made a lot of mistakes. I still make mistakes … But (I’m) really, very thankful for the volunteers who stuck through it, who see beyond and who have the capacity and the patience to just journey along together."

He said their willingness to contribute without receiving special privileges reflected the spirit of active citizenship.

“That's the amazing part because why would people volunteer when there's no perks, no priority in HDB balloting or primary school or anything, right?”

Mr Teo said one of the most encouraging aspects of his journey has been seeing volunteers offer support and take on greater responsibility.

"I think what is really encouraging is when volunteers journey alongside not just for the specific task, but for the emotional support also, because sometimes it is a very difficult journey," he said.

"Of course, seeing volunteers step up and lead – that's also very encouraging because it is no longer just myself, but other people are carrying the flame."

Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox

Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories

Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app

在运营 GoodHood.SG 近七年后，创始人 Nigel Teo 回顾了维持该平台运营所面临的挑战，以及一路以来帮助过他的志愿者们。

GoodHood.SG创始人Nigel Teo（左）接受CNA记者Claudia Lim采访。（图片：CNA）

这段音频是由人工智能工具生成的。

新加坡：对于 GoodHood.SG 的创始人 Nigel Teo 来说，甘榜精神不仅仅是一段美好的童年回忆。

他花了近七年时间，试图通过 GoodHood.SG 平台重振邻里互助精神。该平台于 2020 年 COVID-19 疫情期间推出，旨在帮助邻里之间建立联系并互相支持。

但这段历程并不轻松。46岁的张先生一直努力筹集资金，饱受职业倦怠的困扰，并且多年来一直无偿运营这项计划。

曾任政府奖学金获得者，并在公共服务、科技和金融领域工作的张先生表示，他一直通过简单的生活方式和投资来维持生计。

从童年记忆到社区联系

张先生回忆说，他在布莱德尔景长大，那里的邻里之间经常有孩子聚在一起玩耍，邻居们也彼此认识。

“我们每天都会下来和孩子们一起玩，这是我们一直都很期待的事情，就像结识其他同龄人一样，玩得很开心，在雨中玩耍，甚至从楼梯上跳下来，”他回忆道。

他记得，如果他没回家，邻居们就会来敲他家的门。

“这里很好，因为每个人都互相认识，你会有一种归属感。”

CNA游戏 猜词游戏 逐行破解单词 流行词游戏 用给定的字母组成单词 迷你数独 小小谜题，挑战你的大脑 迷你填字游戏 小方格，大挑战 单词搜索 尽可能多地找出单词 显示更多 显示更少

随着年龄的增长，张先生觉得邻里之间这种联系越来越少见了。

“我亲眼目睹了甘榜精神的消亡，但我认为人们其实很渴望这种精神，人们仍然想要帮助别人，”他说。

“我认为最大的问题是邻居们都被困在家里，彼此不说话，实际上造成了严重的社会隔离，”他说。

他认为科技可以帮助居民们更好地团结在一起，让他们更容易互相提供帮助或寻求帮助。

例如，居民可以通过 GoodHood.SG 列出不需要的家居用品，供邻居需要或寻求帮助。

据张先生称，该计划在第一周就吸引了 2000 名用户。

据报道，到 2026 年 6 月，该平台拥有约 12 万用户，上架商品超过 12 万件，赠送的商品价值超过 600 万新加坡元（470 万美元）。

资金短缺和个人牺牲

张先生表示，该平台最初获得了一笔小额拨款，但资金在四五个月内就用完了。

他决定专注于服务社区，没有向新加坡以外地区扩张的计划，这也使得他难以获得财政支持。

他回忆起，当他告诉潜在的投资人他没有商业模式时，他们是如何质疑他的方法的。

“每个人都看着我，好像在问：‘你怎么了？’”

近七年来，GoodHood.SG 通过政府拨款、慈善捐助和张先生本人的捐款，共获得了超过 100 万新元的资金。

这些挑战也促使张先生重新考虑他最初不愿从该平台产生收入的想法。

“我以前是个纯粹主义者，认为增加收入不好，因为它会腐蚀社区，但现在我更务实一些，也知道我们确实需要资源，”他告诉 CNA。

展望未来，张先生希望将 GoodHood.SG 逐步扩展到各个社区，并与认同其愿景的企业合作伙伴、慈善家和政府机构合作。

他表示，找到价值观相似的合作伙伴非常重要，因为一些潜在的资助者提供的资金支持是有条件的。

“那么问题就变成了，我们如何以尊重的方式管理这些资源，并且绝不损害我们社区的利益，”他说。

除了经济上的挑战，张先生也承认，他帮助他人的愿望也给他个人带来了沉重的负担。

“我认为最大的挑战可能在于我自己，因为我觉得这个领域里的很多人都更乐于付出，而我们往往会因为想要尽可能多地帮助别人而精疲力竭，”他说。

张先生表示，他的乐观和帮助他人的愿望有时导致他承担了过多的责任。

此后，他学会了在做出承诺时更加谨慎，并预留更多的时间和资源来履行承诺。

GoodHood.SG志愿者Mei Juan See-Toh接受CNA记者Claudia Lim采访。（图片：CNA）

坚持到底的志愿者

据张先生介绍，目前约有 300 名志愿者为 GoodHood.SG 贡献时间和技能。

其中包括 21 岁的 Mei Juan See-Toh 女士，她是都柏林大学学院的一名商业管理专业的学生，​​于 2024 年加入公司担任实习生，现在帮助开发该平台。

她还通过 GoodHood.SG 捐赠物品，包括她认为邻居们可能会用到的东西。

对于谢婷女士来说，志愿服务不仅仅是交换物品。

“我们建立的关系是真诚的、友好的。我们总是互相照顾，”她说。

她补充说，志愿者们一直在寻找帮助和加强社区的方法。

张先生表示，他很感谢那些尽管面临困难仍然坚持这项计划的人。

“头几年我确实犯了很多错误。现在我仍然会犯错……但我真的非常感谢那些坚持下来的志愿者们，他们目光长远，有能力也有耐心与我一路同行。”

他说，他们愿意做出贡献而不求特殊待遇，体现了积极公民的精神。

“这才是最令人惊讶的地方，因为如果没有好处，没有组屋抽签或小学入学等方面的优先权，人们为什么要做志愿者呢？”

张先生表示，他此行最令人鼓舞的方面之一，就是看到志愿者们提供支持并承担更大的责任。

“我认为真正令人鼓舞的是，志愿者们不仅在执行具体任务时陪伴在侧，也在情感上给予支持，因为有时这是一段非常艰难的旅程，”他说。

“当然，看到志愿者挺身而出、发挥领导作用，也令人非常鼓舞，因为不再只是我一个人，而是其他人也在传递这份热情。”

订阅我们的邮件，即可获取精选热点新闻和引人深思的文章。

订阅通知，第一时间获取突发新闻和精彩报道。

加入我们的频道，即可在您常用的聊天应用上获取当日热门文章。