Have you ever tried fresh, locally grown mushrooms? If you frequent farmers' markets, you might have come across a group of individuals with special needs proudly selling mushrooms they've cultivated themselves. These freshly picked mushrooms come from Mushroom Buddies, a social enterprise run by persons with intellectual disabilities under the co-operative E4PID — short for Employment for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities.
Vulcan Post spoke with William Teo, a father to a child with intellectual disabilities and current chairman of E4PID, to learn how the initiative sprouted, and what it takes to grow mushrooms — and meaningful employment — in Singapore.
E4PID is the co-operative behind Mushroom Buddies. Founded in 2011 by a group of parents of children with special needs, the aim was to improve the quality of life of their children and others with similar challenges.
While they believed that charities play an important role, these organisations often lack the business expertise to create long-term, sustainable employment. To change that, these parents opted to build a social enterprise that provides real jobs and salaries for persons with intellectual disabilities.
Read more at Vulcan Post