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Terms, Privacy & Credits

Inspired by Reasons to Stay

Reasons to Makan is an independent Singaporean project inspired by Reasons to Stay, founded by Ben West.

The idea of gathering anonymous, compassionate letters for people going through difficult times belongs to Reasons to Stay and its community, and we are grateful for the example they have set.

We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or claiming ownership of Reasons to Stay or its work. Reasons to Makan was created to adapt the spirit of that concept for Singaporeans and residents of Singapore — pairing the warmth of local food and shared makan memories with the message that no one has to carry hard seasons alone.

The original concept belongs to Reasons to Stay and its community. Our contribution is the Singaporean adaptation: the stories, language, cultural references, food memories and community experience that make Reasons to Makan its own project.

We believe good ideas can travel — and when they do, they deserve to carry their roots with them.

Thank you to Reasons to Stay for showing us what kindness at scale can look like.

What This Site Is

Reasons to Makan is a community project of anonymous letters of hope. It is not a medical, crisis, or mental health service. If you are in immediate danger or need professional support, please contact one of the services on our help page or call 995.

Privacy Policy

We handle personal data in line with Singapore's Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). "Anonymous to the public" should not mean "invisible to you" — so here is exactly what we do.

What we collect

  • Your letter — the text you write, an optional sign-off name, and an optional part of Singapore (e.g. "Tampines"). Letters are anonymous to readers; please do not put real names, NRIC numbers, phone numbers, addresses, or workplace details in them.
  • Submission metadata — the date and time of submission and basic technical information (such as IP address and device/browser type) needed to run, secure, and moderate the site.
  • Your saved letters — when you save or love a letter, that preference is stored locally in your own browser (localStorage) and is not sent to any server.
  • What we don't collect — we do not ask for your real name, email, phone number, or account to read or write a letter.

How we use it

  • To review, edit for clarity and anonymity, and publish your letter.
  • To moderate the community, enforce our guidelines, and keep the site safe and lawful.
  • To maintain and secure the site (e.g. preventing spam and abuse).
  • We never sell your data, and we don't use it for advertising.

Access & retention

  • Only the small moderation team can read unpublished submissions. We keep unpublished or rejected letters only as long as needed for moderation, then delete them.
  • Published letters stay on the site until you ask us to remove them or we remove them under our guidelines.

Requesting deletion

If you recognise a letter as yours and want it corrected or deleted, contact us via our contact form with enough information for us to find it (e.g. the topic and approximate date). We will remove it as quickly as we reasonably can. If you believe a child has submitted personal information, contact us and we will remove it.

Community Guidelines

This is a space for honest stories and letters that inspire people to makan — not a place to name, accuse, or attack any person or organisation. It's a safe space, and the guidelines below apply to every letter. These guidelines are grounded in Singapore law, including the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA) and the Online Safety framework.

You may submit

Everyday struggles; work experiences; family difficulties; dating and relationship experiences; friendship problems; financial worries; housing frustrations; Singapore life; funny or embarrassing moments; personal reflections; things you've never felt comfortable saying aloud; and the small reasons that made your day better.

You may not submit

  1. Personal information / doxxing. No full names, phone numbers, NRIC numbers, addresses, email addresses, workplace details that identify someone, social-media handles, or photographs that identify private individuals.
  2. Defamation or false allegations. Tell us what happened to you — don't accuse identifiable people or organisations of criminal, dishonest, or wrongful conduct. ✅ "I have a horrible relationship with my manager and dread going to work." ❌ "John Tan, the manager at ABC Pte Ltd, is a corrupt thief."
  3. Harassment. No threats, targeted abuse, bullying, intimidation, online stalking, or other harmful online conduct.
  4. Sexual content involving minors. Absolutely prohibited.
  5. Exploitative or sexual content involving identifiable people. Not permitted.
  6. Hate or discrimination. No content attacking people based on race, religion, or other protected characteristics.
  7. Illegal activity. No content facilitating criminal activity, vice, or organised crime.
  8. Self-harm or suicide instructions. No instructions, encouragement, or graphic descriptions. Letters indicating immediate danger will not be published and may instead be met with a safety response pointing the writer to the crisis lines on our help page.
  9. Impersonation. Don't pretend to be another person.
  10. Spam or commercial promotion. No advertising disguised as personal letters.
  11. Personal information about children. Do not submit names, photographs, schools, addresses, or other identifying information about anyone under 18.

Moderation & Safety

  • Every letter is read by a human moderator before it is published. Letters may be edited for clarity, anonymity, and safety.
  • We reserve the right to decline to publish, edit, or remove any letter that violates these guidelines or Singapore law — including content that is harassing, threatening, defamatory, or that publishes another person's identity information, in line with POHA.
  • Honest emotional expression is welcome ("I'm exhausted with my job and feel completely burnt out"). Letters expressing active intent of self-harm ("I'm going to end it tonight") will not be published; where possible we respond by directing the writer to SOS 1767, Mindline 1771, and IMH 6389 2222.
  • Where content may be unlawful, we may act on notices, orders, or directions issued under applicable Singapore law, including POHA and IMDA's Online Safety framework.
  • Content on this site is shared for emotional support and community connection. It is not a substitute for professional advice.

Crisis Resources

If you need to talk to someone now, these Singapore services are available 24 hours:

  • SOS — Samaritans of Singapore: 1767
  • National Mindline: 1771
  • IMH Mental Health Helpline: 6389 2222

Made with hope, kaya toast, and a lot of borrowed kindness. Last updated 13 September 2026.