When Mr Naveen Prakash’s daughter was born in December 2019, he felt joy and wonder as a first-time father.

But as the months passed, he struggled to connect with baby Rachel. Beyond helping with chores like changing diapers and heating milk, he wasn’t sure how else to be involved.

“I used to spend more time playing on my PlayStation 5,” admits Mr Naveen, now 35, an engineer at a semiconductor manufacturing company.

His wife Catharin Naveen, 34, a librarian at an international school, remembers those early days. “There was a time when Naveen was very sad and I asked him why,” she recalls.

He told her he didn’t know how to bond with Rachel, but she reminded him that their baby was still very young.

The shift came gradually, as Rachel grew older and Covid-19 restrictions eased. The family began spending more time outdoors, and Mr Naveen discovered something important: “I realised that I (can) bond with Rachel through taking her out.”

These days, the family’s weekends are packed with activity: rock climbing, swimming, museum visits – and even volunteering.

Making time to give back

Despite juggling work and raising a young child with no outside help, the couple says they make time to volunteer at least once a month each. They usually take turns doing so to ensure that one of them is always with Rachel, who is now five.

Last year, they brought her to volunteer at the National Family Festival (NFF), where Rachel helped to hand out flyers and tidy up the sand play booth at Singapore Expo.

The festival is organised by the Families for Life (FFL) Council and supported by the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

Rachel especially adores the mascot Becky Bunny, says Mrs Naveen, and handing out memorabilia at FFL events. Becky Bunny stickers now decorate various objects in their three-room Housing Board flat, including on the family hamster’s cage.

The Naveens began volunteering in 2016 through a community outreach group. The group, started by Mr Eric Yong in 2012, organises sessions at places including nursing homes, community hospitals and senior activity centres. They also volunteer at Willing Hearts, a non-profit organisation that provides food to those in need.

In 2021, the couple started helping out with food deliveries, joining other group members with cars to deliver meals, says Mr Naveen. Their Saturday mornings now often start at 8.30am, with each food delivery session lasting about fo...