A stalwart event of the school calendar, this year’s edition saw 57 committee members participating from Duke-NUS, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. It was a show of remarkable solidarity and friendship, courage and strength, as encapsulated by the camp’s mantra: “Strong I am, brave always”.

Besides the main camp, Camp Simba also organises three one-day reunions during the subsequent school holiday seasons, so as to nurture the bonds shared by the campers and their past facilitators.

Through the Panthera School of Magic theme, the students ignited campers’ imaginations, transporting them into a safe space that prioritised their joy and belonging where they could unwind, recharge and forge new friendships. Being able to bond with other campers who have had similar experiences also creates a community that the organisers hope will flourish and become a source of support for all campers past and present.

Claire Lin, first-year MD student from Duke-NUS and camp facilitator, explained, “As future doctors, we generally extend assistance to the patients themselves, but provide limited assistance to the patient’s families, who may be suffering grief and caregiver burnout from the patient’s illness. Camp Simba is a great way for us to contribute to the children who are affected, by allowing them to have fun, meet other kids like them, and to know that they will not be alone in this difficult journey. Some of the kids were so inspired that they even became doctors and facilitators themselves to continue supporting this amazing project.”

With a high camper-to-facilitator ratio, the student organisers and facilitators could spend much time in one-on-one interactions with the campers. No wonder, then, that campers consistently prized their experiences and new friendships with their facilitators!