Singapore (
AsiaNews) - The Church in Singapore has laid the foundation stone for the Agape
Village , the multi-purpose Centre " dedicated to charity " that will
be completed in Payoh in 2015. The
Caritas body of the city - state has joyfully welcomed the decision of the
Catholic leaders to give way to the project, which will unite several Catholic
organizations involved in social and community life.
At
the laying of the first stone (see photo ) Mrs. Janet Ang , who leads the
Commission in charge of the project; Archbishop William Goh , Minister for
Social Development and family Chan Chun Sing , the Archbishop Emeritus Mgr . Nicholas
Chia and George Lim , president of the local Caritas were present.
The
building will be four storeys high and will host 8 of the 23 organizations
related to Caritas . Services
available will include family advice , employment services and legal assistance
to the most needy. Then
there will be a multipurpose room, a food bank and a coffee shop. So
far 4 of the 15 million dollars needed to complete construction have been
raised.
James
Chow, executive director of Catholics for Welfare Services , explains: "
Closer collaboration between those working in the social sector is very
important. Bringing everything together under the one roof of the Agape Village
we will improve social inclusion , communication and the coordination between
our work".