SINGAPORE –  In late 2019, Ms Yu Poh Leng’s aspirations of teaching her newfound favourite sport aqua fitness, came to an unexpected halt when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Following her recovery in 2020, she stepped into the role with renewed motivation, pursuing the sport in a purposeful way.

After four years into teaching affluent seniors in private clubs like Chinese Swimming Club and Tanglin Club, the 60-year-old decided to expanded her reach to a different group of seniors.

Upon turning 60 in 2025, Ms Yu wanted to celebrate the milestone with a project: to give 60 seniors free aqua fitness classes.

“I wanted to reach out to the seniors in the heartland. My idea was if I can do a class that’s free for them, they will come,” said the ex-public relations consultant.

However, as she faced difficulty securing venues and sponsors, she decided to seek support from the Singapore Government Partnerships Office (SGPO). SGPO serves as a first-stop for citizens and interest groups who want to work with the Government.

With guidance from SGPO, Ms Yu successfully applied for the Our Singapore Fund (OSF). Through this support, her project received funding of about $5,500, primarily used to provide starter kits for participating seniors. These kits include swimsuits, towels, swim bags, and bottles of sunblock and shampoo. 

The ‘60-for-60 aqua fitness project’ is one of over 800 initiatives that have been awarded the OSF since its launch in 2016. 

OSF was meant to partner citizens and turn their ideas for the community into reality, said Acting Minister David Neo during a Committee of Supply speech in Parliament on Mar 5.

Addressing Parliament for Budget 2026 on Feb 12, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong explained how the government has heard feedback on how OSF can be improved, including the need for larger grant amounts, longer funding horizons, and broader eligibility.

As such, the government will be launching a new $50 million SG Partnerships Fund (SGPF) to replace the OSF.

“Our ambition is to build a vibrant and thriving democracy of deeds, where more Singaporeans can contribute to build Singapore together,” said SGPO’s director Hasliza Ahmad.

The new SGPF provides stronger support to citizen-led projects across all domains and sectors, from nascent ideas to longer-term initiatives with larger impact, she added.

“We want to lower barriers and create more opportunities for Singaporeans like Ms Yu to step forward to contribute.”

The new fund introduces three tiers to support citizen-led projects at varying stages of growth.

Ms Yu Poh Leng coaching during her aqua fitness class at Delta Swimming Complex on March 10.

ST PHOTO: JASEL POH

The Seed tier – the lowest – enables quick activation of pilot or small-scale projects via a simplified application and approval process, said Ms Ahmad.

It also provides up to $5,000 of funding to cover up to 100 per cent of supportable programme costs, over a maximum of a year’s implementation.

Meanwhile, the Sprout tier and Scale tier will nurture ideas that have already demonstrated success, to enhance their social impact, she added.

The Sprout tier and Scale tier provide up to $50,000 and $1 million in funding respectively.

Ms Yu has expressed interest in applying for the SGPF under the Seed tier. She plans to enhance her aqua fitness programme by introducing fitness goal-setting and assessments of seniors’ fitness levels pre- and post-programme.

She also noted that fitness data could serve as a great motivator for seniors, saying it allows them to share progress with friends, such as comparing muscle mass improvements after exercising

Besides connecting Ms Yu with SportSG that provided venue sponsorship, SGPO also connected her with other partners to meet the project’s varied needs.

“When I taught the seniors, I realised that they like to be photographed and videoed so that they can show their children,” she said.

SGPO, along with the National Youth Council, engaged four volunteers from youth photography initiative, Project Obscura, to capture photos and videos at two sessions.

Teaching seven classes from Tuesday to Friday, Ms Yu now works as a full-time aqua fitness instructor.

The ‘60-for-60 aqua fitness project’ is one of over 800 initiatives that have been awarded the OSF since its launch in 2016.

ST PHOTO: JASEL POH

Having been keen on water water sports since her youth, Ms Yu was quick to enroll in aqua fitness classes after chancing upon it in early 2019.

Just four months in, she realised her love for sport and aspired to become an instructor.

However, this was when she received her early stage breast cancer diagnosis.

“After I had breast cancer, I realised that life is really very short… and there’s a finite time,” she recalled.

“So, I wanted to do something different. I didn’t want to go back to the corporate world to enrich my clients and to waste my time earning money. I thought, why don’t I pursue my passion and teach exercise?”

She recognised the value of aqua fitness in providing seniors with a way to stay active without causing joint pain—an issue she noticed often discouraged many from participating in traditional land-based exercises.

Why not try it in a pool, where there‘s no impact but still enough resistance to work your muscles? You can have fun, stay active while learning a new sport, she recalled thinking.

SGPO connected Ms Yu with Fei Yue Community Services’ Active Ageing Centres to invite Fei Yue attendees to participate in her free aqua fitness lessons.

Some seniors enjoyed the sessions so much that they later separately enrolled in Ms Yu’s aqua fitness classes under ActiveSG.

Among them is a pair of sisters, Ms Yew Poh Leng and Ms Yew Poh Yok.

Ms Yew Poh Yok said she was on the lookout for physical activities to help her stay mobile.

“I went for those chair zumba classes, but I couldn’t coordinate. Then I felt very dissatisfied and very demoralised,” the 69-year-old recalled.

Sisters Yew Poh Leng (left) and Yew Poh Yok participating in an aqua fitness exercise at Delta Swimming Complex on March 10.

ST PHOTO: JASEL POH

Upon attending Ms Yu’s aqua fitness class, she was delighted to discover what she had been searching for.

“When I came to aqua fitness classes and found that I could follow all the exercises easily, and that it makes me more mobile, I was very happy.”

Ms Yew explained feeling lighter and able to move around easily since she started doing aqua fitness.

For Ms Yew Poh Leng, who developed aquaphobia after falling into a drain as a child, Ms Yu’s aqua fitness classes helped her enjoy being in water again. 

The 68-year-old recalled when she got leg cramps mid-lesson, Ms Yu assigned a volunteer to watch over her, and encouraged her to participate as she was able to.

She said she felt looked after and appreciated Ms Yu’s attentiveness.

Applications for the SGPF will open in April. Singaporeans can find out more about and apply at www.sgpo.gov.sg/sgpf.