Rainbow Project helps autistic children break out of their shells
The Rainbow Project was a beneficiary of last year's charity drive, and is on the list again so it can keep giving autistic children space to grow
A mother watches her child as he stacks Play-Doh tubes on top of each other. She grabs his arms before he is able to knock his newly constructed tower to the ground.
This six-year-old boy was diagnosed with autism when he was taken to a psychologist at the age of two, due to his delayed speech.
For two years, the Rainbow Project, a non-profit group that provides special education for autistic children and subsidises therapy for low-income families, had been the best option for her son's speech therapy, allowing her to avoid the two-year queue for government aid.
But the mother and her child were forced to look elsewhere when the Rainbow Project ended its programme in 2012 due to a lack of funding.
As a beneficiary of last year's Operation Santa Claus, the Rainbow Project is back with new facilities, new staff and returning families. For the last six months, the mother has been happily returning with her child for the therapy he urgently needs.
"He used to not speak at all, and was constantly throwing tantrums," she said. "Now [after the therapy], he gets less frustrated because he can express himself much more easily."
Keith Lee, the director of the Rainbow Project, believes that despite the progress there is still much to be done. Lee sees the group helping more children and becoming a well-established school for autistic kids.