Their journey in contributing to the needs of the disadvantaged began in 1970 by the will of one woman, Mrs Shakuntala Bhatia, to fill a gap after the wives of the British troops left in the late 1960s. She rallied like-minded women in Singapore to pick up where the British women left off in helping the needy. In the beginning, the work consisted of general welfare services. What started out as a group of caring individuals coming together to distribute rations to low-income families evolved into becoming a social service provider. Under the banner of the Asian Women’s Welfare Association, Mrs Bhatia and her peers identified gaps in the community and, in addition to helping families in need, also delivered much-needed services to help the aged and persons with disabilities