Rachel and the Dream of a Kinder World
August 18, 2025
When Ms Rachel Nadia Goh (NUS Southeast Asian Studies ’14) speaks about her work, there is no saviour complex. No over-polished pitch. Just clarity, conviction and the kind of quiet fire that comes from years of bearing witness to the human cost of crisis. A humanitarian and development professional, Rachel has spent the last decade working across disaster zones, refugee settlements and conflict-affected regions with leading international NGOs. Along the way, she has listened to stories of unimaginable hardship, often shared in moments of radical vulnerability. In 2019, she founded Kin Collective, a social enterprise that transforms these lived realities into illustrated children’s books designed to spark empathy and reflection among readers of all ages. “I always get questions like, ‘Why do you choose to do this kind of work?’ Honestly, I don’t know. Why not? It’s as simple as that,” she said. “I just care.”
It is an instinct that has defined her path since childhood. At 14, she volunteered at an orphanage in Thailand, a formative experience that left her brimming with questions. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why is it always the poor who suffer most? A mentor posed a challenge: “If you knew the answer, would it change what you choose to do?” Her answer was no. That question — and her response — have stayed with her ever since.
Rachel’s academic path reflects her deep interest in the region. At the National University of Singapore (NUS), she majored in Southeast Asian studies, motivated by a desire to work directly with local communities and better understand the region’s cultures and complexities. “That degree gave me the language, context and grounding I needed,” she said. She credits her time at NUS as foundational, particularly the guidance of mentors like Professor TC Chang (NUS Geography, and FASS alumnus ’90, MA ’94) and Dr George Radics (NUS Global Studies, and alumnus PhD ’09). A poster on campus for a human rights programme in Geneva would later lead to a life-changing opportunity, a turning point that opened doors to a life of humanitarian service.
Stories with Heart
Today, Kin Collective has published four illustrated titles, all supported by the National Library Board and stocked in libraries across Singapore. The stories draw from Rachel’s field experiences in some of the most complex corners of the world. Think Gaza, Ethiopia, Afghanistan. But rather than spotlighting trauma, her books elevate stories of courage, connection and hope. “I’ve had so many conversations over coffee, sharing these stories with friends. And they’d say, ‘I wish my kids could hear this’ or ‘I wish more people knew’. But you can’t have coffee with everyone. So we started writing.”
Tripina Finds Fresh Water, Kin Collective’s debut title, was inspired by the story of a mother and her children who were forced to fetch gallons of water from a neighbouring village each night, under the cover of darkness. “Water was such a precious resource that if they went in the day, they risked being chased away or attacked,” explained Rachel.
The journey was perilous. The woman described how, at night, she could hear hyenas and had to weigh whether it was safe to go or better to stay home and endure a day without water. When a new water point was eventually built within her village, the trek dropped to just 20 minutes. Still a long walk, but a transformative one. “She could then go in the day and make multiple trips on her own. She said that this meant she could now send her kids to school. Now they can chase their dreams,” said Rachel. “So for some communities, when we say water is life, water truly is life.”
All of Kin Collective’s books are self-published to preserve the integrity of the stories. “These are real stories of real people,” she shared. “We don’t want them to be altered or pressured into being edited to take a different angle.”
Building Peace, One Tale at a Time
Kin Collective’s most recent title, Sara, Hana and Their Three Wishes, is a gentle fable inspired by the experiences of children growing up in conflict zones. This September, it will be adapted into a theatrical production to mark World Peace Day. “Every year on World Peace Day, nothing much actually happens,” said Rachel, half-laughing. “There’s this ceremonial bell that gets rung at the United Nations, and that’s about it. But what does that do for children? For families? We wanted to create something that stirs conversation. Something immersive. Something that persists.”
The play, like the book, is deliberately non-specific in setting and ethnicity. You can’t tell where the characters are from, or what cultures they represent. “We didn’t want people to focus on identity or geography,” she explained. “This is about shared humanity.” It’s also about the power of choice. “We wanted to show that even in conflict, the possibility of choosing peace, of choosing friendship and love, still exists,” she said. “That’s what we hope for readers and viewers to reflect on.”
Storytelling, to Rachel, is ultimately about planting possibility. “Creative storytelling can ignite conversations, memories and imagination,” she said. “If we allow our narratives to be dominated by the worst of what’s happening in the world, we’re not really doing our part.”
The team behind Kin Collective is small and mostly made up of volunteers. Yet somehow, the books get made, thanks to a mix of tenacity, serendipity and shared belief. One of her illustrators, for instance, is an artist Rachel found online by chance—someone touched by her own experiences of conflict who shares the same values. “When I told her about the project, she immediately said yes. It was such a serendipitous connection.”
So what’s next? “People keep asking for more stories. And we do have more to tell. But right now, the focus is on the Peace Day play,” she said. “This is the first time we’re doing something like this. I don’t see why it should be the last.” Her message for young changemakers is this: Take action. Don’t wait. “Be courageous. Be kind. You have to be both. These times ask for it. They demand it.”
Sara, Hana and Their Three Wishes will be brought to life on stage this September in a special theatrical production for World Peace Day. Get your tickets at wearekinco.com/tickets.