AdvertisementIn PixelsNew: You can now listen to articles. This audio is generated by an AI tool.Liew Zhi Xin12 Sep 2026 09:30PM Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInAdd CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.Read a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST On gym days, Malcolm Ho is always waiting by the door at home five minutes early. If his father Alex Ho, 59, is not ready, the 30-year-old tells him: “Papa, go already.”Malcolm, who has Down syndrome, attends NCSF Uplift, a free strength training programme for people with special needs, including those with intellectual disabilities, autism, and physical, hearing or visual impairments.Exercises are adapted to each participant, who are known as "buddies". “If someone needs more time, more encouragement, or a different approach, that is perfectly fine over here,” said co-founder Chung Tze Khit, 41.For volunteer trainer Francis Chan, 63, that sometimes means patiently working around a buddy’s mood shifts. If someone is not up for a workout, trainers may try something simpler: “It could be just a dance. Some movement is better than no movement,” said Mr Chan.NCSF Uplift now supports about 300 buddies with some 500 volunteers from all walks of life. Besides getting stronger and more confident, Mr Ho said Malcolm’s attachment to the gym and its people is unmistakable: “He really treats (the gym) as his home.” Source: CNA/db/nrSign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereRecommendedContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST Recent SearchesTrending TopicsCNA Explains China artificial intelligence Indonesia Malaysia podcasts Wellness Thailand Japan