Year of Celebrating Social Service Partners
Equipping children with financial literacy skills
DBS looks to create impact far beyond banking. Through DBS Foundation, it focuses on uplifting and empowering the community. Together with ComLink, they launched a financial literacy programme for children living in rental flats.
Piloted on 2022, the programme sees DBS staff volunteers teaching children 6 to 12 about budgeting, cashless payments and environmental sustainability.
Photo credit: DBS
"Many find financial literacy too complicated for the young, but content can be curated to be fun and simple," says volunteer, Chia Miao Ting, a data analyst.
The bank developed a curriculum with games and activities so that the children can actively participate and learn the important life skill of managing finances in the future.
DBS Foundation plans to extend the programme to reach all 14,000 families across 21 ComLink towns.
Learn more about DBS' People of Purpose spirit here.
For organisations - Partner DBS here.
For individuals - Support ComLink here.
Joyful learning for children in need
In 2021, EtonHouse started Joyful Learning, a programme that helps children from lower-income families discover the wonderful world of books through storytelling. In turn, boosting their literacy, numeracy, self-expression, and motor skills.
Tapping into their expertise, EtonHouse preschool teachers and their volunteers, take turns weekly to run these sessions for up to 15 children at a time. After two sessions, each child selects a book to encourage them to continue reading at home.
Partnering with other charities and social service agencies, the programme has since benefitted over 100 children across six locations.
To encourage more volunteers to join hands and help expand Joyful Learning, they developed a Teacher Everywhere programme that equips volunteers with the skills to motivate children to read.
Photo credit: EtonHouse Community Fund
If you would like to support Joyful Learning by donating or volunteering, check out these links.
For individuals: https://www.ehcommunityfund.org.sg/programmes/joyful-learning
For organisations:
https://www.ehcommunityfund.org.sg/how-to-partner
Volunteer to support children with our social service partners:
Care Corner Singapore:
https://www.carecorner.org.sg/volunteer
Making an impact and serving up happiness
A brand built on happiness, McDonald's Singapore has always stood for strong family bonds and togetherness.
Driven by that purpose, McDonald's has partnered Families for Life since 2022 for their Family Mental Wellness campaign, aimed at reinforcing
the importance of parent's play in their children's lives. Over 100 parents attended McDonald's 'Triple P' (Positive Parenting Programme) seminars.
McDonald's also supports ComLink families through 2,400 sponsored Happy Family packs, filled
with meal vouchers and Happy Meal books and toys.
When asked how other corporate entities can make an impact in society, McDonald's Managing Director, Benjamin Boh reflects on staying true to one's values.
"Family and Inclusivity
are part of our core values. These translate into how we show care for the community, serving and taking care of families and those in need. So I'd say: stay true to your core values, to guide how you make meaningful impact on the community."
Find out how you can support McDonald's & Familes for Life:
- For Individuals, join as a volunteer: familiesforlife.sg/join-as-a-volunteer/Pages/default.aspx
- For Corporates, learn more at: familiesforlife.sg/Pages/faq.aspx
Creating jobs for persons with disabilities
Property developer Oxley Gem is recognised for their best practices in disability-inclusive employment, having received the Enabling Mark for two consecutive years.
It partners with Accor to manage hotels, Novotel and Mercure Singapore on Stevens, where they create a more accessible workplace for persons with disabilities in the hospitality industry.
Photo credit: Accor
They encouraged the hiring of more persons with disabilities, and put in place measures to create an inclusive work environment. This includes revised performance management, such as looking into better job fit and work scope for persons with disabilities.
They are also targeting a hire rate of 8% for persons with disabilities, a commitment made known across the entire organisation.
Giving young children a good start in life
As part of their “DO Good” culture of serving the community, Prudential Singapore partners with KidSTART to encourage good early childhood nutrition among lower-income households.
Prudential staff and financial consultants volunteer to pack and distribute fresh produce, such as fruits and vegetables to KidSTART families in a bid to introduce them to healthier food sources. Prudential also funds fresh produce packs for 1,500 families monthly.
In 2022, the insurer also launched a cooking show called “What’s for Lunch?” to encourage KidSTART families to cook and eat healthy. Helmed by a professional chef and host, the series shows how local favourites can be prepared in a more nutritious way.
Photo credit: Prudential Singapore
Learn more about Prudential’s DO Good initiatives here.
Find out how you can support KidSTART
Singapore -
For organisations: https://kidstart.sg/be-a-sponsor-or-donor/
For individuals: https://kidstart.sg/be-a-volunteer/
Powering up a culture of giving
Singapore’s grid operator, SP Group, believes in growing a culture of giving within its ranks. Staff at all levels actively volunteer towards diverse causes, from young children to tertiary students and seniors.
To inculcate such culture, they encourage staff to volunteer during working hours and even accord official leave for volunteering – leading to 8,000 total volunteering hours clocked by staff in 2022.
Photo credit:
SP Group
In 2021, the group’s contributions across donations, sponsorships and manpower totalled $2.1 million. Particularly, in their work with KidSTART to empower children in lower-income families and supporting child development.
Photo credit: SP Group
For Mr Giles Ee, Executive Engineer at SP Group, volunteering has taught him that even small things can make a giant impact. Whether it’s lending a listening ear to beneficiaries or organising simple events, each person has unique skills that can be used to help others.
To support KidStart Singapore
Individuals may visit: https://kidstart.sg/be-a-volunteer
Organisations may visit: https://kidstart.sg/be-a-sponsor-or-donor