SINGAPORE – Singaporeans have stepped up to help those in need and those most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.From January to May this year, $90 million was donated to the Community Chest, the Community Foundation of Singapore’s Sayang Sayang Fund which was set up in February, and through online donation platform Giving.sg.
Michelle: Let’s start with CFS and the work that it does. How does it support charities and why did the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS) start the Sayang Sayang Fund?Catherine: The Community Foundation of Singapore is also a charity. We were founded in 2008, and our main objective is to inspire philanthropy in Singapore. We do that by helping donors achieve a greater impact with their giving in communities through charitable funds. Donors can establish their own funds or if they wish, they could support one of the Community Impact Funds that we’ve started up.
In less than one week, the Fund received $450,000 in donations and pledges of about $900,000The Fund aims to raise $3 million by end of April
It is seldom that we honour the accomplishments of women who give their all without asking anything in return, whose humanitarianism managed to achieve great success against all odds.International Women’s Day is one such day of reflection and remembrance of the efforts of women all around the world, both past and present. It looks back on the struggles of women from the past like Rosa Parks, the ‘first lady of civil rights’, who strove for an equal and fairer society to empower the women of the future.
When Lebanese painter Marie-jose Jed was looking to adopt a charity for her art exhibition, a chance conversation with a friend turned into an opportunity to collaborate with the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS).Having lived in Singapore since 2008, Marie-jose believes in giving back to the place she now calls home. “Singapore has given me so much. The least I can do is to give back in any way I can,” she said.
Widening social inequality, an ageing population, and climate change – these are the issues that frame our world, as Singapore celebrates its bicentennial year in 2019. Yet alongside these social challenges, we’re also reminded of our long history of philanthropy in tackling local community needs. Take for instance, the recent 200 Years of Philanthropy in Singapore at the Temasek Shophouse, where it was heartening to see philanthropy being celebrated as a vital thread in Singapore’s success story.But how will local donors continue to contribute to Singapore’s future? With the number of high-net-worth individuals here expected to grow by 22% to 250,000 by 2023, philanthropy is at an inflection point. We’ve already seeing broader shifts in our donor landscape: donors are getting younger; more Singaporeans are becoming socially aware, and technology is empowering new modes of giving.
Ageing isn’t something most people think positively about. Think of old age and most people – especially seniors themselves – would naturally fixate on the negatives. Yet for young charity Empower Ageing, it’s been changing entrenched mindsets with a series of innovative programmes and solutions – including a clarion call to seniors to ‘go for your mountain’.On a learning journey for Seniors Colabs, representatives from various sectors joined Empower Ageing at Cornerstone Senior Centre in Cheng San. During the ice-breaking session, Colabs participants were challenged by Empower Ageing’s founder Isaiah Chng to reconsider their assumptions about old age. Instead of viewing old age as a time of disempowerment and frailty, can seniors be encouraged to think differently?
While most people accept that ageing is inevitable, the prospect of spending their twilight years in a nursing home fills many with dread. It is not hard to imagine why. The mental associations are gloomy – sterile environments, impersonal care and intrusive communal living.By tackling these stereotypes head-on, one local nursing home is determined to shift mindsets about residential aged care. Through its human-centred care philosophy, the management at St Theresa’s Home (formerly the Little Sisters of the Poor) firmly believes that as society progresses, nursing homes can be a conducive place for seniors to thrive as they age.
In October 2018, 55 representatives from the government, corporate and non-profit sectors together with a group of senior citizens, gathered to deliberate the answers to one question: How can our seniors live more happily in the community? For everyone in the room, the inaugural session of Seniors Colabs marked the start of a new collaborative journey, with participants expected to meet regularly over a six-month period to share knowledge, build insights and find practical ways to help seniors age well. As the third and final run of a three-part Colabs series, Seniors Colabs brings people with a common desire to tackle issues around growing old in Singapore.
Mr Laurence Lien, Chairman, Community Foundation of SingaporeMs Catherine Loh, CEO, Community Foundation of Singapore
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