Opening Remarks by President Halimah Yacob at the President's Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards 2021

Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth & Second Minister for Law

Mr Seah Chin Siong, Chairman, National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre

Distinguished guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good afternoon. It gives me great joy to join you for this year’s President’s Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards (PVPA).

Almost two years on, we are still battling COVID-19. But just as the pandemic has disrupted our economy and everyday life, it has also brought out the best in some Singaporeans, who gave their best for others. This year’s PVPA is a clear testament that giving is part of Singaporeans’ DNA with a record-breaking number of 315 nominations, a 33 percent increase from last year.

Today, we recognise 12 outstanding individuals, organisations, and leaders for their exemplary work in giving and inspiring the public to be more other-centred, and in fostering some wonderful cross-sector partnerships in the spirit of SG Cares.

15-year-old J’den Teo, who is receiving the People of Good – Student award, has shown us that you are never too young to give back to the community. An avid artist, J’den uses his talent and passion for art to fundraise and established TAD Charity with the support of his parents. He has also delivered talks in schools to share the mindset of “charity starts with me”. Since 2018, J’den has raised more than $100,000 for several causes including Children’s Cancer Foundation and the SPH Pocket Money Fund. I understand that J’den is currently in the midst of his exams and I wish him the very best.         

Today, we are also recognising Caregivers Alliance Limited (CAL) as the recipient of the Organisation of Good – Non-Profit Organisation award. CAL has a signature 12-week Caregivers-to-Caregivers programme, run exclusively by a CAL staff with a group of volunteer trainers and peer support leaders who were beneficiaries of the programme. To raise awareness and support caregivers, CAL has reached out to more than 2,500 people through workshops and raised over $500,000 from a wellness activity in the last year. This is a momentous achievement for our caregivers and bolsters Singapore’s social effort towards supporting mental health issues.

I would also like to share about an altruistic leader who is always looking to create opportunities in non-academic pathways for disadvantaged students. David Hoe is this year’s winner of Leaders of Good - Youth award. David founded the social empowerment initiative, I Am Talented (IAT), in 2011 to enable youths to discover their talent through song writing and photography workshops. Despite the pandemic, he continued his outreach to youths in schools by partnering with Central CDC and collaborating with corporates like Nikon and AIS Cube. In the last five years, IAT has benefitted more than 1,000 students.  

Besides devoting himself to IAT, David is a two-term National Youth Council (NYC) member and a strong supporter of NYC’s key initiatives. His contributions include being a consultant to teams working on social impact projects in the Youth Action Challenge, sharing his knowledge and expertise, and leading a workgroup under the Mentoring Alliance for Action launched earlier this year.

The pandemic has taught us that we are stronger together.  This year, the newly-minted City of Good Award honours two winners for their efforts in collaboration and uplifting the community.

Project Belanja was initiated by Blossom World Society, the Restaurant Association of Singapore and ItsRainingRaincoats to provide migrant workers with regular meals and befriending support at the height of the pandemic last year. Within eight months, more than 400,000 meals were purchased from over 100 local restaurants and catering businesses, using funds raised on Giving.sg.

Beyond our shores, a cross-border partnership helped reduce mortality rate of infants and children under five at a hospital in Surabaya, Indonesia. The Singapore International Foundation and SingHealth teamed up with Surabaya Haji General Hospital (SHGH) to launch the Paediatric Emergency & Neonatal Care Project, which enables our healthcare specialists to work with their overseas counterparts. Medical volunteers including doctors, nurses and consultants from KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital shared their expertise with SHGH staff, through clinical training workshops and a symposium. I am glad to note that over a three-year period of the project, the infant mortality rate in SHGH significantly reduced to less than a third of what it used to be. This is a stellar example of how our nation can bring goodness to the region.

COVID-19 has changed the way we live. But it has also further emphasised the importance of building and sustaining a caring and cohesive society.

My heartiest congratulations to all our winners. Thank you for exemplifying the spirit of a Singapore that cares and inspiring us to become a City of Good.

Thank you.