salt_2005_11_12 by SALT NVPC

No. 12 Nov-Dec 2005

For Volunteers, Donors and Nonprofits

Good Business

“Cents” Standard Chartered Talks CSR

Citizenship Not

Required Expats & Our Charity Scene

Inclusive

Singapore Just a Pipe Dream?

Solo

Survivors Flyin’ Solo Takes Flight

SALT Exclusive!

Willie Cheng Gets Out of

the Box

The Asian Tsunami

One Year On

A Red Cross Special Report

contents

SALT No. 12 Nov-Dec 2005

ON THE COVER Fundraiser, thought leader, and a sometime car park minder. Ex-chairman of NVPC Willie Cheng comes clean about all of the above in our SALT exclusive on page 22.

Story on page 16 and 21.

DEPARTMENTS 2

LETTER FROM SALT

MAILBAG

NEWS BRIEFS A wrap-up of events, programmes and activities in the People Sector. PEOPLE MOVEMENTS Appointments and new postings in the People Sector.

17 It’s not all about living a cushy life while they are here. IMELDA LEE looks back at how expatriates in Singapore have helped to shape our charity scene beyond fundraising gala dinners and fashion shows.

Much has been said about us becoming an inclusive society, but is Singapore truly ready to embrace our fellow man, regardless of history, physical and mental limitations? MICHELLE BONG faces up to some uths uths. hard truths.

VOLUNTEER PROFILE For veteran Singapore Children’s Society volunteer Sarasa Seshadri, it’s all about lending the kids a listening ear.

11 PEOPLE SECTOR PEOPLE Former CEO of SCORE Jason Wong shares the satisfaction that comes with choosing a career path most people fear to tread.

20 WALK THE TALK At Standard Chartered Bank Singapore, Corporate Social Responsibility isn’t about good PR – it makes perfectly good business “cents”.

21 NEW SALT They may be known as Flyin’ Solo, but this support group for single mums is anything but.

25 SALT AND PEPPER

SPECIAL REPORT

One year on, the countries affected by the devastating Asian tsunami are still trying to get back on their feet. The Singapore Red Cross files its report on how the contributions from Singapore are helping them on their long road to recovery.

Singapore needs more patrons of the arts, and it’s not just about finding sponsors for more Broadway musicals, says former NVPC board member Madeleine Lee.

28 SCENE AND SEEN

30 CALENDAR 32 A DASH OF SALT

Nov-Dec 2005 S A LT •

L E T T E R

F R O M

S A L T

SALT is a nonprofit magazine with a managed circulation for members of nonprofit organisations, grantmakers and companies in Singapore. Those interested in receiving a copy, please email salt@nvpc.org.sg. We regret that the print run prevents fulfilling all requests. International readers please email subscriber requests and mailing details. There will be an annual postage and handling charge for all international subscribers.

EDITOR Suzanne Lim

CONTRIBUTORS Adeline Ang Michelle Bong Imelda Lee Daven Wu

PUBLISHING CONSULTANT AND MEDIA REPRESENTATIVE Epigram SALT is published bi-monthly by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre 7 Maxwell Road #05-01 Annex B, MND Complex Singapore 069111 Tel: 6550 9595 Fax: 6221 0625 Website: www.nvpc.org.sg Email: salt@nvpc.org.sg Copyright is held by the publisher. All rights reserved. Production in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. The views and opinions expressed or implied in SALT are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. Printed by Fabulous Printers MICA (P) 033/11/2005 To advertise, please call Suzanne Lim at tel: 6550 9563 Email: suzanne@nvpc.org.sg or Cynthia Tay at tel: 6292 4456 Email: cynthia@epigram.com.sg

• S A LT Nov-Dec 2005

vid readers of SALT must be wondering why we have remained strangely quiet on issues relating to governance, accountability and transparency post-NKF, and also post-SAVH and SATA, all of which have come under public scrutiny in recent times. The answer is simple: All that needs to be said has been said, and widely discoursed in the mainstream media. With the newly formed inter-ministry committee to review NPO regulations likely to make its recommendations sometime in the new year, it would appear that 2006 is going to be a turning point for NPO operations in Singapore, so watch this space! You can be sure that when the dust finally settles on these recent NPO disclosures, one person who will be sharing his views on such issues will be NVPC’s immediate past-chairman Willie Cheng. In this issue, we bring you a SALT exclusive with Willie – a mind-bending, heart-revealing commentary on his “reign” at NVPC, as well as his take on the state of the nonprofit sector in Singapore. A relative nonprofit “newbie” when he took over as NVPC chairman in 2002, he has arguably since assumed the unofficial mantle of being one of the foremost thought leaders of the nonprofit scene here. Keep your eyes peeled for more of Willie’s observations on the nonprofit issues of the day in forthcoming issues of SALT. For now, this is the season for rejoicing and for giving, with December being designated by NVPC as Giving Month. In this issue, we highlight the efforts of groups such as the Yellow Ribbon Project that try to integrate the marginalised into mainstream society. The bigger issue, however, is whether mainstream society is ready to accept them. We also focus on the understated efforts of the expatriate groups in Singapore that have long been a mainstay of volunteerism and charitable giving in Singapore, even from our earliest migrant days. MNCs the likes of Standard Chartered Bank have also played a significant part in benefiting the charity scene in Singapore, and as the anniversary of the Asian tsunami approaches, we provide a timely report card on the state of giving to the tsunami affected countries from generous Singaporeans. Indeed, the wellspring of giving in Singapore runs deep. And if we have more people like my dear editor who has told her friends that her Christmas gift to them this season is a donation to the charity of their choice in their name, it will not run dry. Have a joyous giving season! Tan Chee Koon Chief Executive Officer National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre

MAILBAG

DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE? We welcome your letters, news of upcoming events and pictures. Please send them to SALT, 7 Maxwell Road, #05-01 Annex B, MND Complex, Singapore 069111; or email salt@nvpc.org.sg. Please include your name, address and daytime phone number. Letters and articles may be edited for space and clarity.

Clueless No More Dear Editor, I came across your Sept-Oct 2005 issue of SALT in my school library and I must admit my attention was drawn to it because of your very eye-catching cover! I was only planning to flip through the magazine but your feature stories proved to be quite engrossing reads, especially the story about teenagers and sexual education today. I agree with some of the views expressed in the story that the way sexual education is handled in schools here leaves much to be desired, but it is also up to the parents to “educate” their children about the birds and the bees and morals. This is part and parcel of raising children, and the parents cannot expect the teachers at school to do their “job” for them. I was also inspired by your story on youth volunteers. Like many of my peers, my first taste of volunteering came through CIP and it was not always positive. But after reading the story, I think I will consider becoming a volunteer outside of CIP. Can NVPC help me? Andrea Lim, Student

Editor’s Note: Thank you for your letter, Andrea. You can visit our website at www.nvpc.org.sg to find out about volunteering opportunities on eMatch. Good luck!

Food for the Soul Dear Editor, Everyday, magazines of different kinds land on my desk. Some unsolicited, others subscribed. And then there are those which I designed and published for my clients. But the one I truly savour is SALT – your bi-monthly magazine with updates on the volunteer and giving scene. There are many reasons why SALT is particularly tasteful. For one, its food for the eyes: your colour blends and choice of typography are fresh and spreads are well laid-out for a digestible read. Most importantly, it is the content which I gobble up with such zest and relish. Your features are food for the soul: uplifting, inspiring and focusing on some very real needs in our community. It is a very good thing to raise awareness of volunteerism, discuss its many issues and highlight events in both the local and international scene. For much too long, social work has been perceived as lowly, and for those who champion causes for the underdog, long-suffering. It is therefore refreshing, flavourful and very unexpected for one to find a quality magazine such as this. Many congratulations for a job well done. I applaud your achievement and eagerly await to feast on your next effort. Leslie Lung, Creative Consultant, LUNG Foundashon

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Thanks, NVPC! Dear NVPC, I would like to say a big ‘thank you very much’ for your help, support, and words of encouragement. I feel that I have a group of friends who are always there for me to turn to whenever I need to. My deep appreciation for all that you have done for my group and I. Kartini Abdul Rahman, Founder, Simei Briskwalking Group

Shadow Boxing with Donor Fatigue Dear Editor, I read with great interest in your SeptOct 2005 issue the above article by Ms Usha Menon, chairman of Resource Alliance. The insights she shed were illuminating and I will definitely be circulating it among my fellow volunteers. I look forward to reading more of such thought provoking articles in future issues of SALT. Joanne Loh, via email

Help Ourselves Dear Editor, The above article in your July-Aug issue was an informative read. Like some of the interviewees, I too paid not much heed to the $1 I contribute every month to the CDAC and was unaware of the work that CDAC and the other self-help groups do. Thanks to your story, I am now better informed about what my contribution is doing to help the less fortunate in my community and no longer feel that it is a waste of my money every month. Teo Ping Lee, via email

ON THE ROAD

N E W S B

A WRAP-UP OF HAPPENINGS AROUND SINGAPORE

Race for Charity

ingapore’s first-ever mobile classroom, the epBus, was launched in August. An initiative of Heartware Network, the bus is managed entirely by youth volunteers. More than just a bus. Its unique location – on a double-decker bus – helped win over many secondary school students who learnt digital photography and practised their newfound skills with equipment sponsored by Epson. Besides teaching, there are also plans for the epBus to be involved in community projects. For more information on the activities of the epBUS, visit www.heartware.org.

MOBILE HEALTH

joint venture between money transfer company Western Union Financial Service Inc and Sunlove Home will see the Medimobile clinic offering basic medical care to foreign workers until the end of this year. Fully equipped and staffed by one doctor and two foreign worker volunteers from Sunlove Home, the mobile clinic provides free consultation and medical treatment for common illnesses such as cough, flu, hypertension and high blood pressure. Dr Lily Neo, MP for Jalan Besar GRC, inaugurated the initiative on 28 August. For more information on the Medimobile service, please call 63437464. A job well done: Dr William Tan on stage with performers from the Cancer Charity Show.

ingapore’s Olympic wheelchair athlete, Dr William Tan, completed a recordbreaking 119-lap marathon around a 400-metre track in the run-up to the Singapore Cancer Society Charity Show on 23 October in the hope that members of the public would be encouraged to dial the donation lines. His effort was not in vain, as the 48-hour charity marathon, together with the televised charity show which featured performances by more than 30 celebrities, raised $3.7 million for needy cancer patients and their families.

MONEY ISN’T EVERYTHING

BOOTY CALL

he Kampong Gelam Business Association organises a CarBoot Sale & Flea Mart every third Sunday of the month at Aliwal Street Open Carpark, and will be giving one parking lot free-ofcharge to a charity every month for the organisation to sell their products for fundraising purposes. For more information, email corporate_kgba@yahoo.com.sg.

• S A LT Nov-Dec 2005

No ordinary van.

If only all donors could be this cheerful...

he fact that the beneficiaries of the Bone Marrow Donation Programme (BMDP) are in need of stem cells, which can’t be brought by money, played an important part in Datastream Systems’ decision to adopt BMDP. Besides cash donations and a campaign to raise funds for the cost of running the programme and tissue typing of volunteer donors, the IT solutions company also designated a Donor Programme Day to encourage employees, friends and family to register as bone marrow donors to help BMDP achieve its target of 50,000 registered donors.

PEOPLE MOVEMENTS

HIGHER GROUND

en Singapore companies including OCBC Bank, Shell, Standard Chartered Bank, NTUC Income and The pioneers. Banyan Tree signed participation letters in support of good business practises in areas such as human rights, labour standards, environmental protection and anti-corruption at the launch of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Singapore Network on 16 September 2005. The event was witnessed by Andrew Toh, assistant secretarygeneral of the United Nations from New York; Dr Uddesh Kohli, senior advisor of the Indian Global Compact Network; and guest-of-honour Lim Swee Say, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office. The establishment of the Singapore Network marks a significant step towards bringing the local Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) movement to a higher level.neers.

WORK IN PROGRESS

en Ci Hospital and Medical Centre recently broke ground for its new hospital at a ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan and Senior Minister of State for Health Balaji Sadasivan. The new 277-bed community and chronic sick hospital will feature a traditional Chinese medicine clinic for warded and walk-in patients. The clinic, within the hospital’s current premises at Irrawaddy Road, next to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, is designed for patients who need complementary rehabilitative services.

Youth Haven L

Flexing their creative muscle.

ess academically inclined youths can now flex their creative muscle and pick up life and job skills at a new centre in Jurong set up recently by the Singapore Children’s Society and South West CDC. With its focus on fashion design, ceramic making, makeup application, hairdressing, carpentry and dance, the youths will be mentored and encouraged to parlay their creative skills into viable businesses. The centre is funded by part of the $2.5 million that OCBC Bank has pledged to the Children’s Society over the next five years.

M Nirmala joined Tamil Murasu as its editor with effect from 18 September 2005. A veteran of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) since 1989, she started with The Straits Times with stints in various sections such as News Desk, Foreign Desk, The Sunday Times, the Senior Writers’ Group, as well as the Political Desk. Prior to joining SPH, she was a senior research officer with the Ministry of Home Affairs. Tel: 63196319

With effect from 1 September, Ho Sun Yee became the new chief executive officer of the Singapore Heart Foundation. Prior to his appointment, he was the chief operating officer at the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre. His primary role is to lead the SHF team in promoting heart health and to develop SHF as the leading heart health movement in Singapore. SHF is dedicated towards dissemination of knowledge about the causes and prevention of heart diseases. Tel: 63549341; email: sunyee@heart.org.sg Chang Che Hsien joined the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre as its director of corporate development on 17 October. He is responsible for overseeing the provision of support and corporate services in NVPC, including human resources, administration, IT and finance. With his experience in various finance and investment positions in Hong Kong, USA and Singapore, he hopes to help facilitate the development of NVPC into an organisation par excellence. A volunteer with Habitat for Humanity in Batam and the Boys’ Brigade Sharity Gift Box project, he is also an active volunteer in church. Tel: 65509568; email: chehsien@nvpc.org.sg

IVY LEAGUE GOODNESS

Business School exchange fellows to do a study evaluating Singapore’s response to the Asian tsunami crisis and providing he Harvard Singapore recommendations for future relief Foundation was efforts. The launch also saw the unveiling officially launched on 7 of a special commemorative book October by Senior Minister published by the foundation entitled Mr Goh Chok Tong. The Off to a good start. The Harvard Experience: Crimson Essays Even before its official launch, new foundation, the brainchild of local Harvard University alumni, aims to advance the foundation sponsored a 10-week attach- which features reminisces by some of the university’s prominent local alumni such the management and governance of NGOs ment in June to the National Volunteer & as Professor Tommy Koh and Minister for through international and local scholarships, Philanthropy Centre – the foundation’s fellowship programmes, and regional forums. strategic alliance partner – for four Harvard Foreign Affairs George Yeo.

Nov-Dec 2005 S A LT •

Listen Up Sometimes, all children really want is a simple listening ear, as veteran Singapore Children’s Society volunteer Sarasa Seshadri tells DAVEN WU.

he first thing that one notices upon meeting Sarasa Seshadri is her sense of unshakeable calm and motherly affection. One is seized with an urge to pull up a chair, put aside the day’s cares for just a moment and to shoot the breeze. No surprises then to learn that she is a long-time volunteer with the Singapore Children’s Society’s Tinkle Friend hotline. It all started innocently enough when Sarasa answered a newspaper ad in 1986 for volunteers to staff the then-brand new hotline. “My kids were grown by then, I had plenty of time,” she recalls, “and I didn’t want a full time job.” So, Sarasa began chatting. Nearly 20 years later, she is still at it, enjoying each moment and clearly relishing the opportunity to provide succour. Quite apart from its cute name, the Tinkle Friend hotline is, for many young Singaporean children, in particular those in primary school, an emotional lifeline. “We get about 30 to 40 calls a day, more during exam time,” Sarasa says.

“ The reality is that a lot of parents just aren’t there, or have the time [for their children].” In the beginning, the callers were latch-key children, bored youngsters just looking for someone to chat to about school and home issues. These days, Sarasa notes that the children are coming out of their shell and broaching more “adult” problems, including school bullies, exam pressures and their own parents’ financial and relationship problems,

“But the reality is that a lot of parents just aren’t there, or have the time.” Of course it’s not all doom and gloom. “A lot of experiences make you smile,” says Sarasa, a brilliant beam etched on her face. “Sometimes, the kid will call back to say that the problem has been solved. Another time, a girl called to chat and asked me what I looked like. A few days later, a drawing arrived in the mail. She had drawn my portrait from my description and it was so accurate! I couldn’t believe it. That drawing will remain with me for the rest of my life.” Besides the hotline, Sarasa sometimes helps with the society’s flag-selling and fundraising Gearing up for a good listen: activities. She is also active in its including divorce and Sarasa at work at the Singapore Children’s Society Vulnerable Witness Support domestic violence. Bukit Merah Centre. Programme which helps children “Actually, I don’t navigate the unfamiliar arena of courtthink these are new problems,” she adds. rooms where they are sometimes called “They’ve probably been there all along, as witnesses. “We’re there to give moral but it’s just that the kids are more support,” she states. expressive now.” “I like what I’m doing,” Sarasa says For Sarasa, there is a sense of disquiet that primary school children find simply. “I like talking to children. Sometimes, their problems, though huge it easier, if not more convenient, to talk to in their world, are so simple to us as complete strangers about personal issues, adults. I guess our role is to help them rather then their own parents. “Often, get some perspective.” the parents do not even know that their She breaks off and considers the arc children are calling us.” Sarasa is quick to note that the Tinkle of her life to date – as a mother to three children, and as a surrogate mother to Friend hotline is not a social service, but many more over the past 20 years. Then rather it is more of a listening ear. Serious she says with a gentle smile, “I’m just glad issues are referred to the social workers. that I’m there for these kids to talk to.” Sometimes, she receives calls from kids We are too. ✩ who just want to say that they’re off The Singapore Children’s Society’s to school and will call later. “And nothing Tinkle Friend hotline is 1800 62744788. more,” she says, somewhat amused.

Nov-Dec 2005 S A LT •

The Road Less Travelled Jason Wong, former CEO of SCORE (Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises), tells ADELINE ANG about the satisfaction that comes with choosing a career path many would shy away from.

ason Wong was a Colombo Plan scholar and started his civil service career with the then-Management Services Department of the Ministry of Finance. With a potentially glittering future ahead of him, why did he decide to join the Singapore Prison Service and spend his career in various positions within it, culminating in his appointment as CEO of SCORE in April 2002? “The former Management Services Department of MOF was one of the earliest government departments to be corporatised. I was amongst the staff who chose to stay back in the public sector and I chose the Singapore Prison Service to continue with my career. Many people wondered why. I was informed later that even local scholars who were posted there wanted to get out, and here was one overseas scholar who requested to get in!” recalls Wong. “My mother-in-law said in Hokkien, ‘Sayang, sayang’, which means ‘Wasted, wasted’! She felt that my future would be doomed.”

“ Some have asked why ex-offenders deserve a second chance... Actually, many don’t... However, they NEED the second chance.” Thankfully his wife Donna supported him and understood the reasons behind his decision. Says Wong, “My university professor, who was formerly with the British civil service, gave this advice before I graduated – if given the choice, go to a place that no one wants to go. If everyone wants to go there, then there would be

two to three years, SCORE has had to dip into its reserves in order to ensure the continuation of its services. About 11,000 prison inmates are released from Singapore’s rehabilitative institutions every year. How then does he address criticism from people who do not approve of the concept of reYellow Ribbon integration of ex-offenders nothing much left for you to do. champion: Jason (right) with into society? “The second reason – it’s God’s Wong director of prisons “Studies have shown that calling for my life. Frankly, this is Chua Chin Kiat. those who are gainfully employed have the more important reason. My Christian lower re-offending rates. Their families faith and values have provided me with and society in general benefit as a result. the passion for everything I am doing now, Putting offenders behind bars seeks to and the compassion for the people that protect society only for the short term. I am working with.” Successful rehabilitation and re-integration Wong is proud of the work that of ex-offenders is the only long term SCORE does: preparing inmates solution in creating a safer community for eventual release by enhancing their for us and our children. employability and equally important, “Some have asked why ex-offenders preparing the community, especially deserve a second chance. My response employers, to accept them and offer them a second chance. The work is tough going, is that, actually, many don’t deserve a second chance. However, they NEED the not least because SCORE must generate second chance. Their families need it. revenue from its in-prisons work And their children need their daddies to programme in order to fund its training, have jobs and to provide for the family.” employment assistance and other rehaWong re-joined the Prisons Departbilitative and after-care programmes. ment in October 2005, having been Rapid economic restructuring and appointed deputy director/chief of staff crises such SARs and 9/11 pose the of the Prisons Department and second in greatest challenge to the work of SCORE, command to prisons director Chua Chin as the business environment makes it more Kiat. In this new position, he continues difficult to ensure a constant stream of to work closely with SCORE on various revenue to support these training and joint projects, the most prominent of rehabilitative activities. At the same time, which is the Yellow Ribbon Project. there is an increasing demand for more Says Wong, “Prisons and SCORE are resources to meet the need of re-skilling close strategic partners and our collaboand re-training the inmates, and there is ration will definitely continue. One plus a greater need to help ex-inmates search one is much, much more than two.” ✩ for jobs. Wong reveals that over the last

Nov-Dec 2005 S A LT •

ONE PEOPLE, ONE NATION,

DESPITE THE GOVERNMENT’S BEST EFFORTS TO ENCOURAGE US TO EMBRACE OUR FELLOW MAN – REGARDLESS OF HISTORY, PHYSICAL AND MENTAL LIMITATIONS – HOW TRULY INCLUSIVE A SOCIETY IS SINGAPORE? MICHELLE BONG FINDS OUT SOME HARD TRUTHS.

ONE SINGAPORE? B

anker Angela Ho had her first encounter with an ex-offender when she was taking motorcycle lessons. Through casual conversation with a fellow classmate, she discovered that he had a criminal record and had served a 10-year jail term. She thought nothing of it, but her two closest friends were horrified and advised her to stop taking lessons there immediately. Ho laughed and dismissed the suggestion. But natural instinct took over, following an incident when they bumped into each other again when booking their next lesson. He asked if he could pay for her lesson with his cash card, so that she could reimburse him with cash. “My whole body stiffened and the first thought in my head was that he had stolen the cash card,” Ho recalls. But she ended up agreeing to the arrangement when she realised, guiltily, that she had been unfairly judgemental. Ho’s story is but one of many among Singaporeans when it comes to meeting ex-offenders, whose struggles were recently highlighted in Jack Neo’s movie One More Chance. The movie, about three men who struggle to regain the trust of their family, friends and community after their release from prison, contains a heart-wrenching scene in which Mark Lee’s character is seeking employment. He sits through numerous interviews, and is repeatedly given the proverbial “Don’t call us, we’ll call you” parting shot. Eventually, his frustration spills over and he angrily lashes out at his umpteenth job interview about how job seekers like him are given false hope by employers about their extremely slim (or practically non-existent) employment chances. The message of the movie, Neo

• S A LT Nov-Dec 2005

remarked in a Straits Times interview, is clear: the public needs to realise the importance of letting go of their discrimination of ex-offenders. “I see making this movie as a form of community service,” he said at a ceremony in Chinatown Point to mark the start of the movie’s production. But ex-offenders are just one of several segments of society that require the understanding and compassion of their fellow citizens when it comes to living independently and making a contribution as a part of the community-at-large. Others include the physically or mentally disabled, people with Aids/HIV, as well as troubled youths and juvenile delinquents.

PRACTISE WHAT YOU PREACH “Let us build a nation where every citizen has a place, where all can live in dignity and harmony, and where we all have the opportunity to raise our children and realise our dreams. Let us be a dynamic city that is open and inclusive, a meritocratic society that is compassionate and caring, and a confident people with clear minds and warm hearts.” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong sent out this heartfelt appeal to Singaporeans during his swearing-in speech as Prime Minister in August 2004. But have Singaporeans heeded his call? If the following excerpt from a Straits Times Forum letter by Powell Poo Jian Wei dated 24 October 2005 is anything to go by, the achievement of this utopian view is going to have to wait. In his letter, Poo highlighted the fact that his relative who recently applied for the post of relief teacher through the Ministry of Education website was rejected, with no reason given. His family came to their own conclusions; the relative had failed to get the job because of his criminal record following two years in prison school at the age of 16. Although he had mended his ways and gone on to achieve excellent academic results, his past had indelibly stained him for life. Poo reiterated that the dismissed application was “contradictory to the purpose of the Yellow Ribbon Project”. Other Singaporeans are equally unsure about our community’s ability to open our minds to those who need a little

“LET US BUILD A NATION WHERE EVERY CITIZEN HAS A PLACE, WHERE ALL CAN LIVE IN DIGNITY AND HARMONY... LET US BE A DYNAMIC CITY THAT IS OPEN AND INCLUSIVE, A MERITOCRATIC SOCIETY THAT IS COMPASSIONATE AND CARING...” PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN LOONG AT HIS SWEARING-IN SPEECH, AUGUST 2004

more help than others. L Lee, who works for a government statutory board, says: “Singaporeans have never been known to be expressive nor forthcoming in their attitudes towards the less fortunate in society. It’s just the way we are. Passive, shy and often preoccupied with the daily grind, we overlook and take many things for granted in life, especially the younger generation. “I feel that the authorities need to take a firm stand and lead in this matter, and not keep using costs or inconveniences as excuses. In fact, caring for the needy should not end up as afterthoughts or token acts. With the ever growing aging population in Singapore, we need to start thinking of these challenges as a priority.” PR consultant Prisca Hoo seconds this. “Hard as we try as a society, our level of acceptance still falls below that of our European counterparts. The government supports campaigns like the Yellow Ribbon Project, builds ramps for the handicapped, and initiates programmes for troubled youths. But at the end of the day, do we really go out on a limb to help someone who is blind, or shelter and counsel a runaway who may benefit from our care and concern? In fact, would we even

“IF SINGAPORE IS A TRULY INCLUSIVE SOCIETY, THEN THERE WOULD BE NO NEED FOR PM LEE TO BRING UP THE TOPIC IN HIS SWEARING-IN SPEECH LAST YEAR.” JASON WONG, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, SINGAPORE PRISON SERVICE AND EX-CEO OF SCORE

marry an ex-offender, for fear of giving our mothers a heart attack and risk being permanently ostracised by family and society? Deep down, we all know the answer is ‘no’.” Karen Loh, a programming director, says, “On a scale of one to 10, Singapore scores a five when it comes to being accepting of ex-offenders, but at the same time it’s pretty clear that not everyone will employ them. Meanwhile, most people are able to embrace the less able, but troubled youths are simply seen as a nuisance. Our society’s problem lies in the fact that while we want to be seen as a caring society, we tend to select who we want to bestow our kindness on.” This “selective” mentality is something Paul Toh, executive director of Action for Aids (AFA), encounters often. “There is a huge stigma when it comes to Aids and HIV, and many are unwilling to help because they think the patients somehow ‘deserve it’,” he told The Straits Times in an interview. But if the Yellow Ribbon Project with its mission to give ex-offenders a second chance can garner some measure of public support, shouldn’t Aids and HIV patients deserve similar help and compassion? The harsh reality is that for many of us, some of these marginalised groups are simply more “deserving” of our help than others.

REALITY BITES “If Singapore is a truly inclusive society, then there would be no need for PM Lee to bring up the topic in his swearing-in speech last year,” states Jason Wong, deputy director of Singapore Prison Service and ex-CEO of Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE), which spearheaded the Yellow Ribbon Project. Wong says about 11,000 inmates are released from Singapore’s rehabilitative institutions each year, and a majority find it difficult to find acceptance in their new environments. He also reiterates that more awareness still needs to be created concerning their struggles. “More often than not, larger companies may not need to consider ex-offenders in their recruitment exercises, as they

Nov-Dec 2005 S A LT •

Interactive tutorials are the norm at City Harvest Education Centre.

normally would have received more applicants for any job vacancy posted. We hope that as the Yellow Ribbon Project matures, more of such companies will come forward to offer jobs to ex-offenders.” Anti-drug ambassador and winner of this year’s Singapore Youth Award for Community and Youth Services Glenn Lim agrees. “Much can be done to educate the public and prospective employers in a holistic manner. By that, I mean employers and the community must understand the full spectrum of expected risks and responsibilities involved in re-integrating an ex-offender. The public must also be made aware of the costs involved in rehabilitating and re-integrating one who has fallen, and be challenged to take up the responsibilities involved.” Lim should know. At 16, he was arrested for possession of 350 grams of marijuana, one of several drugs he would smuggle in from Malaysia where he played overseas gigs with his rock band. The event marked a turning point in his life. Six months in jail and a drug rehabilitation programme later, he joined Christian organisation Teen Challenge as a counsellor to help young addicts kick the habit. Today, his work with youths continues because of his strong belief that “it takes

• S A LT Nov-Dec 2005

“THE PUBLIC MUST ALSO BE MADE AWARE OF THE COSTS INVOLVED IN REHABILITATING AND RE-INTEGRATING ONE WHO HAS FALLEN, AND BE CHALLENGED TO TAKE UP THE RESPONSIBILITIES INVOLVED.” GLENN LIM, SINGAPORE YOUTH AWARD 2005 WINNER FOR COMMUNITY AND YOUTH SERVICES

a whole village to raise a child.” “Through the decades, our society has been conditioned to brand people, precipitated by anti-smoking, anti-drugs campaigns and the like. People are quick to point out faults, or judge and discriminate. Troubled youths and youths-at-risk are not spared. Today, it is very easy to be sidelined or shunned if one does not ‘fit’ or conform. This has created a whole under-current of misfits,” says Lim, now aged 34 and the founder of Awakening Productions, a nonprofit events and talent management organisation that organises gigs for youths to express themselves through music and the arts.

CHANGING TIDES Based on steps taken by the government and partner organisations, Singapore

seems to be on the right track to becoming a more open-minded and gracious society. About 50 former drug addicts and offenders are the secret recipe behind the success of the popular Goshen Restaurant in Geylang which serves up zi char dishes and Hainanese charcoal steamboat. Various small and medium-size enterprises including coffee bun chain Roti Mum, food stall operator Essence Foods and nutritional supplements distributor Best World International are also leading the pack in employing ex-offenders. NTUC FairPrice and rig-builder Keppel Offshore and Marine are among the larger organisations which do the same. Meanwhile, the government has hired some 80 ex-offenders over the past three years, following the relaxation of hiring regulations for government ministries since August 2000. SCORE, together with Prisons will continue to engage employers in quarterly prison visits to showcase the programmes that offenders undergo while they are incarcerated, and in dialogue sessions where employers already registered with SCORE’s Employment Assistance Unit can share their positive experiences in having ex-offenders as their workers. For the disabled community, which makes up of about four per cent of Singapore’s population, various operatives

have been put in place. The Singapore Disability Sports Council has started the Live That Dream fund to increase the number of disabled athletes in Singapore from the current 90 to 500 by 2008. The Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD) has opened the StarHub-SPD Learning & Development Centre to offer quality academic support, enrichment courses, and outreach and support services to help develop children with special needs holistically. And since October last year, local start-up Bizlink has employed close to 50 people with various disabilities to do data entry and to scan and print tickets for Singapore Airlines. A massage salon and further expansion of its current businesses is in the works. In August, a national call went out to businesses to form an alliance with the Ministry of Health to collectively prevent Aids from spreading, managing HIV at work and removing the fear and stigma attached to the disease. In particular, Standard Chartered Bank’s Living with HIV programme of educating co-workers on the disease through questions, visualisation and role play has been singled out as an exemplary example. The Singapore National Employers Federation has also urged employers to integrate Aids/HIV education into their health programmes. Troubled youths are also receiving some hand-holding in their efforts to be contributors to society. City Harvest Education Centre, set up three years ago by the City Harvest Community Services Association, offers one- to two-year programmes for school dropouts to attend full-day classes in preparation for their ‘O’ Level examinations. Says principal Kenny Low: “At this

“TEN PER CENT OF OUR STUDENTS ARE HOOLIGANS OR DRUG OFFENDERS. WE DON’T DISCRIMINATE; WE JUST WANT TO OFFER A BASIC EDUCATION TO AS MANY YOUTHS AS POSSIBLE.” KENNY LOW, PRINCIPAL, CITY HARVEST EDUCATION CENTRE

school, there are no uniforms, no rules about punk-style hair or tattoos, and classes are kept to a size of 25. Ten per cent of our students are hooligans or drug offenders. We don’t discriminate; we just want to offer a basic education to as many youths as possible.” Singapore Youth Award winner Lim continues to reach out to youths by speaking regularly at schools, correctional institutions and halfway houses and pioneering Operation Art-Core, a group of teens who express themselves through graffiti. Their murals have been displayed at Far East Plaza, the Esplanade and even the National University Hospital. In the arena of employment, Lim also has this positive story to share: “A notable retail manager employed a group of young ex-offenders to work at her fashion outlet, knowing full well the risks involved. All went well until she discovered discrepancies in her accounts. When the culprit was identified, she sat him down to listen to him, and even offered to help him return the stolen money in instalments instead of immediately calling the police. This is a perfect example of how someone is not just accepting of an ex-offender, but actually sticking it out with them knowing the liabilities involved, and taking personal responsibility over this knowledge.”

MAKING PROGRESS In a rapidly developing country like Singapore, where the economy is steadily growing, technology is racing ahead and the standard of living is improving, growing diversity between the various segments of society is inevitable. These differences are a result of education, skill sets and varying lifestyle pursuits; as a result, market niches are created, and highly specialised skills increasing in demand. And in their wake, intolerance breeds as society is fragmented. Singapore is still evolving and the learning process continues for all. It is important to identify key success stories within groups where acceptance was demonstrated, make them public, and celebrate them. For only through education and reinforcement can the message be sent across, to a five-year-old and an 85year-old alike. On top of education, Kevin Menon, a clinical psychologist by training, advocates a conscious effort not to perpetuate one’s negative and discriminatory views on others. “Stereotyping is a fact of life, but such groups get it the worst. All societies face this problem, some more than others. Reacting instinctively to people in these segments of society is one thing, but a realisation that you’re judging your fellow man and an effort to change your mindset is crucial,” he says. This change isn’t going to happen overnight, but all it really takes is a switch in mentality and a willingness to see things with a different view. Then who knows? PM Lee’s utopian view of a truly united and gracious Singapore society may become a reality sooner than we think. ✩ Some 10,000 people turned up for the Tie-A-Yellow Ribbon Walk in September 2005.

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Making Their

Mark

A horse-riding therapy session at Riding for the Disabled.

Now and again, expatriates make headlines for pioneering charities in Singapore. What drives them? And what lessons can our citizens learn from their example? IMELDA LEE pores through the heart of the matter.

heirs can so easily be a life of privilege (and privilege only), but for some expatriates in Singapore, contributing to the local community has become very much a part of their DNA. Their efforts go beyond chairing the occasional gala dinner or fashion show; in fact, some have gone so far as to pioneer programmes that the community was badly in need of but the local populace had yet to address. For these expatriates, citizenship (or lack thereof) was not at all an issue. Neither did it matter that they were unlikely to remain in Singapore for the long haul. But what did matter was that they saw a need in the community and of their own initiative, took steps to ensure that this need became fulfilled.

Waste Not, Want Not Take Christine and Henry Laimer for instance. The Austrian couple founded Food From The Heart (FFTH) in February 2003, and it was a simple desire to do away with wastage that first got them involved with the charity scene here. Moved by news reports of huge amounts of unsold bread being thrown away by bakeries here, the couple were mobilised to collect the bread and give it to welfare homes. “We wanted to do away with the waste by finding a use for it. Then when we started, we realised there are actually people out there who needed food,” recalls Christine. Two years on, FFTH benefits 11,000 people each month through the distribution of bread, rice, canned food, toys, hongbao and English assessment books. They also celebrate the birthdays of their beneficiaries. No mean feat for a couple whose only volunteering experience in Austria was organising a party of friends to pool together cash that would have gone into buying Christmas gifts for each other and donating this to children’s homes. “We have actually moved from being a mere bread provider to bringing hope and joy,” notes Christine modestly. “We have grown to love Singaporeans and as long as they want us, we will stay,” she adds. The Laimers have since decided to put down roots here. They have also taken steps to ensure that the good work of FFTH continues. Nov-Dec 2005 S A LT •

“We have Singaporeans on the board and we have standard operating procedures. The biggest reward for us is to have the organisation go on for a long time.”

Responding to Change Similarly, it was an expatriate woman’s quick thinking that established one of Singapore’s foremost welfare service providers – the Asian Women’s Welfare Association (AWWA). Shakuntala Bhatia, wife of the then Indian High Commissioner to Singapore, recognised the need to respond to the fast changing charity scene in Singapore in the 1970s, a direct result of the withdrawal of the British army personnel from Singapore. “Before 1970, many welfare services in Singapore were provided by wives of British army personnel stationed in Singapore,” recounts Maureen Fung, group director of AWWA. When the British withdrew from Singapore in 1970, Bhatia and her Asian women friends acted quickly on their concern for the plight of the many needy people who had no one to turn to for help. In spite of their initial struggles, these women pioneered several groundbreaking projects, such as independent housing for the elderly in the AWWA Community Home in 1976, and educational and therapy services for children with multiple disabilities in 1979, now known as the AWWA School. Integration of children with physical disabilities into mainstream education was initiated in 1991. Says Fung, “It is with thanks to the early efforts of these women that AWWA came into being. The knowledge that AWWA is making a difference to the lives of not only our clients but also their families has become a great motivator for volunteers and staff alike.” Often, just being part of and sharing the experiences of clients who benefit from AWWA’s services is enough to keep volunteers going, she adds. Bhatia left Singapore several years ago but the AWWA legacy lives on. Its challenge now is to ensure that it has “a core of young volunteers to lead the association into the future”, notes Fung. “AWWA always has a place for younger volunteers with relevant skills who wish to donate their time on our board and management committees.”

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Local mainstay The Salvation Army first made its way to Singapore in 1935 through expatriate Brigadier Herbert Lord.

Reversing Mindsets Back in 1982, expatriate horse-riding instructor Kaye Clarke, the mother of a child with disabilities, noticed that many locals preferred to keep their disabled children out of the public eye. Determined to reverse this ‘out of sight, out of mind’ mentality, she founded Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA). Through horseback riding, RDA provides physical and psychological therapy to people with physical and intellectual disabilities by improving their balance, muscle tone, joint mobility, coordination, posture and lung function. It also enables people with disabilities to interact with horses and overcome their fear of large animals and new surroundings and help improve discipline and self-esteem. Rosemary Radcliffe, honorary secretary of RDA, reveals that as of 2002, some 1,200 adults and children with disabilities have ridden at RDA. Nowadays, some 100 people are able to avail of the therapeutic ride each week. It takes 21

RDA volunteers to run a single session for 12 disabled riders. While its standard operating procedures have not been inked, its 23-year existence sustained by mostly volunteers speaks volumes of its commitment. “What has kept RDA going is the dedication of its volunteers and their commitment to help the disabled community in Singapore,” comments Radcliffe.

A Lifeline to Others The tragic loss of her child and her enormous need for support led another expatriate mother to found Child Bereavement Support (CBS), which today is a lifeline for families who have lost their children. Founder Sonya Szpojnarowicz shares, “My first son, Max, who was the centre of my world, died suddenly in his sleep just before his second birthday. I was desperate for some support, and searched everywhere, but found nothing [in Singapore].

Gradually, I began to meet other parents who had lost their children and babies. We found out we shared such a special and important bond, and we could understand each other in a way nobody else could. It helped so much to know I was not alone in this terrible nightmare.” The British citizen added, “If Max had died in England, I would have had so much more support and help. So I wanted to change things here for all other bereaved parents. We have all found that meeting other bereaved parents is what has made the most difference, given us the most hope, comfort and support.” The response from the local community was overwhelming. Sonya recalls, “We came across the taboos of the older generation who felt we shouldn’t talk about these dead children, shouldn’t cry about them, shouldn’t have their pictures up. But we found that the younger generation of Singaporeans are embracing our approach, and are actually relieved to find a place and a group of friends they can talk openly and confidentially with about their feelings.” CBS reaches out to other bereaved parents through its book Farewell, My Child, monthly meetings, a befriending programme and a website. The group is also working on promoting best practices in child bereavement support in the professional and healthcare arenas. In order to ensure its continuity, CBS was registered last year. “I try to keep all our records and database organised so that anyone can take over in time. There are far more Singaporeans than expats now in the network, so I’m sure in time it will be mostly run by locals. That’s certainly my hope,” adds Sonya.

Art for All It was also through the efforts of an expatriate that the art scene in Singapore received an invaluable boost. Wynn Spiegel was a volunteer in a Portland, Oregon museum before she came to Singapore in 1978. In her short three-month stint here, she realised the need for a museum volunteers group and led its formation. By the time she left, she and her friends had roped in 100 members! Twenty-seven years later, the Friends

of the Museums (FOM) has a membership of 1,300 and a volunteer pool of over 400 which gives guided tours of Singapore’s museums and organises activities for its members and for the public, providing an insight into Asian history, arts and culture. While it took an expatriate to initiate FOM, the group would like to be known today as an international society, clarifies Helen Anco, FOM’s current president. “We represent 43 nationalities, including Singaporeans.” FOM is also engaging young people into changing their perspectives about museums. “We want to show young people in Singapore that museums are exciting and can offer fun,” says Anco. “Only by bringing young people into the museums and giving them a new experience can they leave and want to go to another museum again,” she states. “The whole museum arena in Singapore now is exciting. We want FOM to be responding to the needs of the museum. We are listening to what our members want.”

Boys’ Town started here in 1948 as a shelter for boys orphaned by World War II. It was established by a Canadian missionary and an Australian businessman, prisoners of war who became friends during World War II. The Salvation Army found its way to Singapore in 1935 through the efforts of the late Brigadier Herbert Lord. Seventy years on, the Army runs six churches and 24 social service centres here benefiting some 2,300 needy people, according to Gregory Lee, its director of public relations. An architect from England, James Milner Fraser, established Boys’ Brigade in Singapore (BB) in 1930 to fulfil the need to engage boys here in meaningful and purposeful activities. The passion of the volunteers to see well-adjusted boys becoming men of “obedience, reverence, discipline and self-respect” and contributing back to society is what motivates the organisation, now numbering over 7,300, to soldier on, says Desmond Koh, BB’s executive director.

A Part of Our History Looking back, some of Singapore’s oldest charities were introduced by expatriate missionaries or tradesmen. A group of Japanese expatriates led by a physician, Dr Nakano, started the Japanese Association in 1915 Child Bereavement Support founder Sonya Szpojnarowicz (pictured with and one of their main aims her family) started the group to help others like her to cope with the loss of their child. was to contribute to the local community. The first mission schools for girls here Ninety years later, the Association is still were established by expatriate missionaries going strong, with groups of volunteers who provided free education to girls from involved in various forms of charity work. poor families. These same schools also ran Since 1989, the longest serving volunorphanages and vocational programmes teer group in the Association has been for girls orphaned or abandoned during raising funds through a bazaar to purchase the Japanese Occupation. Long before items requested by charity organisations polyclinics were conceived, the first free here, while another set of volunteers, clinics and mission hospital were a result numbering no less than 250, regularly visits of the efforts by expatriate missionaries. homes for the elderly, the underprivileged, With such a rich legacy behind them, and children with special needs. The the expatriates here have certainly made Association also co-manages the Ayer their mark on the charity scene in SingaRajah Sports Centre with the Ayer Rajah pore. Here’s hoping their enterprising constituency, and for the past three years, community spirit will continue to inspire has been taking part in the annual Chingay them (and Singaporeans) to help fulfil Parade with choreographed dances and the needs of our society. ✩ songs specially prepared for the occasion. Nov-Dec 2005 S A LT •

The True Measure of Success Euleen Goh, chief executive of Standard Chartered Bank Singapore, explains to ADELINE ANG why Corporate Social Responsibility makes good business “cents”.

hy does a 150-year old bank place so much priority on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) that it issues an annual Corporate Responsibility report and highlights its CSR philosophy and programmes prominently on its website? Standard Chartered Bank Singapore believes that it is precisely this commitment to CSR that has helped to give the bank the ability to survive and indeed to thrive for the past century and a half. The bank’s perspective is that corporate philanthropy helps to build the bank’s brand and profile, inspiring its clients to align themselves closer to the bank, and creating greater loyalty in staff, clients and other stakeholders. Says Ms Euleen Goh, chief executive of Standard Chartered Bank Singapore, “The longevity of a company comes from having values, because values last. The marketplace may change, the way you do business may change, but if your heart and soul last, then your organisation will be lasting one... We must be a citizen of our community.”

“ The marketplace may change, the way you do business may change, but if your heart and soul last, then your organisation will be lasting one.” Every organisation sets targets for itself to monitor whether its programmes are doing well, and these targets are usually measured by the dollars and cents raised. But Standard Chartered has a different

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method of assessing the effectiveness of its corporate volunteerism projects. “People think corporate philanthropy is about donations. But money isn’t enough. It’s about time and engagement,” explains Ms Goh. For Standard Chartered’s worldwide ‘Seeing is Believing’ campaign, the target they have set for themselves is not simply $1 million – it is one million pairs of eyes. Launched in 2003, its initial objective was to raise sufficient funds to treat 28,000 cases of curable or preventable blindness – the equivalent of one patient for every Standard Chartered employee. It exceeded that target by World Sight Day in October 2003, and ended up raising enough money to restore the sight of 56,000 people. Over the next few years, the aim is to raise enough funds to restore the sight of one million people worldwide. Another measure of success: the number of staff who take part in the bank’s corporate volunteerism programme. “People must want to do it, and feel the better personally for doing it,” she says. To ensure that staff are interested

Good sports: Standard

and committed Chartered Bank Singapore volunteers helping out at to volunteering, MINDS recent Sports Day. employees of Standard Chartered are empowered to devise their own projects for charities of their own choosing. Working together with the bank’s corporate affairs department, they provide the manpower while the bank provides funding. One such staff-driven project was the setting up of the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS) thrift shop. The bank held a funfair for its staff, raised the funds to set up the shop, and continues to support the shop by taking up an annual collection to stock the shop. So Standard Chartered employees are enthusiastic about volunteering. But why would a client approve of the bank’s volunteer work? Remarks Ms Goh, “It makes business sense! It builds your brand and your standing in the marketplace. Your clients identify with you. It says something about who they are associated with. It gives our brand that difference, and that makes business sense... and cents!” ✩

No Need to Go It Alone Ginny Phang and Fraemone Wee of Flyin’ Solo talk to ADELINE ANG about life-changing experiences and coping with the repercussions... with a little help from some friends.

ingapore society may be progressive in many ways, but single motherhood seems to be still very much taboo. Ginny Phang and Fraemone Wee each found that out the hard way, and from those painful personal experiences decided to form Flyin’ Solo, a support group for single mothers. Phang explains that she decided to keep her baby as she was convinced it was the right thing to do, despite the odds. Her son Kieran is now four-and-a-half years old. Wee’s decision to become a single parent arose out of her personal opposition to abortion, which she considers the taking of a life. “I felt compelled to consider abortion because it’s what everyone told me to do, but came to the conclusion that it was not the best ‘solution’ for me,” she recalls. Her son Ryan is now two-and-a-half years old.

“ All I wanted to know was how another mum managed the logistics of single-parenting, how they got over the heartbreak, how they explain to their kid about not having a dad.” “Single parenting, especially being an unwed mum, is extremely lonely,” says Phang. “There is a social stigma, non-acceptance from family members or friends. Whilst everyone was sympathetic, no one really understood.” Wee says she had the same experience. “People tend to be sympathetic... but

Solo Survivors:

judgmental Fraemone with sometimes. All Ryan (above) I wanted to know and Ginny was how another mum managed the logistics of single-parenting, how they got over the heartbreak, how they explain to their kid about not having a dad etc. These are things that help centres like Family Service Centres simply cannot help with.” Explains Phang, “We offer a listening ear and help them find their way in making the decision that is right for them. If they decide to keep their babies, we support them further by introducing them to the group, helping them network with the other pregnant mothers within the group. Whilst we encourage a traditional family unit, if you have to choose to walk through this path alone due to whatever circumstances, you are not alone. We are here with you.” Flyin’ Solo runs regular support group meetings and volunteer workshops on topics ranging from parenting to single mums’ rights under Singapore law. Phang, who is a doula (a woman experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational

support to the mother before, during and just after childbirth), conducts ante-natal classes at a nominal fee. Says Wee, “Many feel uncomfortable attending regular ante-natal classes, which tend to be filled with loving couples. But ante-natals are such an important part of preparing for birthing, in particular for single women who may not have the company of a loved one in delivery.” In the pipeline are plans for more programmes, including small support groups, a helpline, mentoring programmes for the children, and skillssharing programmes for the mothers. Most members of Flyin’ Solo are working mums (“Out of necessity!” exclaims Wee). But the costs of raising a child and maintaining a household on one income are onerous. Flyin’ Solo is not able to provide financial assistance, but advises members regarding their options for seeking financial help for their specific difficulty. It also organises financial workshops to teach members to better manage their money. Phang and Wee hope that the general public can lend its support to the work of Flyin’ Solo. Wee says, “Members of the public can help us as volunteers under our Circle of Friends programme. We hope to establish a circle of friends, like lawyers, obstetricians, gynaecologists, paediatricians, counsellors etc, whom our single mums can turn to.” ✩ For more information on Flyin’ Solo, visit www.flyinsolo.org.

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SALTS HAK ERS & M OVERS

Willie’s Take On... A

fter two fruitful terms as the chairman of the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre, Willie Cheng stepped down from its helm at the end of August 2005. Known for his forthright and sometimes brutally frank views and insights, he has moved and shaken the charity sector in more ways than one. In this SALT exclusive, SUZANNE LIM takes on her former chairman on a range of matters from whistle blowing to a potential new kind of tsunami facing charities in Singapore. When you were in the corporate world, you came into prominence for charity work when you shaved your head, swam with the sharks and fought as a gladiator to raise funds. Are such publicity stunts corporate marketing or just an ego thing? We should not trivialise fundraising which is already difficult as it is. It is in the nature of fundraising to bring attention to the cause. Perhaps, it’s also in the nature of the industry that I was in. Infocomm was, among other things, about hype, innovation, and derring-do. The fundraisers were an industry collective effort. For Gladiathon, we had 10 CEOs and their companies – who were business competitors – coming together for charity. And yes, ego – corporate and personal – helps pump up the adrenalin. It was such publicity that got you noticed and your appointment as NVPC chairman? It was NVC then – without the ‘P’. I like to think that it was because I was an active volunteer then.

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A victorious Willie at Gladiathon in 2003.

Like how? From minding car parks to sitting on nonprofit boards and committees. Even fundraising is volunteerism, you know. Since it was NVC before, how did the ‘P’ get into NVPC? It was in the cold – the aircon was strong! It was around Christmas 2003, when two other board members – Benedict Cheong and Dr Tan Chi Chiu – and I were trying to respond to the “Remaking Singapore” Committee’s comment about NVC’s role. We developed the notion that NVC could meaningfully make an impact on the community’s time, money and causes. We took it to MCYS (Ministry for Community Development, Youth and Sports) and received the green light to

incorporate philanthropy into our mission. We wanted to re-brand NVC with a new name. My personal favorite then was “Giving Singapore”. But new-fangled names like IE Singapore and A*Star were receiving mixed reviews at that time. In the event, we went with the straightforward addition of the word ‘philanthropy’ to our existing name. What would you consider to be your key achievements at NVPC? You’re with NVPC, you tell me. Initiating programmes like The State of Giving, NPO Directory, The Giving Place, and SALT? I think the scaling up of existing programmes like the Conference and the

Specialists in Philanthropy Management STRUCTURING • FINANCING • TRUST AND CORPORATE SERVICES • INVESTMENTS • INSURANCE • REAL ESTATE

Awards to national level status. It’s not so straightforward.

“ You only play mind games with yourself if you think about what could have been, should have been, need not have been. So, I don’t.” How about regrets? There is a comic series from Marvel Comics, called “What If?” which speculates on what would have been if certain critical events had not happened. Like “What if Electra had not died in Daredevil’s arms?” Sounds silly – a further imaginary tale on an already imaginary world. But I enjoyed it. However, in the real world, you only play mind games with yourself if you think about what could have been, should have been, need not have been. So, I don’t. There is one significant thing though which, on hindsight, I might have been able to better impact – righting the constitution of NVPC. How can you have a national level cross-sectoral organisation like NVPC be constituted as a committee of a sectoral-based body like NCSS (National Council of Social Service)? We were asked to wait with our then-move into philanthropy. Perhaps the new NVPC Board can now get the constitution righted. Your SALT Talks article The Missing Hand of Adam Smith sparked off the NKF (National Kidney Foundation) saga. Are you proud of being the whistle blower? A whistle blower is: 1. Usually an insider; 2. Has damaging information available only to himself or a few persons; and 3. Communicates it to influential parties with the intent of righting the wrong.

None of that is applicable in this case. The article was an attempt at a thought leadership piece on business paradigms being applied to the nonprofit world. A small part of the article was a comparison of NKF and KDF (Kidney Dialysis Foundation), using data that was public, even if it may not have been readily available. If you want to give credit, it should go to The Straits Times journalists – Theresa Tan who first highlighted points from my article, and Susan Long who did the investigative report that led to the court case. But when you think about it, the NKF explosion was really self-detonated.

Charities that are transparent and fully accountable for what they do. A regulatory framework that is cohesive, promotes full disclosure, and is well enforced. And, within the charity sector, you should have a good balance of endbeneficiary organisations, grantmakers, capacity building organisations, and industry watchers and facilitators.

Is what happened good or bad? In the long run, it should be good. I think if you look at this affair several years from now, it could be seen as the inflexion point of a tidal wave of change in the nonprofit world in Singapore. A tsunami? Perhaps. It will depend upon the steepness of the change curve and how it is managed. Certainly, you can feel the winds of change coming. The revelations have raised the interests and concern of the public towards charities. It has fostered a more investigative press that is responding to the public’s interest. It has instigated the government to act to contain any political fallout. And it has sensitised the management and directors of charities on their role and responsibilities. I think we are going to move from an era where charity is simply about “doing good” to one where charity is about “doing good, well”. What is this era of “doing good, well”? This end state is one where you have an effective charity ecosystem: a public that is informed and discerning with their giving even as they are generous.

Going bald for a cause – fundraising for charity during Accenture’s worldwide launch in January 2001.

“ When you think about it, the NKF explosion was really self-detonated.” Let’s come back to the present. What about the loss of confidence in charities and decline in donations these last few months? Surely that cannot be good? The jury is still out on whether overall donations will decline. In any event, you cannot expect change without some disruption which causes pain and even chaos in the short term. I learnt in management theory that things get worse before they get better. However, if you understand the situation’s change curve, you can manage how deep the “valley of despair” is going to be.

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Do you think there could be more cases like SAVH (Singapore Association for the Visually Handicapped), SATA (Singapore Anti-Tuberculosis Association) and Darul Ihsan? Probably. It’s the new climate of awareness and disclosure, rather than that these are new happenings. Many directors and management heads now realise that their personal reputations are on the line for any misdoings by their organisations. I consider it significant that the recent revelations by SATA and Darul Ihsan orphanage came from the organisations themselves, and not from an outside party. You were noticeably quiet in the immediate aftermath of the NKF court case. Why not take the opportunity then to make pronouncements on informed giving etc? We were not inactive. NVPC CEO Tan Chee Koon and NVPC were engaged with NPOs in the background, helping them through with any issues. For a week during that period, I was in an ulu place in Sri Lanka with Habitat for Humanity building houses for tsunami victims. It was hard getting the news as it was. The Internet café’s idea of broadband was an unreliable 56K modem! Apart from that, I determined that there was little value I could add to the situation with what I had to say. With the furor out there, anything I said publicly would have likely shed more heat than light. You were on the Council for Corporate Governance of IPCs and chair of its fundraising task force. It looks like you all should have come out with stronger recommendations? The mood was different then. It was more the mindset that charities were simply about doing good. We did try to move things along. The recommendations were a collective view. Also, note that it only addresses IPCs. A large number of charities are not IPCs.

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“ You cannot expect change without some disruption which causes pain and even chaos in the short term... things get worse before they get better.”

regulations, it should not intervene in the sector – except in very exceptional circumstances. It’s the nature of the sector – this is about civic society. NKF was clearly an exception. There could have been a civil revolt if action was not taken. Thus, government intervention was justified. SAVH? I am not so sure. Any thoughts on the future of NVPC? NVPC is strategically positioned at the crossroads of the nonprofit space. It has its work cut out for it with this wave of change impacting the nonprofit sector. The potential for NVPC to help mobilise the community resources through its core mission of volunteerism and philanthropy is tremendous. In addition, NVPC can play an impactful role in helping to improve charity corporate governance, and to facilitate the formation and growth of the spectrum of nonprofits for an effective charity ecosystem.

The opening act at NVPC’s 2003 Conference.

Would the recommendations when fully adopted improve the current state of rules and regulations governing charities? The current regulations are unwieldy, limited and variably enforced. They were drawn up a very long time ago and do not address today’s thinking on corporate governance. However, the Council’s recommendations would only have moved it up only a notch. The current rising tide of public concerns demands that more be done. That’s probably why there is an interagency task force taking a re-look. Hopefully, the new regulations will be more streamlined, cohesive and effective, and move us much further up the change curve. What do you think of government intervention in charities like NKF and SAVH? As a principle, government should mainly provide an effective regulatory environment that supports the effective governance and management of charities. Beyond breaches of the rules and

Now that you don’t need to come in and disturb us, what are you doing post-NVPC? I will continue to disturb you! The question suggests that I have a gap that needs to be filled. My wife has been asking me to retire from retirement. My current other boards and volunteer commitments are sufficient to keep me meaningfully occupied. I am and will continue to be contributing in the nonprofit space. NVPC has been great for me. It’s given me a bird’s eye view of the nonprofit space that I would not have had just helping the end-beneficiary organisations. I will always be grateful for that. And I will leverage off the knowledge and network to help move all of us along that change curve. Any last words? No. I have more to say. I hope SALT will publish any further thoughts I may have in the future. Only if it passes the high standards you previously set for the magazine. Touché. Looks like you have the last word. ✩

Wanted: Patrons of the Arts Former NVPC board member Madeleine Lee makes the case for why Singapore needs more patrons of the arts. BY

MADELEINE LEE BOARD MEMBER NVPC (2003-2005)

Salt and pepper shakers from a private collection

he Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘philanthropy’ as “the disposition of effort to promote the happiness and well-being of one’s fellow people; practical benevolence”. ‘Arts philanthropy’ is thus the effort to promote the arts to bring about such well-being. Put simply, it is the motivation and the act of “giving” to the arts. I have spent the last decade involved in raising funds for the arts in Singapore. In this time, the arts buzz in Singapore has grown. We now have 10 times the number of arts groups and productions. Where once we had to wait three or six months for a good theatre production, now there is an arts event on practically every night. By this index, we are certainly becoming a city for the arts. However, whilst the supply of the arts has grown exponentially, audience numbers has grown only arithmetically, perhaps three- or four-fold. Hence, the deteriorating economics. By the arts, I exclude the category of entertainment. Attempts to discuss the arts have co-mingled the two to the point of confusion. Forget for the moment The Lion King, Disney On Ice, and Jacky Cheung in Concert. I’m referring to homegrown arts reflective of our nation’s conscience – our theatre, our dance, our art, our music, and our literature. Funding for the arts is a challenge for any government budget. The official figures show increased government spending on the arts. The evidence is writ large – The Esplanade, Singapore Art Museum, the new Drama Centre, the new

National Museum – but these are better categorised as spending on infrastructure for the arts or arts venues. I am not complaining, for without good venues, how do we even attempt to be a city for the arts? (Or is that a city for entertainment?) But what about money for making art? It’s not just bricks and mortar. The National Arts Council grants continue, but given the burst of new groups and talent, the dollars are stretched. Good art requires good patrons. Medieval kings kept their court musicians. Mozart vied for patronage in the Austrian court. The powerful Medicis were da Vinci’s patron. The Saatchis backed new artists and discovered Damien Hirst. The Tate Gallery was founded with the generosity of the Tate fortune.

“ Good art requires good patrons. Medieval kings kept their court musicians... In this era where corporations and MNCs have replaced barons and kings, it must fall somewhat on them to help the arts.” In this era where corporations and MNCs have replaced barons and kings, it must fall somewhat on them to help the arts. That’s not to say there aren’t generous souls in Singapore. We readily think of the generosity of the Lee Foundation and the Shaw Foundation. Singapore Pools, M1, Asia Pacific Breweries, Singapore Press Holdings, and Shell are examples in the

corporate world. Some companies treat it as a PR exercise, which makes it tough to find funding for new developmental pieces when the competition is mass appeal shows like The Sound of Music. In the 2004 NVPC survey on philanthropy, corporations in Singapore gave away a paltry 0.21% of their net profits. Of those who gave, 66% supported social services and only 16% said they supported arts/culture. Far easier to sell to the boss why she should be writing a cheque to charities which tug at the heartstrings. If only corporate giving as a whole doubled to 0.4% of total net profits, and the support for the arts sector also doubled to 32%, arts funding from corporates would quadruple. Yet it would make nary a dent in the annual reports. It is not difficult to set aside a sum for arts sponsorship from the annual budget, especially given double tax deduction. I appeal to Temasek Holdings to lead the way to do more. Let us be honest with the case for the arts in Singapore. It cannot be founded on a purely economic argument. Without the sponsor dollar, the business case for any arts production is weak, especially in a country where the audience population is small, even including visitor arrival figures. But the development of our national intellectual capital is most urgent, and this requires investment. Giving to the arts begets superior returns – the dividends may be intangible, but the longer term pay-offs are very pertinent. After all, we cannot have a nation weaned purely on Broadway musicals. Mamma Mia! ✩ Madeleine Lee is an investment manager, a poet and a sometime fundraiser for the arts.

Nov-Dec 2005 S A LT •

ONE YEAR AFTER THE ASIAN TSUNAMI DISASTER, HOW HAS SINGAPORE HELPED TO RESTORE THE LIVES OF THE PEOPLE IN THE TSUNAMI-AFFECTED COUNTRIES? THE SINGAPORE RED CROSS FILES THIS TIMELY REPORT CARD.

THE ROAD

RECOVE

t has been almost a year since the Asian tsunami hit several of our neighbours in the region and destroyed countless lives. Yet Singaporeans continue to show their compassion and generosity by reaching out to the less fortunate. Many people and organisations responded quickly to the Singapore Red Cross’ (SRC) appeal for funds and volunteered in our early stages of providing emergency and relief assistance to our affected neighbours in Aceh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. To date, of the S$86 million dollars that the Singapore Red Cross’ Tidal Waves Asia Fund received from the people of Singapore and various organisations, over 50 per cent of the money has been committed to reconstruction efforts in Aceh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives on a ratio of 65 per cent, 30 per cent and five per cent respectively (refer to Figure 1). Figure 1 5%

n ACEH n SRI LANKA n MALDIVES

30% 65%

Allocation of Funds According to Country

Together with a committee comprising representatives from various voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs)

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and headed by the chairman of the SRC, the Tsunami Reconstruction Facilitation Committee (TRFC) has in the last few months allocated close to S$50 million to 40 projects by 30 VWOs and NGOs by subsidising 80 per cent of the costs of their reconstruction projects in the affected countries. The reconstruction phase is very diverse and complex, with each proposal requiring at least six months to a year to develop and implement. These projects focus on community and housing, health, education and economic recovery (refer to Figure 2). To ensure that the funds are effectively and efficiently allocated, the projects have to undergo strict eligibility requirements for funding, closely evaluated by the TRFC.

Figure 2

n COMMUNITY & HOUSING

(including Community Centres and Orphanages

n HEALTH n EDUCATION n ECONOMIC RECOVERY n OTHERS

5 3

No. of Projects Based on Sectors

Besides the stringent evaluation criteria, the TRFC also engaged Integrated Project System (IPS) to provide expertise and advice to ensure that a Master Plan was developed for the reconstruction efforts and to put in place an effective tracking, monitoring and reporting system

ERY Mercy Relief volunteers in Meulaboh.

Red Cross volunteers getting briefed in Meulaboh.

for the disbursement of funds for projects funded by the SRC Tidal Waves Asia Fund. VWOs and NGOs that have already received in-principle approved funding have undergone the Project Planning Workshop (PPW) by IPS to learn how to track and monitor their projects effectively to ensure that the projects progress as planned

and meet the objectives, and to submit regular progress reports to the TRFC. The projects funded by the SRC Tidal Waves Asia Fund are diverse and cover a spectrum of needs of the communities. Examples of some of the projects include: n Housing by the Singapore Sinhala Association in Hambantota in Sri Lanka; n The construction of a multi purpose community centre by Maha Karuna Buddhist Society in Hambantota in Sri Lanka; n The restoration of schools by the Singapore International Foundation in Galle and Matara in Sri Lanka; n The provision of mobile clinics and vaccination of communities by the Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore and Catholic Medical Guild of Singapore in Aceh; n The building of a kindergarten and a maternity clinic by the Singapore Red Cross and the Indonesian Red Cross in Meulaboh; n The furnishing of an orphanage in Medan for 1,000 children – a joint project with the Indonesian Red Cross; and n Orphanages and school pack projects by Mercy Relief in Meulaboh. Together with Habitat for Humanity, 3,000 housing units are being constructed in Meulaboh. Tomorrow’s Hope is undertaking the building of an orphanage and three schools in Nias Island. The provision of fishing boats and an economic recovery programme has also been implemented together with Mercy Relief in Aceh and the Crisis Relief Society in Pulau Banyak. Other projects funded by the SRC Tidal Waves Asia Fund together with the Singapore Government are well on the way to completion in the next few months. These include: n A water distribution and desalination plant in the Maldives to enhance the water supply and distribution network. Training of the Maldivians to operate the desalination plant will also be provided. n Construction of an integrated school for over 1,000 children and the training of teachers with the Maldivian Government in Hulhumala Island, Maldives.

“There were many lessons learnt in managing the crisis following the Tsunami. We were fortunate that our volunteers, many members of the public and local VWOs and NGOs came forward to help. From the onset of the relief phase to the current reconstruction and rehabilitation phase, accountability, transparency and good governance are key to maintaining public trust. These elements also reinforce the importance of continued communication to inform donors that the funds they contributed are prudently used and that help is given to those who need it most. Where there is life, there is hope.” Lt Gen Winston Choo (Retd), Chairman, Singapore Red Cross; and Chairman, Tsunami Reconstruction Facilitation Committee

Construction of the permanent pier in Meulaboh to replace the damaged Dermaga Ferry Jetty, an important key entry point for supplies for the people of Meulaboh. n Refurbishment and upgrading of the Meulaboh General Hospital. To promote “software” skills transfer, a three-year Aceh-Singapore Technical Assistance Project has been put in place to provide clinical, nursing, management training for health-care workers, and the building of training centres at selected hospitals in Aceh. It is a joint effort between the SRC, the local hospitals in Singapore and selected hospitals in Meulaboh and Banda Aceh. As part of the on-going efforts towards economic recovery, plans will be made to involve more volunteer exchanges and training opportunities for local people conducted in Singapore, as well as sending our volunteers to work in the affected countries. These are just a fraction of Singapore’s efforts to help restore and rebuild the lives of the affected. Reconstruction and rehabilitation work will continue in the months to follow, and we strongly encourage VWOs and NGOs to initiate more projects in collaboration with their local counterparts. ✩ For more information, visit the Singapore Red Cross website at www.redcross.org.sg. All information accurate at press time. Nov-Dec 2005 S A LT •

SCENE&SEEN All Wrapped Up 18 October, Victoria Concert Hall Turns 100, Victoria Concert Hall

And you build it like this...

Corporate Do-Gooders

In celebration of its 100th birthday, the Victoria Concert Hall Is that a present for me? was all wrapped up with a 9.8 feet wide blue ribbon, complete with a huge bow sitting pretty on its roof! A resplendent sight from office towers across Raffles City and Suntec City, the first-ever decoration for the concert hall was generously provided by Chopard, who also sponsored celebratory concerts on 5, 7 and 9 October featuring opera great José Carreras.

17 September, AmCham Corporate Community Day

As part of the American Chamber of Commerce’s Corporate Community Day, 300 United Technologies Corporation employees and their families joined excited kids from Jamiyah Children’s Home for a fun day of sandcastle building at the East Coast Park. Divided into eight teams, the kids and adults built four-metre-tall castles under the tutelage of professional sandcastle builders. On the other end of the island, Food From the Heart together with Food, glorious food! Kraft Foods & Morgan Stanley organised a Bridging Hearts Family Carnival Day at Evergreen and Lakeside Primary Schools for needy families, complete with concerts, goodie bags and of course, food!

Going ‘Live’ 21 August, Mercy Relief ‘Live’ At Lowland, Lowland Road Collection Centre

One for the album.

Kiddy Big Walk 4 September, Singapore Children’s Society Charity Walk, Marina Promenade All ready to go!

Flagged off by Speaker of Parliament Mr Abdullah Tarmugi on a sunny Sunday morning, more than 3,600 children and their families walked 1.5 kilometres from OCBC Centre in Chulia Street to Marina Promenade as part of a Singapore Children’s Society’s fundraising event. The walk ended with a carnival at Marina Promenade, and over $150,000 was raised to help fund the Children’s Society’s programmes for needy children, wayward youths and dysfunctional families.

• S A LT Nov-Dec 2005

Some 200 Mercy Relief volunteers gathered on a balmy Sunday evening for a barbeque, karaoke, a lucky draw and the ‘live’ telecast of PM Lee’s National Day Rally speech at Lowland Road Collection Centre, Mercy Relief’s collection centre for Asian tsunami supplies. The party, sponsored by some of Mercy Relief’s corporate supporters, also marked the closure of the centre and saw the sale of over 600,000 litres of donated bottled water, the proceeds of which will go towards funding the purchase of 10 water filtration systems to provide clean drinking water for beneficiaries in Aceh.

Second Chances 11 October, Yellow Ribbon Project Appreciation Dinner, Orchard Parade Hotel

The Yellow Ribbon posse: Guest-of-Honour Assoc Prof Ho Peng Kee with the child performers at the appreciation dinner.

It was indeed a night to remember. Over 500 guests at the Yellow Ribbon Project appreciation dinner were pleasantly surprised and touched when they received specially handwritten notes from prison inmates as their parting thank you gifts. Guest-of-honour Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee, Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs, also made the momentous announcement at the dinner which will allow offenders’ with minor criminal records to have their records cleared if they stay crime-free for five years. This change, effective from 17 October, is the latest in a series of moves to help ex-convicts re-integrate painlessly into society. For more information, please call 62142816 or 62142867 or visit www.yellowribbon.org.sg.

Sitting pretty.

Sofa So Good 20 August, The Simply Sofa Project

Five sofas placed in strategic and scenic spots in downtown Singapore acted as pit-stops for a unique family bonding project designed to raise funds for Focus on the Family Singapore (FOTFS), a charity dedicated to promoting family bonding and work-life harmony. A total of 180 families spent time bonding as they made their way around the island and posed for creative pictures with the sofas. Conceived by four tertiary student volunteers, the project raised a total of $10,973 from a seed fund of $1,600 from the CitibankYMCA Youth for Causes Program.

Hair Affair 31 July, Singapore After Care Association Charity Haircut, Funan Digitalife Mall A heart full of hope.

Creative thinking, enthusiastic corporate giving and cheerful student volunteers made Singapore After Care Association (SACA)’s charity haircut event a win-win event for all involved. Over 450 customers at Kimage Funan Digitalife Mall paid only $20 each for professional haircuts by 50 volunteer stylists, while student volunteers created a buzz and provided other fee-for-service activities like express manicures, customised buttons and Polaroid memories. Participants were also encouraged to pen messages of hope for current prison inmates. Proceeds from the event went towards helping offenders, ex-offenders and their families.

Warm & Fuzzy

Cheryl in action at the fair.

7 – 9 October, World Animal Day by Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Parco Bugis Junction

In conjunction with World Animal Day, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) organised a three-day fair at Parco Bugis Junction where some lucky shoppers got up close with celebrity vet and SPCA volunteer, Miss Singapore Universe 2005 Cheryl Tay, who was on hand to answer their queries on pet care. Beauty, brains and compassion – now that’s a lethal combination!

Nov-Dec 2005 S A LT •

CALENDAR D A T E S

T O

DO YOU HAVE AN EVENT YOU WOULD LIKE TO PUBLICISE? We welcome your news of upcoming events and pictures. Please send them to SALT, 7 Maxwell Road, #05-01 Annex B MND Complex, Singapore 069111; or email salt@nvpc.org.sg. Please include your name, the name of your organisation, address and telephone number. SALT reserves the right to edit submissions for space and clarity.

N O T E

3 December The Idea of North – Charity Concert in aid of St Luke’s Hospital & Eldercare

November Disability Awareness Public Education (DAPE) Campaign

Venue: University Cultural Centre, National University of Singapore Time: 8pm The Idea of North, an award-winning Australian a cappella group, will give its debut performance in Singapore at a Christmas concert organised in aid of St Luke’s Hospital and St Luke’s Eldercare centres. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports and Second Minister for Trade and Industry will grace the event as the guest-of-honour. For more information, call 65674310 or 65670708 or email slecl@singnet.com.sg.

Organised by the National Council of Social Service, this month-long campaign aims to raise awareness for people with disabilities. A series of events including a walkathon, an appreciation lunch for corporate volunteers and a weekend carnival at HDB Hub are in the pipeline. For more information, visit www.ncss.org.sg/dape.

available for preview at the Club 21 Gallery, Four Seasons Hotel. For more information, visit www.artoutreachprogram.org or call 68739505.

13 November ‘Just Kick It!” Charity Soccer Fiesta 2005

23 November Man Fut Tong Nursing Home Flag Day

Venue: 735 Old Choa Chu Kang Road Time: 9am to 5pm For two Sundays on 13 and 20 November, Just Kick It! the charity soccer fiesta will be raising funds for the repair and retrofitting works of the Teen Challenge DARE Centre, a Christian halfway house for adults recovering from addictions. Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee, Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs will launch the event on 13 November. Tickets are available at $5 each for the soccer tournament and Fiesta Fair. Cash donations are also welcome. For more information, call 67937933.

17 November Art Invitational – Charity Art Auction & Gala Dinner in aid of Art Outreach Venue: Four Seasons Hotel A Christie’s auction of unique works of art commissioned by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) for its Art In Transit programme will be held to raise funds for Art Outreach’s programmes to promote art literacy. The selection of original artworks from contemporary artists such as Cultural Medallion winner Tan Swie Hian and architect-artist Sun Yu Li are

• S A LT Nov-Dec 2005

Venue: Island-wide Time: 8am to 8pm Man Fut Tong Nursing Home (MFTNH) will be having its flag day today. Funds raised will go towards meeting the basic needs of the nursing home’s residents, of which over 70 per cent are from very low-income households or are destitute. For more information, call Victor Lim at 6368 3301 or email victorlim@mft.org.sg.

24 November The National Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards 2005 Gala Dinner Venue: Oriental Hotel Time: 7pm Honouring those who have set excellence benchmarks in encouraging the spirit of giving in Singapore, the National Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards 2005 will be presented by guest-of-honour Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Law Professor S Jayakumar at a

gala dinner at the Oriental Hotel. The five awards categories are: Corporate Citizen, Nonprofit Organisation; New Nonprofit Initiative; Innovative Fundraising Initiative and the Special Recognition Award.

1 – 2 December Creating a Pro-Volunteer Culture & How to Lead, Motivate and Retain Volunteers Venue: National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre Time: 9am to 5pm Fee: $300 (inclusive of GST) Nett Fee: $90 (after 70% NTG subsidy for Singaporeans and PRs), $150 (after 50% NTG subsidy for employment pass/ work permit holders) Not to be missed, this two-day course will be led by two leading volunteer management experts from Australia, Andy Fryar and Martin J Cowling. Learn how to create an environment conducive towards volunteering as well as steps you can take to ensure that your volunteers remain committed and motivated. For more information or to register, please visit www.nvpc.org.sg or call Ms Lam Moy Yin at 6550 9566 or email moyyin@nvpc.org.sg.

4 December Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2005 Start Point: Esplanade Bridge An estimated 18,000 runners and 33,500 spectators are expected at this annual fundraising event which features six different categories,

including the brand new CEO Challenge – a 10-kilometre race targeted at the heads of Singapore’s corporate fraternity. Funds raised will go to Seeing Is Believing, a global Standard Chartered Bank programme that aims to restore the sight of visually disabled people around the world. For more information, visit www.singaporemarathon.com.

4 December Walk The Extra Mile With Me Carnival 2005 Venue: Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza Time: 7.30am The annual fair by the Children Charities Association comes with an extra twist this year – a walk “marathon” themed Walk The Extra Mile With Me which allows individuals and organisations to sponsor a child to walk with them at $50 per child. The 3-kilometre route proceeds along Orchard Road, Tomlinson Road, Orchard Boulevard, Paterson Road and back, ending at Ngee Ann Civic Plaza where the carnival is. For more information, call Ms Mariati Selamat at 6773 2561 or email ccassn@pacific.net.sg.

“If I can help, I will help.” Agnes Tan, 85, youngest daughter of the late Tan Cheng Lock, founder of the Malayan Chinese Association. She made headlines recently when she donated $5.5 million to the National University of Singapore, specifying that the sum be used for the purchase of a traditional Peranakan house in Neil Road and two shophouses in Malacca to teach young Singaporeans about Peranakan history, culture and architecture.

“We do not raise funds for the sake of raising funds. We manage our funds well. They are for worthy causes.” Claire Lim, president, Asian Women’s Welfare Association (AWWA), on the charity’s need to fundraise for its planned care centre for special-needs children and a caregivers’ training centre.

“I will do this till I can’t walk anymore.” Volunteer Theresa Yip, 75, Lions Befrienders’ Long Service Award winner and Active Senior Citizen of the Year 2005 nominee

“Come, and we will help you, even if something has happened. Nobody can condemn a person except God.” Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim speaking to 50 youths at the Al-Falah Mosque, which will run a drop-in centre for troubled Muslim youths.

“She has been like an angel to my family.” Widower Mohamed Abdullah on Care Corner Family Service Centre (Admiralty) social worker Priscilla Teo. She came to the family’s rescue by helping them to apply for aid and keeping in touch with them when the family lost its sole breadwinner, Mr Abdullah’s wife, to renal failure. Mr Abdullah had been retrenched earlier from his job as a delivery van driver.

“What is really important is that people help others who are less fortunate, whether in big or small ways. Big words and philosophy are fine, but there is really no excuse for saying you want to help but cannot.”

“My motives are in the right place, and I will continue doing what I’m doing. It is beyond my control if I cannot convince everybody.” Dr William Tan, paraplegic and wheelchair marathoner, on why he pays scant attention to those who label his constant fundraising efforts as publicity seeking. To date, he has helped to raise over $14 million for charities in Singapore and overseas.

“I’m very lucky that God gave me the talent and my parents can afford to send me to expensive piano classes. I know not many people have that “We spent two nights counting the coins!” luxury so I hope we can all help them.” Mazuin Khamis, Ngee Ann Polytechnic graduate, in his 17 October contribution to The Straits Times YouThink section.

Mike Barclay, SilkAir’s chief executive officer, on the in-flight fundraising exercise conducted by SilkAir staff for Asian tsunami victims. About S$60,000 – in 34 different currencies – was collected in total. For its effort, SilkAir was honoured with a humanitarian award by the United Nations Association of Singapore (Unas).

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Singaporean piano prodigy Abigail Sin, 13, on performing at ChildAid, a charity concert organised by Singapore Press Holdings featuring some of Singapore’s youngest musical talents. The concert aims to raise $300,000 for The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund and The Business Times Budding Artists Fund.