13,000 children to get new protective mask under Temasek Cares initiative

SINGAPORE — President Tony Tan gave out Air+ Smart masks and Air+ Micro ventilators to 30 children from Melrose Home today (April 8), as part of a Temasek Cares initiative to help Singaporeans cope with emergencies.

Under the “Stay prepared” initiative, 13,000 children aged seven to 14 years old living in children’s homes or from low-income families will receive the masks and ventilators. At Melrose Home, Dr Tan demonstrated and guided the children on the correct way to wear the masks and use the ventilators.

The Air+ Smart Mask was developed by ST Engineering subsidiary Innosparks. It comes in three sizes, and was tested in collaboration with the Ministry of Education to assess its fit on children.

Dr Tan said: “The innovation of this mask is a very good example of what it takes to build an inclusive society in Singapore because it is the combination of both corporate as well as charitable organisations. It’s a good example of how corporation and charity can combine together their respective strengths - in this case ST Engineering’s subsidiary Innosparks with its innovation and its ability to design something that meets the needs of the children, and Temasek Care to make it widely available to children who are in need.”

Temasek Cares chairman Richard Magnus said: “Children are precious to us and they hold a special place in our hearts. We need to help them to cope with unexpected and unforeseen events like severe haze and flu pandemic. Previously, we distributed N95 masks to all households but now that we have special masks that can fit children, Temasek Cares wants to ensure that our children are also protected.”

Temasek Cares will deliver the masks and micro ventilators directly to 24 children’s homes island-wide. Eligible children who do not live in children’s homes will can collect their masks from Watsons outlets upon receiving a redemption letter from Temasek Cares. These redemption letters will be valid for the month of May.

Mr Stephen Yeap, vice-chairman of Melrose Home said: “Approximately 15 per cent to 20 per cent of our residents have some form of respiratory ailment, and these masks will especially be of benefit to them.”