Teresa Hsu Chih

Who was Teresa Hsu Chih?

Teresa Hsu Chih, or commonly known as Teresa Hsu was a Chinese-born Singaporean social worker, known affectionately as "Singapore's Mother Teresa", in recognition for her active lifelong devotion in helping the aged sick and destitutes locally. The retired nurse was the founder of the non-profit charities—Heart to Heart Service and the Home for the Aged Sick, one of the first homes for the aged sick in Singapore. She had been a social worker in China and Paraguay and a nurse in England, before coming to Singapore to start similar non-profit charities since 1961. As a supercentenarian, Hsu was still involved in charity work and was one of very few supercentenarians who were recognized for reasons other than their longevity. She had spent almost all her savings on feeding and housing the poor and the elderly, all of whom are younger than she was, but she herself led a simple and humble lifestyle. In 2005, she received the Special Recognition Award from the Singapore government in recognition of her contribution to the country.