The Singapore-based medical doctor, author, artist and non-profit opens up about how dreams, fear and art intersect in her life
It took a question about her life purpose from an editor of her latest book—which chronicles her global experiences as a humanitarian doctor—for Tam Wai Jia to realise what it was. “It has always been about dreams since I was 18: raising funds for the kids in Nepal, publishing my [picture] books, [starting my non-profit organisation] Kitesong Global,” says the mother-of-two. “What is the dream that's buried inside you that you want to give to the world?” And so she chose to name her next book Dream Brave.
The theme continued into her debut calligraphy exhibition, The Dreams Collection. It featured 10 artworks by her, displayed at the atrium of Clarke Quay Central first over the Lunar New Year this year to raise funds for her non-profit organisation Kitesong Global. The exhibition later moved to Square 2 at Novena, before its current place at Orchard Central until March 19. Through the exhibition, Tam displayed the determination and fearlessness she has always had when it comes to her life's work.
“This has been a theme my life, where people will tell me that what I want to do is reckless, but I’ll still do it anyway,” she says.
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Tam first used art to engage and help others when she was 18, visiting Kathmandu in Nepal and living at a home for underprivileged or vulnerable girls. She recounts one night when she and the girls were evicted by the landlord because the home could not pay the increased rent. “The eviction happened every year and it’s traumatic for the girls. I realised that the only way to solve this problem was to raise funds for them to afford a permanent home,” she says.
So before she flew back to Singapore, Tam told the house parent in charge of the home that she had an idea of painting a picture book to raise the money they needed. “It sounded so silly, but he said, ‘I really believe in this idea and you must believe it too.’” That first book, Kitesong, raised $100,000 for the girls’ home within three months.
In the years since, Tam published three more picture books. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she launched My Brother SG, a platform to connect migrant workers with healthcare authorities and other relevant support organisations in Singapore.
She talks more about life coming full circle, her work as a humanitarian doctor and her experience with an eating disorder.
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