S'pore couple given residency by Ukraine after designing, building 500 emergency homes there

[glockman]

The Stories Behind: The S'pore couple given residency by Ukraine after designing, building 500 emergency homes there​

Mr Rudy Taslim and Ms Lam Bao Yan, founders of Genesis Architects, take on pro bono infrastructural projects globally, including building emergency homes in Ukraine.
Married couple Ms Lam Bao Yan and Mr Rudy Taslim, both 40, are founders of Singapore architectural firm Genesis Architects

• Outside of their day jobs, the couple also donate their time and resources to help with humanitarian projects around the world
• To date, they have built more than 500 insulated and shock-resistant emergency homes for Ukrainians displaced by the war, and spend much of their time there
• The couple have also built a university in Mozambique, a school for blind children in Rwanda, and an air strip in the jungles of Borneo to help evacuate members of the indigenous Dayak tribe who face medical emergencies
• They hope their work helps “demonstrate the power of one” so others might recognise the difference even one person can make

By Deborah Lau

Published June 8, 2024
Updated June 8, 2024

SINGAPORE — When Ms Lam Bao Yan flew to a refugee camp in eastern Germany in April 2022 to offer volunteer support to Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion of their country, she could hardly have imagined what lay ahead.

Since then, Ms Lam, 40, along with her husband Rudy Taslim, also 40, have shuttled between Ukraine and Singapore around 10 times. The couple were also granted residential status in Ukraine after being invited to do so.

In that initial solo visit, Ms Lam lived at the refugee camp in Bad Blankenberg, Germany for a month, where she cooked for, counselled and cared for Ukrainian refugees.

“When the month was up, we were supposed to come back to Singapore, but I just felt like I could do more,” Ms Lam told TODAY.

“If these refugees were already so in need, I was wondering where is the need the most? I can only imagine it would be in Ukraine.”

This prompted her to enter Ukraine itself to continue serving its citizens and residents on the frontlines of the war. Her husband joined her in June 2022.

The couple are the founders of architecture firm Genesis Architects in Singapore, whose projects have included a resort in the Maldives, a residential development in Australia and various projects in Singapore.

The success of the business helps to fund their humanitarian work in Ukraine, as well as other good works around the world, including helping vulnerable children in the Amazon basin in Brazil.

In Ukraine, they have built more than 500 emergency houses for vulnerable members of the community, including the elderly, the young and the physically disabled.

The homes are in various parts of the country, including villages near the cities of Lyman, Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, which are all in the country's east.

Other emergency homes have been built in villages such as Moschun, outside the capital Kyiv.

The projects also provide employment to Ukrainian locals, whom they hire to help build these houses.

https://www.todayonline.com/feature...-500-homes-ukraine-residential-status-2436666

 

[red amoeba]

well done, i hope they can take up the offer to stay in Ukraine. we can then see if the precision missile from Putin is as accurate as they claim to be.

 

[glockman]

while I absolutely applaud their humanitarian work, I think it is in poor taste that they tagged a christian element to their aid. Using this opportunity to convert the vulnerable. Still, well done sinkies!

 

[A Singaporean]

Fucking idiots who believe in helping Angmohs rather than own cuntry.

 

[syed putra]

Ukrainian ruling elites are the crooks.

 

[Loofydralb]

I hope Ukraine gives them citizenship and give them free tickets to fly there.

Ukraine will quickly snap them up into the conscription. Anyway he is NS trained.