salt_2006_11_12

For Volunteers, Donors and NonprofitsNo. 18Nov-Dec 2006

HairRaisingEffortsHair for Hope Comes Out Tops

Who’sThe Boss?Red Cross Chief Lt-Gen Winston Choo Reveals All

In FullTechnicolourChristopher Yeow’s World

And theWinner Is...

National Volunteerism & Philanthropy

Awards 2006

DoingGood

WellThe 2006 Report Card

The OtherKidney

FoundationDr Gordon Ku

on KDF’s Future

A Matter of Ethics

ABN AMRO Singapore Talks Business

Nov-Dec 2006 S A LT • 1

contents SALT No. 18 Nov-Dec 2006

DEPARTMENTS

23

It has certainly been a tumultuous time for the charity sector, but with the scandals now behind us, it’s time to give due credit to the good work that has carried on despite the setbacks. MICHELLE BONG looks back on an eventful year and meets the stellar line-up of winners of the National Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards 2006.

2 LETTER FROM SALT

4 MAILBAG

6 NEWS BRIEFSA wrap-up of events, programmes and activities in the People Sector.

PEOPLE MOVEMENTSAppointments and new postings in the People Sector.

9 VOLUNTEER PROFILENephrologist Dr Gordon Ku took his love for his vocation one step further by setting up the Kidney Dialysis Foundation.

10 PEOPLE SECTOR PEOPLEChristopher Yeow of Very Special Arts shows that all it takes is a little love and compassion to colour someone’s world.

11 WALK THE TALKABN AMRO Singapore empowers its staff to excel not just in the office, but also for the future benefit of the community.

19 NEW SALTKampung Senang Charity & Education Foundation shows that getting the most out of life has nothing to do with worldly pleasures.

24 SALT THOUGHTSWILLIE CHENG argues for a relaxation of some of the restrictive rules around fundraising for overseas purposes in Singapore.

28 SALT AND PEPPERThere’s nothing new about the recent displays of philanthropic largesse or is there? Mal Warwick ponders.

29 CALENDAR

30 SCENE AND SEEN

32 A DASH OF SALTSALT pays tribute to the late Elizabeth Choy.

When it comes to creating synergies with other organisations, JACK SIM believes that anyone can be your partner.

12SALT SHAKERS AND MOVERS

Generally SpeakingSingapore Red Cross Society chairman Lt-Gen Winston Choo has quietly gone about the work of transforming the organisation from that of providing first aid training to a humanitarian organisation with an international role. TAN HWEE HWEE chats with the former military top gun for a de-brief of his last decade in office. 20

ON THE COVERShaving their heads in the name of charity is no skin off the noses of volunteers (from top) Vincent Sum, Suzi Ong, Sandra Chew and Dylan Ong who gamely took it all off for Children’s Cancer Foundation’s Hair for Hope 2006 fundraising campaign. MICHELLE BONG profiles the Innovative Fundraising Initiative Award winner of this year’s National Volun-teerism & Philanthropy Awards on page 12.

Photograph courtesy of Children’s Cancer Foundation.

2 • S A LT Nov-Dec 2006

SALT is a nonprofit magazine with a managed circulation for members of nonprofit organisations, grantmakers

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EDITORSuzanne Lim

CONTRIBUTORSMichelle Bong

Tan Hwee Hwee

PUBLISHING CONSULTANT AND MEDIA REPRESENTATIVE

Epigram

SALT is published bi-monthly by the National Volunteer

& Philanthropy Centre7 Maxwell Road

#05-01 Annex B, MND Complex Singapore 069111

Tel: 6550 9595 Fax: 6221 0625

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L E T T E R F R O M S A L T

In case you are wondering who those gallant gentlemen are standing protectively by my side, they are no less than Liak Teng Lit (right) and Assoc Prof Pang Weng Sun, the CEO and chairman of the Medical Board of Alexandra Hospital respectively.

This was taken at their annual dinner and dance recently, to which I was invited as a volunteer member of their Medifund Committee. Such is the expert way they handle their volunteers, that we get included, along with staff, in their year-end gathering.

It is all about doing good well.In this year-end issue (and in keeping with the festive season), we celebrate all those

who do good well, including the personalities profiled. Our main feature highlights not just the winners of NVPC’s National Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards 2006, but also others who in their own salutary ways, do a professional job of mobilising volunteers, donors and resources to deliver their programmes in an impactful way.

At NVPC, we promote the spirit of giving across all sectors and to all levels of society. And what we have found notable is that indeed, people from all walks of life and organisations of every type are asking how they can volunteer, give or contribute. At a recent leadership forum, as we gathered over refreshments, the people in my little circle were talking of the different ways they were setting out to benefit the community. These included the institutions of higher learning (SMU), interest group associations (Restaurant Association) and skills training centres (SHATEC). All this was done without prompting on my part, I guarantee you. It was simply the spontaneous outpouring of like-minded hearts seeking to give wherever they are in their respective spheres of influence.

With all this growing interest in doing good on the part of the giving public, it behoves those of us who work in and for the nonprofit sector – the practitioners in the field – to do good well, so that giving interest continues to grow to its full beauteous glory.

This final issue for 2006 is also the last under the editorship of our editor Suzanne Lim. If you have enjoyed reading SALT, join me in appreciating her for the superb way she has made SALT an altogether enjoyable and educational read for us all.

Have a joyous giving season!

Tan Chee KoonChief Executive OfficerNational Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre


MAILBAGDO 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 [email protected] include your name, address and daytime phone number. Letters and articles may be edited for space and clarity.

Quality Giving

Iread with interest your feature story Quality Giving in your Sept-Oct issue. Local philanthropy is indeed funded by many helping hands, but philanthropic giving by individuals can grow a lot more if the donors can be linked directly to the needy

on the receiving side.Recent articles in The Straits Times have proposed the setting up of a trust fund

for parents and others to contribute. This can accelerate individual giving if structured properly. Individual trust funds when kept in a public master register as proposed conceptually by Bizlink to the Enabling Master Plan allow an individual giver to support another individual directly. The immediacy and transparency is appealing.

This register can also carry certified individual net worth and income-expenditure statements to allow donors to assess the actual financial needs of beneficiaries seeking assistance. Access to this master registry allows an individual donor to quickly deter-mine the most needy with the least funds in order to help them.

This public master registry need not be restricted to people with disabilities. It can also address other disadvantaged groups like the aged and needy medical patients. Being a Singaporean would mean a lot more now as the social safety net of this inclu-sive society is not only supported by the government, but also by a philanthropic public.

Alvin Lim, General Manager, Bizlink Centre Singapore Ltd

Well Done, SALT!

Iwould just like to commend SALT magazine on a job well done over the last two years!As a mark of your magazine’s growing

influence, we at Hill & Knowlton are seeing a growing number of our corporate clients taking an interest in SALT as they develop socially responsible business practices for their companies.

Model corporate citizenship and ethics boil down to leadership, superior management and quality people. Our clients see SALT as an ideal platform for

them to tell their CSR stories as SALT covers topics related to volunteer profiles, nonprofit features, thought leadership stories and how-to articles

on developing sound CSR policies.Keep up the great work!

Cheryl Long, Consultant Hill & Knowlton Singapore

The article Quality Giving in your Sept-Oct issue was an inter-esting read.

Is Singapore’s surfeit of charities scrambling for a limited pool of resources? Is the charity scene bursting at its seams, with too many VWOs vying for scarce resources such as funds and volunteers?

In my opinion, resources such as funds and volunteers are unlimited. What is perhaps needed is to try to be more creative and to think out of the box.

Recent comments in the media like “to ensure that only the deserving and genuine charities are registered” and “if everyone, even in the goodness of their hearts, starts their own thing, we’ll end up with many small charities and a lot of duplication” may have unintentionally contributed to the problems of the charity sector after the NKF saga.

Donors are becoming increasingly detached from the beneficiaries and people are just giving to high profile tele-vision charity shows or flag days. In a

recent television charity show, one could see from the donations on the screen that a large portion of the total donations came only in the last 15 minutes or so, presumably from the corporate sector. This may give Singaporeans a false sense of complacency that donations have increased, despite the NKF affair. Without personal involvement and a more direct link between donors and beneficiaries, the problem of too many VWOs vying for too few resources may just get worse.

In respect of philanthropy, if you want to give part of your life insurance proceeds to a charity, the financial adviser or insurance company may tell you that it cannot be done by completing a form and that you have to incorporate it into your will. Since about 80 per cent of Singaporeans do not have wills, this may in a way serve as a deterrent for making a bequest to charity.

Why not explore the possibility of a

national campaign to encourage Singa-poreans to donate one (or more) per cent of their existing insurance policies to a charity of their choice? The policyowner can also be given the option to allow a waiver by the executor, administrator, beneficiary or nominee to revoke the bequest at the time of claim to alleviate the concern that some may have that if their loved ones need the bequested sum more, the bequest can be revoked.

I understand that the life insurance industry is poised to announce a new regime for the nomination of beneficiaries. I hope that it can address the issue of simplifying and enabling philanthropic bequests through insurance policies.

There has been a drop in individual giving and a growth in the number of charities. This innovative way of donating may help bridge that gap.

Leong Sze Hian, Singapore Representative Inter-American Economic Council


B R I E F S

N E W SA W R A P - U P O F H A P P E N I N G S A R O U N D S I N G A P O R E

MAJOR BOOST FOR COMCHEST

The Community Chest has received a whopping $18 million donation – its largest single lump-sum one

to date – which over the next 30 years, will go towards helping the disadvantaged elderly live more

comfortable lives. The bequest was made by the late Lee Hiok Kwee when he died aged 62 in July 1992.

His family approached ComChest in July to fulfil his wish that the donation be for the benefit of the elderly.

The gift, however, is in memory of his late father, banker Lee Wee Kheng. ComChest will administer the Lee

Wee Kheng Fund which will disburse $750,000 a year over the next three decades.

Said Ms Jennie Chua, chairman of ComChest, “The estate identified the needs of the Singapore

community well, as we face the challenge of an ageing population. Programmes which address the needs

of the aged will require additional funding support in years to come.”

This is not the first time the Lee Hiok Kwee estate has made a bequest of such a scale. In 2002, the

estate donated $16 million in bank shares to the National University of Singapore (NUS), following his wish to

direct the sum to educational causes. NUS used it to fund life-sciences research. The Lee Hiok Kwee Functional

Genomics Laboratories at NUS’ Department of Biological Sciences was so named in appreciation of his gift.

Up, Up and AwayDHL, the world’s leading express and logistics company, celebrated Children’s

Day by inviting more than 100 Club Rainbow (Singapore) beneficiaries and their families to a memorable ride on the DHL Balloon, the only such attraction

in South East Asia. Located at Tan Quee Lan Street, the DHL Balloon is a tethered gas balloon fitted with a gondola that can carry a maximum of 29 passengers up to a height of about 150 meters. From such a vantage point, the riders can have a panoramic view of Singapore. The ride is part of Supporting Future Generations, an initiative under DHL’s regional corporate sustainability programme that aims to provide children and youths with access to quality healthcare, education and a sustainable environment.

What a ride! A Club Rainbow family enjoying the

panoramic view of the Singapore skyline

from the DHL Balloon.

CHARITY COUNCIL TAKES SHAPE

Following the recommendation by the

Inter-Ministry Committee (IMC) on the

Regulation of Charities and Institutions of

a Public Character (IPCs) earlier this year,

Singapore’s first Charity Council has been

formed. The Council will encourage the

adoption of good governance standards

and best practices and will help to build

governance capabilities of charities and IPCs

to enable them to comply with regulatory

requirements and to be more accountable

to the public. Appointed for a two-year term,

the Council consists of 14 members, with

Mrs Fang Ai Lian, chairman of Ernst & Young,

as its first chairperson. The other members

are: 1) Assoc Prof Mak Yuen Teen, director,

corporate governance and financial reporting

centre, NUS Business School; 2) David Tay Poey Cher, chairman, Tampines East Citizens’

Consultative Committee; 3) Ms Diana Ee-Tan,

managing director, Raffles Hotels & Resorts;

4) Suhaimi Salleh, chief executive officer,

SSS Consulting Group; 5) Rajaram Ramiah,

partner, Wee Ramayah & Partners; 6) Tan Hup Foi, chairman, Ngee Ann Polytechnic;

7) RADM (Ret) Kwek Siew Jin, chairman,

National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre;

8) Tan Kee Yong, Deputy Secretary (Services),

Ministry of Education; 9) Goh Aik Guan,

Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Health; 10)Lim Soo Ping, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of

Information, Communications and the Arts;

11) Benedict Cheong, chief executive officer,

National Council of Social Service; 12) Tan Boon Huat, chief executive director, People’s

Association; and 13) Oon Jin Teik, chief

executive officer, Singapore Sports Council.

MAKE A VIDEO, HELP END CHILD HUNGER

Tapping on the increasing popularity of viral videos, Fight Hunger: Walk the World is mobilising the

creativity of the viral video community in its bid to end child hunger with a viral video contest. Viral videos refer to video clips that gain widespread popularity through the process of Internet sharing, typically through email or instant messaging, blogs and other media sharing websites. Aimed at helping to spread the word about ending child hunger by 2015 with short, upbeat videos, the winner of the contest will get the chance to visit and film a World Food Programme School Feeding Project in a developing country. To find out more, visit www.fighthunger.org/contest.

ENHANCING LIVES

In collaboration with Handicaps Welfare Association

(HWA), global express delivery giant UPS recently

launched the UPS-HWA Internship Placement

Programme to enhance the quality of lives for HWA

members. This aims to help HWA members seek

internship opportunities with companies in Singapore,

and support their staff development programme to

enhance their management skills and knowledge.

The UPS Foundation also donated $105,000 to

fund the programme, part of which will go towards

purchasing a wheelchair accessible vehicle for

transporting HWA members.


Odile Benjamin assumed the

chair of the Singapore Symphony

Orchestra Ladies’ League on

25 August from Susie Koh, who

has stepped down after serving

on the League for 20 years.

A member of the Ladies’ League since March

2005, she will be responsible for mapping the

strategic directions as well as spearheading

new initiatives for its members. As co-chair of

the organising committee for the SSO Benefit

Dinner held at The Ritz-Carlton Millenia in

March 2006, she helped raise over $800,000 for

the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. For contact

details, email Ms Cindy Lim, assistant manager for

SSO marketing communications, at [email protected].

Frederick Foo was appointed

executive director of Mercy

Relief with effect from 1 June.

He was formerly the head of its

international relief department

and was instrumental in leading

Mercy Relief’s missions for the Pakistan Earth-

quake in October 2005. He was a volunteer

logistician on one of its missions to Melauboh

during the tsunami disaster in 2004. Prior to

joining Mercy Relief in 2004, he spent more than

25 years in the public service. Tel: 63326320;

Email: [email protected]

Susan Njoroge recently joined

DHL Asia Pacific’s regional office

as its corporate affairs manager.

Her current role sees her imple-

menting and managing program-

mes towards DHL’s corporate

sustainability strategy in the Asia Pacific. She

previously worked with DHL’s emerging markets

region (which covers the Middle East, Eastern

Europe and Commonwealth of Independent

States, Africa, CIS, Turkey and Israel) as regional

marketing services manager with communica-

tions and corporate sustainability responsibilities.

Tel: 6216 6905; Email: [email protected]

Eric Teng was appointed the chief

executive officer of the Tan Chin

Tuan Foundation with effect from

5 October. The current president

of the YMCA of Singapore,

he was a board member of the

National Council of Social Service from 1998 to

2006, where he was also chairman of the commit-

tees promoting, developing and managing

volunteers, as well as being a board director of

the YMCA of Singapore since 1985. Eric’s tasks at

the Foundation include managing the Foundation

and putting in place a professional secretariat.

P E O P L E M O V E M E N T SBALLY GOOD!

In celebration of the re-opening of its store in Takashimaya Department Store, Level 2

on 20 October, Bally donated 20 per cent of its sales from 20 October to 19 November to

the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. This is the first time Bally has partnered the SSO.

Said Odile Benjamin, chairlady of the SSO Ladies League, “I would like to thank Bally

on behalf of the SSO. Both Bally and the SSO are two organisations that at first sight may

appear to be very different in nature, but actually share many similarities: they both thrive

on tradition, precision and perfection, and both aim to please the senses of their patrons.

Like Bally, the SSO aspires to inspire internationally.”

THE AMAZING WHEEL-CHAIR RACE

Thirty-six pairs of able-bodied students took part in an

amazing race of a different sort on 3 September. Taking on the roles of wheelchair user and caregiver, they manoeuvred around Singa-pore to complete different tasks at five pit stops that included everyday activities such as grocery shopping, taking the MRT and borrowing books from a public library. Organised by the Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD) and students from NTU’s Mechanical and Aerospace Engi-neering Club, the event was an eye-opener for the participants. Said Richardo Chua who formed a team with his girlfriend, “As an avid soccer player, this was the closest I came to losing the use of my legs and it was almost unbearable. It is not pity that our handicapped friends need. It is an environment that they can seamlessly integrate into and a society that treats them as useful and equal indi-viduals that will give them the tremendous strength needed to overcome their disability.”

Project Win-WinAn international service learning project organised

by the Service Learning Club @ NIE has won the National Youth Council’s Youth Service Learning

Award 2006 (Bronze). Project Polwatta was organised for student teachers to gain experiential learning by serving in an overseas community. A total of 20 student teachers aged between 19 and 32 took part, spending 14 days from 1 to 5 December 2005 serving Polwatta School in Welligama, Sri Lanka, customising services to suit the school’s needs. The teachers also collaborated with three local schools – Qihua Primary School, Naval Base Primary School and Woodlands Ring Secondary School – for Polwatta’s fund-raising and pen pal connection programme.

The winning team with Minister of Community Development, Youth and Sports Dr Vivian Balakrishnan (centre) at the awards presentation ceremony.

Subrata Banerjee, assistant director of the Handicaps Welfare Association (extreme right), explaining its rehabilitation programmes to Mrs Patricia Herbold, US ambassador to Singapore (extreme left); Ken Torok, president, UPS Asia Pacific (second from left); and Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports (second from right).


A Better TomorrowTwelve PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) executives from

across Asia came together recently in an effort to create a better future for the local community in Yunnan, China.

Partnering with the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) under its Singapore Executive Expeditions (SXX) programme, the team of senior executives honed their leadership and cooperation skills by enhancing the learning environment of a primary school through the painting of walls, the buying of new furniture and the stocking up of the library with new books using funds raised from regional PwC firms. Team members also educated the children on basic hygiene and imparted work-life skills to students of a vocational institute.

“Today, private and public organisations are constantly looking at ways to inspire their people, to develop talent to its full potential. SIF has found such an employer in PwC,” remarked Ms Peggy Kek, SIF’s deputy executive director.

New digs – the Yunnan primary school kids pose in front of a wall painted by the PwC executives.

TAKING A STAND

For 30 hours, 600 youths aged

15 to 18 years went without

food during an overnight camp

in their stand against hunger,

poverty, child labour, HIV/AIDS,

and other issues that affect millions

of people living in countries less

developed than Singapore. The 30 Hour Famine Under No Roof Camp

was organised by World Vision Singapore and Habitat for Humanity

Singapore from 17 to 18 June. During the camp, the youths went

through a simulated and experiential role-play experience of challenges

faced by the poor communities in the event of major catastrophes.

The camp experience also included a service-learning

component where the 600 campers collected old newspapers and

clothing to help poor children suffering in Cambodia, Mongolia,

Uzbekistan and Vietnam. To find out how you can help, visit

www.30hourfamine.com.sg.

KEEPING HEARTS YOUNG

In conjunction with World Heart Day on 24 September 2006, the Singapore

Heart Foundation (SHF) launched its National Heart Week on 23 September at

Tiong Bahru Plaza. Themed ‘How Young Is Your Heart?’, SHF also conducted, for

the first time in Singapore and with support from Pfizer Singapore, a heart-health

survey among the estimated 30,000 to 50,000 visitors to the Heart Fair to survey

Singaporeans’ awareness, understanding and attitudes towards their heart health.

Said Dr C Sivathasan, vice chairman, SHF, “This year’s theme serves as a

timely reminder for all Singaporeans, young or old, to take good care of their

hearts. Many Singaporeans are unaware that our hearts can ‘age’ even faster than

our natural age, if we do not take proper care of it.”

YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE

On 8 September, 42 walkers from Sembcorp Utilities Pte Ltd

(SCU) completed a 24-hour 70km walk round Singapore to

help raise awareness of childhood cancer and funds for Children’s

Cancer Foundation (CCF). Walkers ranging from SCU’s executive

vice president Francis Gomez to junior staff members were greeted

by families, friends, business partners and CCF beneficiaries as they

returned in exuberance. With support from over 200 organisations

such as SCU’s customers and associated companies, $400,000 was

raised for CCF.

SUNGEI BULOH VOLUNTEER PROGRAMME IS 10!

On 26 August, volunteers and staff

at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

celebrated a milestone – the 10th anniversary of Sungei Buloh’s

Volunteer Programme. Deeply passionate about conserving local

nature and wildlife, these enthusiastic volunteers have sacrificed

countless weekends sharing what they know about the unique flora

and fauna of the Reserve to visitors. To commemorate this special

anniversary, the August issue of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserves news-

letter Wetlands was dedicated entirely to the volunteers and as part

of the celebrations, a bird census survey was held. For more infor-

mation about Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve, visit www.sbwr.org.sg.

Ready , set, go!

Through the old newspapers and clothing collection, some $8,000 was

received from the sale of the items.

CEO of the National Parks Board, Ng Lang (centre)

joined the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve volunteers

for a bird census survey at their 10th anniversary celebration.

For Dr Gordon Ku, a 24-hour day is virtually insufficient for him to do all that he wants to. His 10-hour

work day as a nephrologist – one who specialises in the treatment of kidney diseases – is spent going on rounds at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, seeing a non-stop stream of patients at his clinic, being on call to attend to emergencies, and clearing paperwork. In fact, his only forms of respite are a 15-minute lunch (always packed from home) at his desk and the occasional trips to the bathroom!

Outside of work, he dedicates the rest of his time to chairing meetings, speaking at events and writing medical papers linked to the nonprofit Kidney Dialysis Founda-tion (KDF) which he set up in 1996 and serves as executive chairman. KDF is not affiliated to any other kidney organisation in Singapore and provides high quality, subsidised dialysis for the most needy

members of the community. Its patients are referrals from medical social workers, and represent blue-collar workers who are among Singapore’s lowest income earners.

“KDF was started to address a strong need to help significant numbers of the needy who were not being treated. The idea was mooted by myself and three other fellow nephrologists because we felt we had to help improve the situation. As I was the only one in private practice, I took on

the challenge with the support of the others,” explains the 65-year old, whose wife is also a doctor and helps with KDF activities.

Dr Ku is responsible for the planning of the organisational structure and medical facilities at KDF, in line with its efforts to provide high quality and cost-effective treatment to patients. He says a key component of KDF’s success is the fact that dialysis services are outsourced to professional service providers through an open tender system.

Over the past decade, this formula has proven itself to be a success. What began as a single centre that treated 28 people has grown to two haemodialysis centres and a peritoneal dialysis centre that has treated over 380 patients and facilitated 38 successful transplants. Presently, there are some 14 nephrologists from both private and restructured hospitals attending to patients on a voluntary basis. And while KDF started with a seed amount of just $400,000, its coffers will soon swell with some $15 million by year’s end, thanks to a generous donation. Details of this donation are expected to be announced at the end of November.

In helping patients of KDF, Dr Ku says he himself has had much to gain. “My greatest satisfaction is the fact that my work for KDF has definitely induced changes in me,” he says. “I have become more focused, more compas-sionate, and more patient. These qualities allow me to deal better with difficulties in life. Through my efforts as a volunteer, I have

also found a sense of inner peace. Such intangible rewards cannot be bought.”

Dr Ku cites the late Dr Ee Peng Liang and Raffles Holdings’ CEO Jennie Chua as his sources of inspiration. He explains, “Both of them are similar in many ways – Dr Ee juggled a successful profession with years of tireless efforts as chairman of the Community Chest. Likewise, Jennie has done the same, devoting herself to busy work commitments and philanthropy as Dr Ee’s successor. I hope she will be in that position for a long time to come.”

In the same way, Dr Ku’s work with KDF will continue for as long as possible.

“Providence has allowed me to do what I do to help people,” he remarks, and adds that he hopes one day KDF can work with the National Kidney Foundation to help even more patients. Discussions for such a collaboration are already underway.

“I am really looking forward to the day.” ✩


To Give is to GainNephrologist Dr Gordon Ku took his love for his vocation one step further by setting up the Kidney Dialysis Foundation to provide treatment for the most needy Singaporeans.

As he tells MICHELLE BONG, he’s gained much more than he’s given.

V O L U N T E E R P R O F I L E

Building bonds: Dr Ku (in checked shirt) at Wild Wild West Nite, a recent gathering for KDF patients cum appreciation dinner for Bike Aid Singapore and Courts Singa-pore, following their charity bike ride to raise funds for KDF.

“ I have become more focused, more compas-sionate, and more patient... I have also found a sense of inner peace.”


Despite his formal designation as executive director, Christopher Yeow doesn’t consider himself

an official employee of Very Special Arts Singapore (VSA), the arts organisation that provides the disabled with opportunities to access the arts for rehabilitation and social integration.

Depending on his schedule as an adjunct lecturer at Nanyang Polytechnic where he teaches engineering informatics, Yeow spends at least half a day at VSA’s Bedok North Avenue 3 premises five times a week. His work there starts in the after-noon, when he lunches with the staff before tackling paperwork and other admin-istrative matters until the office closes at 6pm. During the annual Polytechnic term breaks, Yeow works full days at VSA and sometimes clocks extra hours as a result of related meetings and functions.

This routine was born in 2001 following a request by VSA’s chairman Philip Ng that Yeow help VSA out in the

short run by spending half a day there everyday to supervise the staff and manage the daily operations. What was supposed to be a short period of involvement has now lasted five years! While some people may ponder the wisdom of putting in so much time and effort into a non-remunerating

honorary position, Yeow, who’s also a member of the Toastmasters Club and several other grassroots and social service organ-isations, has absolutely no regrets.

“I have always been interested in people and in bringing out the best in people, whether it is in my profession as an industrial engineer, as a lecturer, or in my involvement in the various social service organisations. I enjoy much personal satisfaction when I see the results of my efforts and knowing that I have given my best,” he says.

Yeow’s involvement with VSA began right from its formation in 1993 as part of a project under the National Council of Social Service, with whom he has been a regular volunteer since 1972. Some 34 years later, he continues to facilitate VSA’s visual and performing arts programmes for children, youths and adults with disabili-ties as well as special education teachers, trainers, volunteers and parents of these special people. Programmes include handi-craft workshops, art seminars, children’s arts camps, dance therapy sessions and overseas arts exchanges.

Under Yeow’s stewardship, VSA’s reach has certainly grown. Its current projected number of beneficiaries stands at 830, compared to less than 100 when it first

started. It also regularly submits works for exhibitions organised by VSA Arts (the international arm of VSA) and is invited regularly to the VSA Arts International Art Festival which is organ-ised once every five years. In addition, it has raised awareness that the act of creating art is especially beneficial to people with disabilities and since 2002,

VSA has had a home to call its own.In view of these milestones, Yeow is

excited to do more in 2007.“We hope to put up new shows to

promote our professional artists and new programmes to develop new emerging artists. We will be participating in the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival in February 2007 as the theme for the festival is Art and the Disabled, and we’re looking to initiate new classes and workshops in this area. We also intend to reach out to schools in our public education programme and to initiate activities that will promote social integration between students of special schools and main-stream schools using the area of art.”

Citing his peers in the social service sector as sources of inspiration, in partic-ular former Member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC, Dr S Vasoo, whom he considers “a good friend and mentor for his unassuming and total commitment to improving the lives of Singaporeans”, Yeow demurs when he is credited for much of VSA’s success.

“Without the dedicated and committed VSA staff and volunteers, none of this would be possible.” ✩

It’s a Colourful LifeHe’s trained in the field of engineering informatics, but Christopher Yeow of

Very Special Arts shows that all it takes is a little love and compassion to colour someone’s world. MICHELLE BONG peeks into his colour-filled world.

“ I have always been interested in bringing out the best in people, whether it is in my profession as an industrial engineer or in my involvement in the various social service organisations. “

P E O P L E S E C T O R P E O P L E

Group effort: Christopher Yeow (back row, fourth from left) with participants of the VSA-Credit Suisse workshop Beliefs and Perspectives in September 2006.


While other banks see their employees leaving the organi-sation as soon as they find

better paying employment somewhere else, global financial institution ABN AMRO Singapore enjoys a turnover rate lower than that of the national average.

This is undoubtedly linked to the bank’s strong commitment to being responsible for its employees’ wellbeing and providing a conducive work envi-ronment for them. “We believe a happy worker is a productive worker. That is why we invest a lot into providing a healthy, inspiring and inclusive work environment for all our staff,” says Molly Yeo, its head of human resource.

Such a positive attitude is very much in line with ABN AMRO’s CSR efforts. Last year alone, the bank initiated several activities and programmes to promote work-

life balance among the staff. Based on participation rates, their three main proj-ects – Wealth Is Health, We Are Family and Employee Volunteer Programme – were highly successful, with the volunteer pool growing to 206 this year. This represents a 58 per cent jump from 130, and makes up 16 per cent of their total workforce.

Other initiatives to boost workforce wellbeing include family care leave, where a day’s paid leave per calendar year is granted to staff to enable them to fulfil

their family obligations; daily exercise classes which have proven to be overwhelmingly popular; newborn wellness, a benefit that allows staff to claim for expenses incurred by their newborn before the baby is discharged from the hospital; and employee volunteer programme oppor-tunity, where employees get a day of paid leave to offer their time and effort towards activities targeted at various charity groups.

Explains managing director and country executive David Wong, “Depending on their skills and interests, employees can select the type of activities they want to take on as volunteers. Some do gardening; others facilitate workshops and give financial planning trainings. Through the volunteering programmes, staff from the different business units also get a chance to work together outside of the bank and that helps in developing better relation-ships and fostering stronger bonds among the colleagues.

“One of our most successful initiatives has been the gifts-in-kind collection drive. Under the programme, we get the volun-tary welfare organisations we support to give us a list of the things they need and we try to fulfil them by getting the staff to contribute. Each year, we’ve organised a three-day fair to collect the goods.

95 per cent of the wish list has been fulfilled so far for the four beneficiaries – Tampines Family Service Centre, Beyond Social Services, Pertapis Centre for Women and Girls, and Students Care Service. Based on the very good feedback, we will continue to run this programme in 2007.”

On top of monitoring staff welfare levels, steps are also taken to ensure that business practices

are transparent, and authority figures are accountable and responsible in all their business undertakings.

A Singapore Compact member, ABN AMRO recently won the 2006 Gold Medal for International Corporate Achieve-ment in Sustainable Development by the World Environment Centre. This accolade, says Wong, is an endorsement of their efforts and an encouragement for them to continue doing more.

Come 2007, the bank will continue to focus on underprivileged youths through a charity concert (a first for the bank), and continue with current in-house campaigns Kill-A-Watt and Leaves-For-Later that encourage energy saving and recycling respectively.

Declares Wong, “Our leaders and senior managers are trained to make decisions in response to global challenges such as environmental change, human rights abuses, inequality and poverty.

“We manage our business processes to bring about positive impacts on societies and communities and we will not work with companies that are known to have engaged in activities detrimental to the progression and development of society.” ✩

Future ForwardABN AMRO Singapore’s business and CSR policies speak volumes about

the way it empowers its staff to excel not just in the office, but also for the future benefit of the community, as MICHELLE BONG discovers.

“ We will not work with companies that are known to have engaged in activities detrimental to the progression and development of society.”

W A L K T H E T A L K

Paddle pop: ABN AMRO volunteers on a kayaking excursion with beneficiaries from Tampines Family Service Centre.

T he Dalai Lama once said: “Compassion is not religious business, it is human business; it is not luxury, it is

essential for our own peace and mental stability, it is essential for human survival.”

Volunteers here may not be familiar with these wise words, but they’ve certainly celebrated them through action. As seen

from the spectrum of good work being undertaken, one thing is apparent: when it comes to doing good, there are plenty of individuals, nonprofit organisations and corporations who do it, and who do it well.

Their efforts reflect, in addition to their passion, an unwavering commitment to their mission, perseverance and a keen desire to raise practice standards in the face of adver-sity. Despite the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and Singapore Association for the Visually Handicapped (SAVH) mismanage-ment scandals and floundering public confi-dence, nonprofit organisations and volunteer welfare groups stood shoulder-to-shoulder with multinational corporations and local companies in a display of camaraderie and trust, to further champion the contribution of time, money or effort to help the needy.

“2006 was a relatively successful fund-raising year for us despite the post-NKF negativity and donor hesitation,” reveals Alfred Tan, executive director of the Singa-pore Children’s Society. “We were challenged to consolidate our own processes within the organisation to ensure that we fully met more stringent rules. But we managed to overcome these with a good team of staff and committee members and the continued


It has certainly been a tumultuous time for the charity sector, but with the scandals now behind us, it’s time to give due credit to the good work that has carried on despite the setbacks. MICHELLE BONG looks back on an eventful year and meets the stellar line-up of winners of the National Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards 2006.


support of our major community partner OCBC Bank.”

Highlights of the year for the Children’s Society include several successful collabo-rations for fundraising events. For instance, their gala charity dinner – Dim Sum Dollies Go to Dinner – on 14 October raised half a million dollars through the sale of 65 charity tables worth between $5,000 and $10,000 each, as well as the auction of six paintings by local artist Koh Tien Gui and five exqui-site jewellery pieces donated by Bulgari.

Paolo Bulgari, chairman of the Bulgari Group says, “The importance of helping chil-dren cannot be undervalued. I see auctioning our products for the benefit of children as a real opportunity to make a difference.” Come 3 and 4 December, the Italian jewel-lers will be putting words to action again, this time by supporting sick and under-privileged children from the MILK (Mainly I Love Kids) Fund through an auction of more than 140 jewellery and watch pieces.

THOSE WHO CAN, DID

This year, sharing Bulgari’s passion to “make a difference” were organisations such as HSBC, CapitaLand Limited, Keppel

Corporation, BD Medical, Deutsche Bank, Great Eastern Life, IBM Singapore, SembCorp Utilities, Fuji Xerox, Asia Pacific Breweries and NETS – the list goes on – all of which stepped up to the plate in meaningful ways.

Hundreds of employees from these organisations banded together to lend their support to various causes. Over 30 Deutsche Bank staff worked alongside 80 Focus on the Family (FOTF) volunteers at the Narnia Sandcastles at East Coast Park event with South-East CDC for 1,500 participants, while CapitaLand Limited worked with Canossaville Children’s Home to develop the latter’s thrift shop.

Becton Dickinson Critical Care Systems (BDCCS) staff helped bring cheer to geriatric patients of Sunshine Welfare Active Mission (SWAMI) by decorating their wards to create a more conducive environment for healing and overall well-being. Says Keith Lee, executive director of SWAMI, “The volunteers painted the walls, sourced for furniture, put up new curtains, installed new lighting and made other touches to the décor. The patients were pleasantly delighted. When you

work with volunteers, miracles happen!”

On top of honing their “home improvement” skills, BDCCS staff also organised events for the elderly. Says HR manager Valerie Ong, “Our celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival at Sembawang Park left us with lasting sweet memories despite the haze hitting a high PSI of 150 that evening.”

Spurred by the experience of these early encounters, the company is now looking to taking the relationship to a deeper level, through the offer of their corporate resources to the Home in the human resource and communications areas. This is a development in corporate-

community partnerships that NVPC through its newly-launched ComCare Connection is hoping to see more of – the development and growth of meaningful ongoing partnership arrangements that go beyond ad hoc events that typically dot the corporate volunteering landscape currently.

Lifestyle pursuits also proved to be popular fundraising tools – charity premieres and screenings put bums on seats while sports events got people to work up a sweat in the name of various worthy causes. Funds raised from the charity premiere of local film Singapore Dreaming went towards the Association of Women for Action and Research’s (AWARE) support, research and educa-tional programmes, while the Singapore Environment Council managed to raise $10,000 from a charity film screening of the Al Gore-helmed environmental docu-mentary An Inconvenient Truth to fund its Climate Change Awareness Programme, aimed at helping Singaporeans under-stand the implications of global warming.

Meanwhile, a Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association (SANA) charity golf tournament raised $106,000 for programmes aimed at out-of-school youths, family and children of those incarcerated, and drug awareness; and a Great Eastern Women Run pledged $10 for every woman who signed up as a Women Make a Difference runner to the

“We were challenged to consolidate our own processes within the organisation... But we managed to overcome these with a good team of staff and committee members...”ALFRED TAN, Executive Director, Singapore Children’s Society

Dolled up for charity: The Dim Sum Dollies [pictured with President and Mrs S R Nathan (centre) and Singapore Children’s Societychairman Koh Choon Hui (extreme right) and Mrs Koh (extreme left)] helped the Society raise $500,000 at its recent gala dinner.


World Vision-Women Make a Difference School Beach Phuket Project which provides medical aid, food and shelter to hundreds of street children who are forced into child prostitution or are at risk.

DOING IT THEIR WAY

The flag of volunteerism is also flying, as indicated by NVPC’s findings from its 2006 Individual Giving Survey, a biennial survey on individual giving in terms of volunteerism and philanthropy in Singapore. Volunteerism hours have increased by an impressive 10 million, up from 2004’s 35 million to 2006’s 49 million.

Some charities such as the Children’s Cancer Foundation (CCF) report that more volunteers have come forward to help at events, while others such as FOTF and the Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD) have been able to get assistance from working professionals who volun-teer their expertise in areas such as marketing and information technology.

FOFT president Tan Thuan Seng says while he is grateful to corporate sponsors, his pool of “competent and committed” volunteers has been invaluable. He comments, “We did a review and found that 70 per cent of our service capacity in 2006 was borne by our volunteers. Without their active support, we would only have been able to execute 30 per cent of our events and programmes and would have had to pay a lot of money to increase our manpower capacity through out-sourcing. We are deeply grateful to them.”

And let’s not forget the legion of armchair philanthropists out there. Scores of generous Singaporeans dialled 1800 hotline numbers and sent SMSes during the star-studded President’s Star Charity 2006 show. Televised ‘live’, it raised over $4.23 million with help from performers such as Stefanie Sun, Jenny Tseng, Dick Lee and the 12 finalists of Singapore Idol. The money will go towards helping some 49 beneficiaries, including the Singapore Autism School,

MINDS Jurong Gardens School, the Community Chest and City Harvest Community Services Association (CHCSA).

ENTERING A NEW ERA

No less notable are the efforts of the new NKF, which is well on its way to getting back on its feet and winning back support from the general public. Under the helm of CEO Eunice Tay and chairman Gerard Ee, the beleaguered charity that once fought for its survival has received backing from donors and supporters – to the tune of $13.33 million.

The amount was received through donations that primarily came from individual givers. The Lifedrops scheme – a monthly donation drive that allows supporters to contribute gifts of cash through GIRO – has attracted new donors and welcomed back 600 of those who had opted out of it following the scandal, and a new dialysis centre has been set up in Hougang.

Says its chairman Gerard Ee, “The support reinforces my belief in the generosity of Singaporeans, not just in terms of their donations but of the heart, led by their willingness to give us a chance to prove ourselves as we continue with servicing the dialysis patients. Service to our patients cannot stop or deteriorate

– they are dependant on us for their continuing survival and quality of the life regained.

“We are pleased by the progress thus far as rebuilding NKF is a journey. We just do our very best, and aim for little steps forward as we strengthen the foundations of NKF. It is only with a strong foundation that an organisation can move with ease and higher speed.”

Similarly, it is heartening to note that the relationship and working collaborations between nonprofit groups, individual donors and corporations have been strengthened as a result of the new regulations put in place to provide transparency and accountability.

Says CCF executive director Raphael Lim, “We have organised meetings involving our social workers and facilitated visits to our family support centres to help our community partners better understand the work of our organisation and the impact on beneficiaries. We believe that VWOs which have aimed to adhere closely to regulations and provide programmes that are impacting their clients will continue to do well in an environment where donors have become more discerning.”

Soh Guat Hiong, Motorola’s regional director for environment, health and safety adds, “NPOs are getting more proactive and professional in the way they approach various parties, including corporations, for support. Also, there is a lot more awareness on the part of the companies to engage in volunteer and community work. The realisation that they can leverage their companies’ employees, resources, technologies and products to help and benefit society has led to more proactive engagement.”

Certainly, the outlook for the charity and larger nonprofit sector in 2007 looks promising. And with 2006 coming to a close, it is only befitting that we spotlight the year’s leading lights in volunteerism and philanthropy. Presenting the winners of the National Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards 2006... ✩

“70 per cent of our service capacity in 2006 was borne by our volunteers. Without their active support, we would only have been able to execute 30 per cent of our events and programmes...”TAN THUAN SENG, President, FOTF

Singaporeans dug deep into their pockets for worthy causes like Children’s Cancer Foundation’s Tulip Hearts Day.

Since its inception 42 years ago, the Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD) has come a long way in its

work to integrate people with physical disabilities into mainstream society. From serving just 400 clients a few years ago, it now has 1,500 clients and functions as a one-stop service centre that offers a range of comprehensive services to meet the diverse needs of people with physical disabilities.

Key highlights for SPD over the last three years have been its ability to improve its professional services through the setting up of key services to better serve its clients, and playing a significant part in being a voice for the disabled, says its executive director Dr Ow Chee Chung.

He explains, “We’ve built up capabili-ties in the areas of rehabilitation, technology and employment support, and now have new facilities such as a Specialised Assis-tive Technology Centre and a Therapy Hub and Paediatric Rehabilitation programme. We’ve also been able to advocate for and work with government agencies on new initiatives for an inclusive society, such as the employment of disabled people and the need for wheelchair-accessible public buses.”

In carrying out its work, SPD has faced its share of challenges. One big challenge – shared by almost all VWOs – faced this year was the issue of governance. In response, SPD put in place measures which included adhering to IPC guidelines for large VWOs and having a firm policy set for financial, HR and fundraising matters. The self-disclosure of key operational information on its website also reflects SPD’s commitment to be open and transparent to the public.

Another challenge lay in attracting and retaining skilled and professional staff. In their efforts to be a professional organ-isation that focuses on training, develop-


NONPROFIT ORGANISATION AWARD

SOCIETY FOR THE PHYSICALLY DISABLED

This Award recognises best practices in the management of volunteers, donors and resources in a nonprofit organisation.

“We are very thankful to all our donors, supporters and partners who believe in our mission. This award is also recognition of their contributions.”

DR OW CHEE CHUNG, Executive Director, SPD

ment and organisational excellence, SPD launched WOW! Journey, an organisation excellence programme aimed at putting systems and structure in place and devel-oping a positive work culture.

In providing an increasing number of services and programmes, SPD has seen a corresponding growth in the number of volunteers – the number of volunteer sessions grew from 5,400 in 2005 to 9,800 sessions this year.

“What is more important to us is not the number of volunteers but the quality of partnerships and experiences volunteers have with us,” says Dr Ow. “We hope to be able to match volunteers according to their interests and needs so that they feel ownership and a sense of belonging at SPD.

“For instance, we have engineers volun-teering their expertise at our Specialised Assistive Technology Centre to help modify and develop equipment to help improve the quality of life for disabled people. The members of the Freedom Adventure Club run activities independently for our clients and are given a budget to do so. Regular networking sessions and training also allow volunteers to meet and interact among themselves and the staff. On top of that, we give recognition in the form

of formal training at the Social Service Training Institute, and through nominations for special awards.”

Like its volunteers, SPD is also a winner in its own right. Of the Nonprofit Organisation Award it has won, Dr Ow says, “We are indeed delighted and honoured to receive it. We are very thankful to all our donors, supporters and partners who believe in our mission. This award is also recognition of their contributions. The SPD board of management and staff have worked hard over the years to better serve our clients.

“The NPO Award is certainly a bonus and a reaffirmation of our efforts to serve our clients. The Award in a sense also humbles us – we believe there are still areas we can improve on and best practices we can learn from other NPOs.” ✩

Joy givers: SPD volunteers at an interaction session with beneficiaries at its Day Activity Centre.

In a society where advertisements to maintain one’s crowning glory run rampant in the media, Children’s

Cancer Foundation’s (CCF) executive director Raphael Lim faced the uphill task of garnering support from the public for its Hair for Hope campaign which invited volunteers to have their heads shorn to represent the understanding of what a child with cancer goes through as a result of chemotherapy treatment.

“We were unsure if people would want to step forward to have their heads shaved! Shaved heads have different connotations for different people. For some, it is an act of rebellion to social norms; for others, it is the loss of physical beauty; and for some even, it may mean a form of punishment,” he remarks.

Thankfully, even those who were most proud of their follicles didn’t let Lim down. Men, a record number of women and even children as young as one year of age came


INNOVATIVE FUNDRAISING INITIATIVE AWARD

CHILDREN’S CANCER FOUNDATION’SHAIR FOR HOPE CAMPAIGN

This Award recognises creativity and innovation in fundraising programmes or methods.

“We were unsure if people would want to step forward to have their heads shaved! Shaved heads have different connotations for different people...”

RAPHAEL LIM, Executive Director, CCF

forward in droves to go under the razor – what began in 2003 with nine volunteers deciding to shave their heads grew to nearly 900 shorn heads (of which 130 were women’s) this year. This record number raised more than $776,000, bolstered by strong media coverage to further spread the message of childhood cancer.

The response was “a pleasant surprise”, says Lim, and a heartening affirmation of CCF’s efforts in their objectives of educating, advocating and partnering to create awareness about childhood cancer. Winning the Innovative Fundraising Initiative Award is an extended pat on the back for Lim and his team.

He calls the Award “the epitome of the collaboration between CCF volunteers, staff and community partners in making the Hair for Hope initiative a success” and especially commends CCF’s pool of dedi-cated and driven volunteers for their efforts.

“Winning this award will motivate us in working even harder to inject more creativity and innovation into future fund-raising events that will allow us to increase public awareness,” he adds.

The man is not going to rest on his laurels. In view of the struggles and the negative news pertaining to the sector, Lim has been increasing his efforts to help community partners better understand CCF’s work and its impact on beneficiaries. This has raised CCF’s profile significantly

– Lim says an indicator of this was how CCF was the most popular choice of Singaporeans who made donations through their Progress Package in May this year.

Strong support from corporate partners such as SembCorp Utilities, Fuji Xerox, Asia Pacific Breweries and NETS has also contributed to CCF’s success. In particular, Lim says, “Sembcorp Utilities was a role model in their 24-hour walk around Singapore which involved every level of staff beginning from senior management.”

Lim also has other reasons to smile. His work with CCF has chalked up several unforgettable moments. For instance, the Hair for Hope event in 2005 saw a wedding proposal unfold, prompting emcee Irene Ang to quip, “So who says Singapore men are not romantic?” He also grins at the thought of “every volunteer’s conditioned reflex action of rubbing his or her bald head and smiling” following each shave.

Lim is also pleased with how CCF staff continue to “provide services including casework and counselling, play therapy, financial assistance, and parent support programmes that make a difference in alleviating stress and bringing comfort to children and their parents.” In 2005, 500 families were supported via its various programmes and services, and the same number was supported this year.

“With the various issues that have arisen recently in the charity scene, we observed that our potential sponsor corpo-rations were more interested in the work of our organisation and how the funds raised will be used. This is a positive develop-ment as it represents the maturation and growing discernment of donors in making more informed choices on the selection of charities that they support,” he adds.

The shearing of all those heads was certainly not in vain, not for CCF and not for Lim who himself went under the razor. ✩

And baby makes three!

More than just an international property and hotel conglomerate and one of Singapore’s leading

real estate developers with luxury residen-tial properties and hotels to its name, City Developments Limited (CDL) is also a shining beacon of example when it comes to Corporate Social Responsibility.

Their commitment to an extensive range of social responsibility programmes for the environment, arts and youth devel-opment is an open secret. “Over the years, we have nurtured a strong corporate culture of giving in CDL,” says managing director Kwek Leng Joo.

Examples of initiatives that have been put in place include an employee volunteer programme called City Sunshine Club, which facilitates and encourages staff and their families to participate in voluntary work; community outreach programmes such as Project Eco-Office which is targeted at the business community to promote the 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) in the work place; and the Let’s Live Green! campaign which encourages CDL’s home-owners to adopt useful eco-tips that can be practiced at home.


“We believe that volunteerism has a ripple effect – the more one does, the more inspired they are as they see how their contributions have made a difference.”

KWEK LENG JOO, Managing Director, CDL

CORPORATE CITIZEN AWARD

CITY DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED

This Award recognises active corporate citizenship through corporate giving programmes encompassing employee volunteering, fundraising and donations (in money or in-kind).

The success of CDL’s programmes can be attributed to how they are varied to suit the interests of volunteers. Activities are planned such that employees can easily participate in them despite work and family commitments. Family, friends and even employees who have left the company are also welcome to join in.

What’s more, new employees are acquainted with the volunteer programmes from the very beginning, during staff orientation. Regular updates on CDL’s community involvement are provided through the company’s external and internal communication platforms, to inspire and motivate. CDL also has ambassadors, comprising representatives from various departments within the company, to rally and encourage participation among colleagues. A wide range of programmes is available for volunteers to choose from, be it caring for the elderly, befriending youths or bringing cheer to children.

Says Kwek, “We believe that volun-teerism has a ripple effect – the more one does, the more inspired they are as they see how their contributions have made a difference.”

Through such a collective effort, a total of 3,384 hours of voluntary work were chalked up in 2005 despite challenges which came in the form of raising public awareness and changing the mindset of the community to be more environmentally conscious, and encouraging the community to adopt eco-friendly habits at work and at home.

CDL also believes that these challenges are perhaps due to Singapore’s relatively clean and green environment, which

reduces the immediate threat that global warming brings. Never-theless, the company remains committed to being an advocate for environment conservation, and continues to do its best to influence employees, business partners, associates, suppliers, customers and the community at large through environmental, health and safety policy programmes that spread the environmental sustainability message further.

On winning the award for active corporate citizenry, Kwek says, “We are very encouraged by

the recognition accorded to CDL. Over the past four decades, CDL has been firmly committed to caring for and giving back to the community we operate in, and we will continue in this meaningful journey for many years to come. Such Awards by NVPC are meaningful in showcasing examples of CSR, which will certainly help encourage more companies to follow suit.

“Amongst many CSR areas, we have identified four main causes where we are able to leverage on our resources and make significant contributions. They are the needy, the arts, youth development and environ-mental conservation. We have established long-term and sustainable programmes in each area and we will continue to focus our support on these worthy causes. We are committed to growing our initiatives, such as the City Sunshine Club volunteer programmes that befriend lonely old folks and guide disadvantaged youth; the CDL Singapore Sculpture Award to nurture young artists; Project Eco-Office and Let’s Live Green! programmes for envi-ronmental conservation.”

Here’s to more City Sunshine days to come! ✩

Ray of light: CDL’s City Sunshine Club volunteers with beneficiaries from Assisi Home & Hospice.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD

GERARD EE

This Award recognises exceptionally, an individual, group, organisation, programme or campaign for outstanding and exemplary contributions to the nonprofit sector and to society that is not recognised in the other award categories.

“People like me do what we enjoy and move on... Receiving an award is always a pleasant experience but asone says in Singlish ‘Shy only!’”


Gerard Ee is a name that is synony-mous with Singapore’s charity sector, and needs virtually no intro-

duction. Like his late father, Community Chest chairman and indefatigable human-itarian Dr Ee Peng Liang, Ee has lent much time and effort to various charitable causes over the years.

In fact, Ee, who is an accountant by training and a former partner at Ernst & Young, has been active in the field of social service throughout his professional life. Formerly the president of the National Council of Social Service and the Auto-mobile Association of Singapore, he is also the chairman of the Public Transport Council and the Medifund Advisory Council, a member of the National Medical Ethics Committee and a Justice of the Peace who visits the prisons and conducts criminal procedure mediation sessions.

In addition, Ee has also chaired a whole range of social service organisations and programmes including juvenile reha-bilitative centres, grassroots organisations, schools, and programmes for the elderly and youth. More recently, Ee has taken on yet another role – that of establishing a new organisation that will champion issues affecting senior citizens.

Following the National Kidney Foun-dation mismanagement scandal in July, the recently retired Ee was approached by Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan to be the interim chairman of the NKF. Since then, Ee has stayed on to be the new NKF’s chairman and he has been instrumental in helping the organisation pick itself up again.

“For me, one of the highlights of the year was receiving a personal donation for NKF from the Straits Times’ Bertha

Henson and feeling that all the hard work has paid off. Each and every donation received, from individuals, temples and other organisations, has also been a high-light. My most satisfying experiences are the many instances when strangers thank me for taking on the task or say ‘Well done!’ because these represent affirmations that I am making a difference.”

Ee adds that the time will come when he should move on. Till then, he will no doubt be committed to what he sees as the most important goal – the re-establishment of support from as many people and organisations as is possible. He concedes that major challenges include gaining trust and changing mindsets, but adds that way to deal with them is to lead by example, be transparent and be steadfast.

For the next few years, Ee will have lots on his plate. He says a major change is “to make NKF a community owned project. We open our doors to all and operate on an open book basis. This vision has already led to many other changes such as the commencement of a Befrienders scheme, a corporate supporter for job placements of our patients, the training of staff to be service orientated, the posting of regular

updates on happenings and progress of NKF on our website, and other little initiatives to create a sense of belonging and ownership by the stakeholders.”

Ee won’t have to stay the course alone, not when he has the able assistance of NKF’s new board members, each of whom brings special skills and experience in the fields of investment, accounting and corporate governance, renal care, law, and media. In addition, they bring with them networks of friends from various fields of exper-tise, reassurance of the fact that NKF is gaining back its credibility.

As for winning the Special Recognition Award for his out-standing contributions to the sector and to society, Ee is characteristi-cally unassuming. “The Award came as a surprise as I never expected it,” he says. “People like me do what we enjoy and move on. We rarely dwell on the past and focus only on the present and

look to the future. Receiving an award is always a pleasant experience but as one says in Singlish ‘Shy only!’

“As a volunteer, I always feel that there is so much to do and that I would choose to do only what I believe in and enjoy doing. I will not continue with any service which I find meaningless or where I do not feel I can make a difference.”

And what of his hopes and aspirations for 2007?

“A more peaceful world, the gravi-tation of more Singaporeans towards building a values-centred community, and putting the past events of NKF totally behind us so we can focus entirely on servicing our patients and carrying out effective preventive work to help reduce the number of new renal cases.” ✩

All smiles: Even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges and a hectic schedule, Ee is seldom ever seen without his.

In a society where most people are largely defined by materialistic concerns and a constant effort to

keep up with the Joneses, Kampung Senang Charity & Education Foundation is proof that a life lived simply and with contentment is no less beautiful.

Set up by the husband-and-wife team of Low Kim On and Joyce Lye, Kampung Senang is known for programmes such as an integrated Elderly Care and Student Care service that helps single-parent families and lower income groups, and the farming of vegetables and herbs in gardens that function as living classrooms for chil-dren while supplying vegetables for meals.

This year, it rolled out two new initiatives in their bid to reach out to more needy groups. A Mobility Aids Services and Training Centre was set up in July at their Blk 245, Tampines St 21, #01-464 premises, making Kampung Senang the only nonprofit centre which specialises in recycling and providing repair training to volunteers for mobility aids.

The idea was mooted by Lye, who extended an invitation to Eugene Tan – the self-taught founder of independent

society Mobility and Repair Services Centre – to start a second division for its operations. Under its new moniker, the Centre operates at Kampung Senang, where Tan is now a full-time mobility aids manager instead of a volunteer.

Ande Soh, another full-time staff who works with Tan, explains, “We obtain

mobility aids such as wheel-chairs, crutches, walking frames and hospital beds through donations and recycling from hospitals and homes. They are refurbished to good working condition before being farmed out at no cost to those with financial difficulties. People who have just been discharged from hospital following a stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) form a number of users, as do the elderly who live alone.

“The setting up of the Mobility Aids Services and Training Centre has been a win-win situation. Eugene and I now have a place from which to operate, whilethrough us, Joyce is able to contribute towards Kampung Senang’s objectives. We also provide six-week training work-shops to youths who are interested in mobility aids repair work, and trainees include walk-ins and members of VWOs.”

In addition, Kampung Senang has also a Holistic Support for People Affected by Cancer (HSPC) project, which provides support and assistance to cancer patients, survivors and families, and helps improve cancer patients’ total wellbeing. Activities carried out include monthly support

groups to facilitate sharing and discussions among cancer patients and their families.

To date, the organisation has some 90 active volunteers and 40 co-workers. Collectively, they do their bit during workshops, activity sessions and ad-hoc fundraising activities such as street donation drives and weekend marts to finance the organisation’s annual expenditure of over $1 million.

Working in the Foundation has also strengthened Lye and Low’s 29-year marriage. Lye says, “It is indeed not easy to work with someone as close as one’s spouse everyday. Kim On and I have completely different working styles and characters.

However, our common goals in life and our work here have held us together.”

Lye’s devotion drives her to work up to 16 hours a day, travelling to the various centres to spearhead more activities through discussions with staff, volunteers and beneficiaries. Last year, her efforts were acknowledged with a Good Samaritan Award.

She insists, “It belongs to all my co-workers and volunteers of Kampung Senang. I am just a representative to receive the award. In particular, I’d like to acknowl-edge our president Dr Swee Yong Peng who has been our most supportive co-worker since our founding, and Brother Seah Boon Keng, who also contributed greatly to our mission between 2001 and 2004.

“And I am proud and happy to see that my two children fully understand what their parents are doing and are very supportive. Without the team effort of everyone involved, I could not have achieved the good results alone.”

The kampung spirit is alive and well indeed. ✩


The Simple LifeKampung Senang Charity & Education Foundation shows that getting the most out of life

has nothing to do with worldly pleasures, as MICHELLE BONG finds out.

N E W S A L T

“ It is not easy to work with someone as close as one’s spouse everyday... our common goals in life and our work here have held us together.”

Aid rendered: A Mobility Aids volunteer with a grateful beneficiary.

“Iwould dare say I stumbled into this,” recalls Lt-Gen Winston Choo, chairman of the Singapore

Red Cross Society, a position that he has held since 1996. George Yeo, then-Minister of Health, had suggested that he take up the position.

“I said to him ‘Let me think about it’ but before I had time to think about it, I had a warrant from the President saying ‘You are duly appointed’!” Lt-Gen Choo says he was “apprehensive” at first about taking the job. “I was not born a volunteer, but I’ve found great fulfillment in the past 10 years in the role that I am doing.”

Lt-Gen Choo’s distinguished military and diplomatic background certainly seems to make him the ideal candidate for the top job at the Singapore Red Cross. After serving as a Brigade Commander with the rank of Colonel in 1972, he was posted to

the Ministry of Defence where he held several head of department appointments before becoming the Chief of the General Staff in 1974. He was promoted to Briga-dier General in 1976, Major General in 1978, and Lieutenant General in 1988. His post was given the new title of Chief of Defence Force in May 1990, and he retired from service in 1992.

He went on to serve as Singapore’s High Commissioner to Australia, from March 1994 to June 1997. Following his stint Down Under, he was Singapore’s High Commissioner to the Republic of South Africa, resident in Singapore, from July 2001 to October 2005 and subsequently, Singapore’s High Commissioner to the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, resident in Singapore, from March 2000 to March 2006. Currently, he is Singapore’s non-resident ambassador to the State of Israel.

The decades of military and diplo-matic experience have undoubtedly come in useful at the Singapore Red Cross. Remarks Lt-Gen Choo, “I have used my military background and my own personal

ethos in so much that I will give of the best that I can to whatever I do.

“I am proud of turning the Singapore Red Cross from an organisation that was mainly known for running first aid training into a humanitarian organisation with an international role. So what we are doing is actually positioning Singapore’s place in the overall global structure of the international Red Cross. Singapore Red Cross might be small but we are punching beyond our weight and we have put ourselves on the map.”

There’s no better example of Singapore Red Cross making an impact than in the impressive fashion they mobilised into action during the tsunami crisis of 2004. The Tidal Waves Asia Fund spearheaded by them raised an astonishing $88 million for tsunami relief projects. Projects funded by the Fund are subject to approval from the Tsunami Reconstruction Facilitation Committee which Lt-Gen Choo heads.

At times, Singapore Red Cross’ fund-raising power might seem like Goliath quashing the ability of other charities to raise funds, but Lt-Gen Choo defends this vehemently.

“Why the Red Cross was getting most


Generally SpeakingHead of the Singapore Red Cross Society since 1996, former military top gun Lt-Gen

Winston Choo has quietly gone about the work of transforming the organisation from that of providing first aid training to a humanitarian organisation with an international role.

TAN HWEE HWEE checks in with the general for a de-brief of his last decade in office.

“ Singapore Red Cross might be small but we are punching beyond our weight and we have put ourselves on the map.”

S A L T S H A K E R S & M O V E R S

The general and his Mrs with their four “bosses”.


of the money, I don’t think it’s by default; it’s by reputation. Red Cross has existed in the world for many years because we’ve been doing this and we’ve been seen to be responsible in the funds that we’ve raised. There’s confidence in the organisation.”

That aside, he does feel that relief work should be a collaborative effort among all the charities in Singapore.

“This idea of Team Singapore going together has been something that I promoted long before the tsunami. I have always gone on the basis that whenever we try to do relief work overseas, whoever has the best contacts in that place leads because what is important is the ability to have a partner in the area of the disaster who can host you so that you can be doing useful work there and not be a hindrance. Then the rest of the Singapore group can actually ride on your ability to operate. You can fly many little flags – SIF, Mercy Relief, Red Cross – but we fly one major flag and that is the Singapore flag.

“For us, it does not matter who is there,” says Lt-Gen Choo. “What is impor-tant is to reach out to the people who are the victims of disaster. We should look not at the interests of the volunteer organisation, but the interests of the victims of the disaster.”

One of the problems that came out during the tsunami crisis was that there were many different charities vying to help the victims of the tsunami.

He recalls, “You had one disaster victim being chased after to be treated by four international groups! They were sent there by their respective countries or the respective organisations from their coun-tries, so they had to be seen to be doing something – meeting their KPIs – other-wise they would get criticised.”

Lt-Gen Choo was wary about the Singapore Red Cross making the same mistake. “I was very concerned about our volunteers rushing into Aceh and getting into trouble there. There were a lot of people who were hunting around for

work and this is where it gets counter-productive. While we want to encourage our volunteers and not dampen their enthusiasm, at the same time, we must not let them be reckless and get into trouble and be counter-productive.”

To that end, the Singapore Red Cross took great pains to ensure that only volunteers with the necessary much needed skills such as medical and evacuation were deployed to Aceh while reassuring those who wanted to help that they could do so once reconstruction efforts began.

In his past decade as chairman, one of Lt-Gen Choo’s self-confessed most memorable achievements include enhancing the standing of the Singapore Red Cross in the international Red Cross Movement. This has helped raise the level of Singapore’s image globally as a respon-sible and compassionate society and was achieved through reaching out to provide humanitarian relief to countries affected by natural and man-made disasters, and playing an active role in meeting the objectives of the Red Cross movement.

“There seems to have been a never-

ending series of such calamities ever since I took office in 1996!” he jokes, albeit seriously. “We rendered assistance to Indo nesia when it was hit by the Asian financial crisis, to earthquakes in Turkey, Gujarat, and Iran as well as war torn situations in Afghanistan and Iraq. More recently, there have been the Asian tsunami and the earthquakes in Pakistan and Central Java.”

In his opinion, being chairman of the Singapore Red Cross is not that different from leading a corporate organisation.

“However, there are diverse nuances when you work with volunteers to serve the less fortunate. An important aspect is to appreciate the passion and needs of the volunteers and to motivate them to contribute towards a common cause. You must be a good listener and yet be firm and focused in all that the organisation

undertakes. You also need thick skin and tenacity as you often have to appeal to various contacts for support, both finan-cially and in-kind, for the many causes the Singapore Red Cross champions.

“What is important is to have a good programme working within the funda-mentals of the Red Cross movement whilst ensuring the trust of the donors as well as the people you serve. The key is good governance and accountability,” he adds.

With all that he has on his plate at the Singapore Red Cross, there’s precious little time for his other passions such as golf and reading. But there’s one passion the general, married with two grown children, always makes time for.

“My other four ‘bosses’ – my four grandchildren!” ✩

“ You can fly many little flags – SIF, Mercy Relief, Red Cross – but we fly one major flag and that is the Singapore flag.”

On the field in Aceh during the tsunami crisis.

Some years ago, the National Volun-teer & Philanthropy Centre’s annual conference theme was It

Takes 2 to Tango. The idea was to ask NGOs to partner one another for syner-gies. I found the concept fascinating and it has become the World Toilet Organisa-tion’s (WTO) key to growth.

PARTNERSHIP VS OWNERSHIPWho can we partner? We have our mission and whatever we do is towards fulfilling that mission. Often, our resources are limited, so it makes good sense to coop-erate with others.

If we create a project and look for all the right pieces to make it happen, it can be quite taxing. I’ve found that it is easier if we build a programme around talents, resources or potential partners we’ve encountered first. I’ve also found it is easier to “give away” projects rather than to own them.

DREAMING AND IMPROVISINGMy method is to keep dreaming of new ideas and I record them in my Blackberry. They stay there until I find partners to help me realise them. Sometimes, I find some-one who doesn’t fit into any existing ideas but I don’t want to lose the opportunity to work with them. So I design a new pro-gramme around their capabilities so that they will like it and take ownership of it.

THE POWER OF EMPOWERMENTI always make it fun and non-threatening for a partner to take ownership of a project. Once a partner agrees to drive it, I trust him fully. If he needs help, I assist by bringing others to help him. But he makes the decisions. This empowerment applies not just to local partners but also inter-national partners as well as our own staff who are treated as internal partners.

ALIGNMENT OF OBJECTIVESA partner can be almost anyone. Take the conferences we organise as an example. Academics speak to publish their research; journalists get their latest interesting stories; governments get an opportunity to rally their bureaucrats and community leaders to improve their local toilet condi-tions; politicians get visibility for being caring; show organisers bet on making profits; companies learn about the latest trends and research; and delegates get both knowledge, networking and potential partnerships. UN agencies and multi-lateral aid funders support our humani-tarian programmes. The whole exercise provides legitimacy for toilet discussions and improvements that was absent before.

The aim is to create win-win-win situ-ations for all partners. The objectives of our partners need not be the same as ours, but they need to benefit from the partnership just like us.

With this kind of self-organising mechanism, we get organised at zero costs. The demand continues to be strong – in six years, we have organised eight inter-national meetings in Singapore, Seoul, Taipei, Beijing, Belfast, Moscow, Bangkok and Shanghai. Each year, our profile grows larger. We intend to embark on full global outreach next to India, Africa, the Middle East, Japan, the Pacific Islands, South America and North America, and Australia eventually, all using similar partnership models.

The keys to WTO’s success?• A simple organisational structure.

We trust our partners fully and this facilitates fast decision-making by giving them ownership of the project.

• We identify their needs and give them what they are looking for at every level. Once their motivational points are satisfied, our success becomes their success.

• We work with the media to generate legitimacy for their work. This builds support which in turn breeds success.

• We breach cross-cultural differences by adopting the foreign partner’s culture from day one. Where there are multi-cultures, we facilitate harmony among the multiple partners by maintaining a friendly atmosphere.

Our mission is our objective and when our partners benefit, we are happy. And people are always happy to work with partners who understand and care for their interests. ✩Jack Sim is the founder of the World Toilet Organisation, World Toilet Congress and the Restroom Association of Singapore. He was also Singapore’s inaugural Schwab Social Entrepreneur of the Year in 2005.


You Can Partner AnyoneWhen it comes to creating synergies

with others, JACK SIM believes that anyone can be your partner.

“ The objectives of our partners need not be the same as ours, but they need to benefit from the partnership just like us.”

S A L T K I T

In our increasingly globalised world, social causes and giving are also going global.An inaugural study by Hudson

Institute found that in 2003, private dona-tions from the US to developing countries exceeded US$62 billion or over 3.5 times that of US Official Development Assistance (ODA). The recent NVPC survey shows that the number of donors giving to over-seas humanitarian effort is four times that of two years ago.

The Asian tsunami of 2004 gave rise to a tsunami of international giving. To date, more than US$13 billion has been pledged as governments, organisations and individuals around the world opened their hearts and their wallets. The Singa-pore Red Cross started the Tidal Waves Asian Fund with a fundraising target of S$1 million. It ended up with S$88 million.

More than just money, people are giving their time across borders. The NUS Students Union Volunteer Action Committee was started in 1990 to serve the local community. As it matured, it went on overseas expeditions from 2002 and recently won the 2006 Singapore International Foundation (SIF) award. Certainly, there are more choices now for overseas missions with the likes of SIF, Habitat for Humanity, Mercy Relief and others. The percentage of volunteers going on overseas humanitarian work has jumped eight fold over the last two years.

Why International GivingThere are a few reasons for the increase in international giving.

Much of charity is about the well-off giving to those less well-off. So it has been

with international giving – aid has been flowing mainly from the North to the South, from the developed to the devel-oping nations.

Many of the volunteers with SIF say they do so because they feel that

Singapore is affluent and the contrast in living standards is stark. They see a greater need for help in these countries than back home.

Giving back can also be given a push by immigrants from poorer nations


Charity Without BordersAs charity goes global, it faces roadblocks from governments. WILLIE CHENG looks at international giving and international charities, and argues for a relaxation of some

of the restrictive rules around fundraising for overseas purposes in Singapore.

S A L T T H O U G H T S


who make it in their new communities and want to make a difference to their home countries.

In some respects international giving has a certain glamour to it. When high profile entertainers (Bono, Oprah Winfrey) and public figures (Bill Clinton, Nelson

Mandela) get involved in publicising the needs of the developing world, they bring with it their reach and their sizzle.

International NGO GrowthMuch of the private giving across borders is being funneled through global civil society groups, also referred to variously as international NGOS (non-government organisations) or CSOs (civil society organisations) to beneficiaries and causes in the host countries. These CSOs tend to focus on humanitarian issues, sustain-able development and developmental aid.

The number of such international organisations has grown rapidly to over 59,000 in 2003, with the level and scale of CSO activity growing in tandem. A standout example is the World Social Forum held as a rival convention to the annual World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland. The fifth World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in January 2005 saw 155,000 participants from 135 countries.

Border ChecksHowever, borders are not easily crossed as many international CSOs have found out. Pursuing causes across borders is often fraught with complexities and governmental hurdles.

A basic factor lies in the nature of civil society. Civil society actors identify social issues and gaps, and then either campaign for governments to resolve them or seek to provide their own solu-tions to them.

Enlightened governments, especially those from the developed world, view civil

society, government and private enterprise as three integral and interdependent pillars of a modern nation. However, some governments see CSOs as undermining the role of the state, and highlighting the inadequacies of the government of the day. More so when these civil society actors are foreign.

The common argument against international CSOs is that they do not represent the constituents of the country they are operating in, while governments represent their people and have to take responsibility for the consequences of their actions. The CSOs’ counter argument is that their legitimacy does not rest on representation but on expertise, popular support (e.g. transparency) or moral imperatives that transcend national borders (such as human rights).

Critics argue that international CSOs walk a fine line between help and imperialism.

Russia, which has a limited culture of civil society, may have felt that sense of imperialism. It saw an explosion of CSOs with foreign funding, following the introduction of glasnost and perestroikain the 1990s. It seems to be now trying to rein that in with a recently enacted “NGO law” that is viewed as burdensome and even crippling, especially to foreign CSOs. For example, all CSOs now have to submit bi-annual reports detailing their daily activities.

Money Laundering and TerrorismA legitimate concern that governments have of charities is their use as a conduit for money laundering and terrorist financing

The Economist reported in its 15 March 2003 issue that “people trying to track down al-Qaeda’s money believe that charities are the terrorists’ biggest source of money.” According to the National Bureau of Asian Research, which published an analysis paper on Funding Terrorism in SE Asia, “Much of Jemaah Islamiyah’s funding is thought to come from charities, either unwittingly or intentionally siphoned off.”

The Financial Action Task Force on

Money Laundering (FATF), established by the G8 countries, has set the interna-tional standard for anti-money laundering measures and combating the financing of terrorism. Its recommendations noted that nonprofit organisations are particularly vulnerable to abuse for the financing of terrorism.

Very soon after September 11, 2001, several governments came up with guide-lines and regulations on how charities should manage their operations, especially internationally. The Charity Commission in the UK published Operational Guidance: Charities and Terrorism. Canada enacted the Charities Registration (Security Information) Act and published Charities in the Interna-tional Context. The US issued Anti-Terrorism Financing Guidelines: Voluntary Best Practices for US Based Charities.

The latter received protests from charity representatives for some of its provisions and how the government was effectively mandating the implementation of what was supposed to be “voluntary guidelines”.

The various guidelines generally include rigorous financial oversight, high levels of disclosure and transparency, and significant new due diligence practices for charities with regards to the identity and certification of grantees.

Aside from having to comply with these new measures, nonprofit organisa-tions that receive funding and grants from the US government are finding that they are being asked to be “an arm of the US government” to protect US national

“ The Asian tsunami of 2004 gave rise to a tsunami of international giving.”

“ The guidelines generally include rigorous financial oversight, high levels of disclosure and transpar-ency, and significant new due diligence practices for charities with regards to the identity and certi-fication of grantees.”


security and foreign policy goals.This recalibration of US ODA appears

to be part of a broader reform of the nonprofit sector by the US government. Of significance is the launch of NGO Watch in 2004 by two of the most influential and well-funded think tanks serving the current US Administration.

The focus of the initiative is stated as “to bring clarity and accountability to the burgeoning world of NGOs” and “to expose funding, operations and agendas of international NGOs and particularly their alleged efforts to constrain US freedom of action in international affairs and influence the behavior of corporations abroad”. The launch of the website was marked by a conference entitled NGOs: The Growing Power of an Unelected Few.

The Singapore HeartbeatSingapore is not always seen to be welcoming of international charity efforts.

Our stance and handling of the CSO protestors at the recent IMF/World Bank Conference aside, our current charity regulations discriminate against interna-tional charities and international giving.

Any registered charity which wishes to raise funds that flow out of Singapore needs to get a permit from the Commissioner of Charity (CoC) for each fundraising exercise. In addition, charities generally have to spend at least 80 per cent of their funds raised here in Singapore – which about defeats the purpose of fundraising for overseas projects. However, waivers may be given as it was done for the tsunami, on an exceptional basis. More-over, funds raised for overseas do not qualify for tax exemption to the donors.

These are major limitations for an international CSO. The Economic Development Board’s stated strategy of having international organisations and NGOs based in Singapore is being achieved through trade associations and the few CSOs who do not need the fundraising capability.

Serving to highlight this, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) registered a branch in Singapore in 2000, only to decide two years later not to continue when it

concluded that it was unable to overcome the restrictive fundraising conditions. MSF, also known as Doctors without Borders, provides emergency medical relief to more than 70 countries and its Asian operations are currently supported out of Japan, Australia and Hong Kong.

There seems to be two sets of argu-ments for these rules that differentiate local and international giving. The first relates to the ability to follow up on the donations. The concern is that local donors are not able to check that over-seas donations are used for the intended purposes and also that the CoC has no jurisdiction over foreign charities in the

event of noncompliance. This concern is ameliorated by the fact that the inter-national charity would be registered and present here for monitoring and account-ability purposes.

The second set of argument follows “the principle that proceeds raised from Singaporeans should primarily be used to fund charitable activities that benefit the local community”. In other words, charity begins at home. This could have been appropriate at a time when Singapore

was struggling to survive but less so in our current state of relative abundance.

The government has been soliciting industry feedback for several months, and indications are that some of the restric-tive fundraising rules may be tweaked.

Apart from the question of whether the basis for these rules is still relevant today, a major point worth recognising is the public relations (PR) benefit of removing them. We are about to under-take a national branding and positioning exercise. Successful brands will tells us that in the long run, you have to deliver on the promise. Good PR comes from good deeds.

As First World citizens, one of our positionings must be that we are kind, giving back to the international community. Singaporeans who are giving and doing good in our neighbouring countries is probably some of the best PR we will get collectively as a country.

A nonprofit colleague, Jennifer Yin, once said to me that “Singapore has great marketing, but poor PR. Our image is that of being measured and calculating, even in our generosity.” These discriminatory rules against international charities and international giving reinforce that image.

It is time to let the Singapore heartbeat beat unfettered. ✩

“ As First World citizens, one of our positionings must be that we are kind, giving back to the inter-national community.”

Maybe Ted Turner started the game. Or perhaps it was Andrew Carnegie, nearly a

century earlier. In any case, by now you know the first-string players:• Ted Turner, whose 1997 pledge of

US$1 billion from his CNN fortune to the United Nations Foundation grabbed the attention of America’s high-tech billionaires.

• Gordon Moore, whose accumulated wealth from chipmaker Intel went into his own new US$5 billion foun-dation three years later.

• William Hewlett and David Packard, whose immensely wealthy family foundations have long hogged spots near the top of America’s biggest philanthropic ventures.

• Pierre Omidyar and Jeffrey Skoll of eBay fame, whose high-profile foundations are fueled by their own billions.

• And Bill Gates himself, reputedly the world’s richest man, who has already managed to give nearly US$30 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – with US$51 billion more still to come.This, then, is the team that Warren

Buffett joined when he took the stage recently with Bill and Melinda Gates for his surprise announcement that he was dedicating 85 per cent of his US$44 billion fortune to philanthropy, with US$31 billion of it going to Gates’ foundation.

Not long after, Li Ka-Shing – Asia’s richest man and the world’s tenth richest, with a fortune estimated at US$18.6

billion – startled the world of philanthropy by announcing his plans to devote one-third of his wealth to his own charitable foundation.

These are the headline-grabbers, today’s philanthropic leaders. Viewed from a short-term perspective, they’re continuing a trend established a decade ago by the biggest winners of the New Economy

(software, microprocessors, media, investments). Given the degree of media interest in such announce-ments, it’s hard not to conclude that there’s an element of compe-tition playing out among these latter-day princes of commerce.

But it’s always a mistake to take too short-term a view. In fact, the recent rash of blockbuster announce-ments in the world of philanthropy merely continues a century-long trend. Andrew Carnegie – the Warren Buffett of his age – is widely considered to have established the philanthropic trend as the 19th century turned into the 20th. Between 1881 and 1917, he funded the building of some 2,000 public libraries across the US, not forgetting the other 800 he funded outside the US as well.

But if Andrew Carnegie stirred up the waters, it was John D Rockefeller – America’s first billionaire and the Bill Gates of his era – who did even more to move philanthropy into the mainstream of American culture. The Rockefeller Foun-

dation set the precedent for large-scale, visionary philanthropy, and today, John D’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren, many of whom do not bear the Rockefeller name, are loyally continuing the tradition.

Still, philanthropy isn’t just about money. Even more important is how the money is used. Carnegie’s and Rockefeller’s billions helped to shape the destiny of what has become the world’s richest nation. It remains to be seen what transpires as a result of the generosity of the world’s newest billionaires.

Will much of this largesse be squan-dered on capital projects, resulting in land-mark buildings bearing the givers’ names? Or will it be put to produc tive use, fostering

social change to help the nearly three billion poor people emerge from poverty and addressing humanity’s biggest challenge yet,

the specter of catastrophic global climate change?

It’s far too early to tell. But there are very encouraging signs, the most encouraging of which comes from Bill and Melinda Gates

and Warren Buffett themselves. The work of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – focused on global health, secondary education, and public access to informa-tion through libraries, particularly in Africa – creates hope for the future of philanthropy because its priorities are clear, its approach entrepreneurial, and its commitment to fostering opportunity for billions of poor people unmistakable. We’d be hard pressed to find better role models for philanthropy today. ✩

Mal Warwick is a US-based fundraising consultant, public speaker, and business leader. The most recent of his 18 books is Values-Driven Business: How to Change the World, Make Money, and Have Fun, co-authored with Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen. For more information, visit www.malwarwick.com.


Philanthropy – A Competitive Sport?There’s nothing new about the recent displays of philanthropic largesse by

Warren Buffett and Li Ka-Shing – or is there? MAL WARWICK ponders.

MAL WARWICK

BY

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“ Philanthropy isn’t just about money... It remains to be seen what transpires as a result of the generosity of the world’s newest billionaires.”


D A T E S T O N O T ECALENDAR

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 [email protected] include your name, the name of your organisation, address and telephone number. SALT reserves the right to edit submissions for space and clarity.

25 November – 1st December 2006Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled (FESPIC Games) 2006Venue: Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaFESPIC Games – equivalent to the

Asian Games for the able-bodied

– is the biggest multi-sports and

multi-disability event for athletes

with disabilities in Asia and Oceania,

and the second largest Games in

the world, after the Paralympics

Games. It is held every four years.

For the upcoming 9th FESPIC Games

2006 to be held in Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia from 25 November to

1 December, the Singapore Disability

Sports Council will be sending a

contingent of 41 athletes to

participate in athletics, bowling,

sailing, lawn bowl and swimming.

For more information, log on to

www.sdsc.org.sg.

2 December 2006Walk the Extra Mile with Me Carnival 2006Time: 8.30am to 10.30amVenue: Orchard RoadEvery year, Children’s Charities

Association (CCA) organises a fair to

raise funds to help the less fortunate

children under the care of its six

member charities. This year, CCA will

continue its successful Walk The Extra

Mile With Me campaign. Individuals

and organisations are invited to

sponsor a child to walk with them

at $20, $80 or $1,000 for individual,

group or corporate participation

respectively. The route for the 2km

walk is along Orchard Road, passing

by major landmarks such as Wisma

Atria, Wheelock Place, Forum the

Shopping Mall, Tanglin Mall, the

Thai embassy and finally ending at

Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza where the

carnival is.

Carnival coupons at $10 per book

are available at the carnival venue

or from CCA. Contact Ms Mariati at

67732561 or email [email protected]

for more details.

9 December 2006 & 20 January 2007Safe Sex Starts with MeTime: 10am – 12.30pmVenue: TMC Training Centre, Capitol Centre (Opposite City Hall MRT)Fee/Registration: FreeOrganised by AWARE in partnership with

Action for Aids, this workshop aims to equip

participants with factual information about

HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections

(STI) and facts related to transmission, detection and

prevention while dispelling myths in a fun, hands-on and interactive way.

To register, call 6779 7137 (9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday) or email

[email protected].

sculpture and portrait of the Home’s

founder will be unveiled by guest-of-

honour President S R Nathan at the

lunch. In addition, President Nathan

will launch the book A Life for Others,

inspired by the life of Venerable Ho.

Twenty copies will be autographed by

President Nathan and will be sold at

$2,000 each as part of the fundraising

drive. Another 250 leather bound

copies will be sold at $300 each.

Donation tables of $1,000, $2,000,

$5,000, and $10,000 are available for

booking. For more information, call

63683301.

30 January – 11 February 2007M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2007Venue: Various theatres, auditoriums and galleriesThe M1 Singapore Fringe Festival

is an annual festival of theatre,

performance arts, film, dance,

visual arts, mixed media, music

and forum created and presented

by Singaporean and international

artists. The Festival aims to bring

the best of contemporary, cutting-

edge and socially-engaged works

to the Singapore audience.

The theme for 2007 is Art and

Disability, throwing the spotlight

on aspects of contemporary dysfunc-

tional living, dystopia, disenchant-

ment, disengagement, disconnect,

disaffection, disappointment and

disbelief. Looking beyond physical

incapacitation, equally disabling

issues like censorship, social discrimi-

nation and marginalisation will be

addressed in the festival as well.


www.singaporefringe.com.

2 December 2006SingTel Touching Lives Fund Charity CarnivalVenue: Comcentre, 31 Exeter Road, Singapore 239732Time: 10am to 6pmSingTel is holding its first ever Charity

Carnival to raise funds for the bene-

ficiaries of the SingTel Touching Lives

Fund 2006. The theme for the Carnival

is Be One in Caring and Giving.

Carnival-goers can expect a wide

variety of stalls offering food, games,

and attractively priced second-hand

items and other merchandise. All funds

raised will go towards helping the

APSN Tanglin School; Autism Resource

Centre; Fei Yue Community Services;

Singapore Children’s Society; and

Students Care Service.

For more information or

to buy carnival coupons, email

[email protected] or call Angie or

Shaliza at 68383070.

6 – 8 December 2006NVPC’s Giving MonthVenue: Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition CentreTime: 10am to 8.00pmOrganised by the National Volunteer

& Philanthropy Centre, this three-day

event features a series of fun and

interactive activities, performances

and an exhibition on how you can

make a difference with your giving.


www.nvpc.org.sg.

16 – 25 December 2006Singapore Garden FestivalVenue: Suntec Convention Centre, Level 4 & 6Time: 11am – 9pm (weekdays); 10am – 9pm (weekends and public holidays)The first international garden and flower

show on the equator, the Singapore

Garden Festival is designed to show-

case Singapore’s passion for greenery,

and to inspire and generate interest

in greenery and gardening. Organised

by NParks, visitors can look forward

seeing spectacular displays created

by top international and local award-

winning garden and floral designers,

all under one roof. In addition, there

will be entertainment, talks, demon-

strations, and a garden marketplace.

If you would like to volunteer for

the Singapore Garden Festival, please

contact Benjamin at 64651834 or

Jaseca at 64717134.

28 January 2007“Remembering Venerable Ho…” Charity LunchVenue: Meritus Mandarin Hotel BallroomA charity fundraising lunch in aid

of the Man Fut Tong Nursing Home

founded by the late Venerable Ho

Yuen Hoe, a specially commissioned


SCENE&SEENCuppa GoodnessOpening of Barista Express, 12 October, Clifford Centre

Dignity Links Limited, the social

enterprise arm of the Institute

of Mental Health (IMH), officially

opened Barista Express recently,

a café situated in the heart of

the Central Business District at

Clifford Centre catering to the

lunch crowd. A café that provides people with psychiatric disabilities

supportive employment, this first-of-its-kind café serving delectable

lunch meals and aromatic coffees also aims to bring home the fact

that persons with mental illnesses can be contributing members

of our society when given the support and opportunity.

Paws for a CauseSPCA World Animal Day – Paws in the Park, 8 October, Bishan Park

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA)

celebrated World Animal Day recently with Paws in the Park at

Bishan Park on 8 October. Apart from exhibitions on the work of

SPCA, Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES)

and stage games, Truth Theatre staged an endearing play entitled

Paw Pals to teach the children valuable lessons on what it takes to

be a responsible pet owner. Hill’s Science Diet’s Pound for Pound

food drive was also a big success, with Hill’s matching every pound

of animal food visitors bought for the animals at the SPCA. The very

first SPCA rabbit grooming session was held, with all proceeds

going towards the upkeep of SPCA’s shelter animals.

Ex-Miss Singapore/Universe and vet Dr Cheryl Tay with her dog Joey.

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Minister of State, MCYS (extreme left), and Leong Yew Meng, CEO, IMH (with tie), share the joy in popping the confetti to officially open Barista Express.

Retail Therapy for CharityCapitaLand Charity Bazaar in aid of Canossaville Children’s Home, 30 July, Plaza Singapura

Hand-made accessories made from crystals and beads, brand new teddy bears in

specially designed garb, branded neckties, CDs autographed by original artistes,

clothes and books – these were just some of the items that were found at a public

jumble sale held on 30 July 2006, organised by CapitaLand at Plaza Singapura in aid of

the Canossaville Children’s Home. The jumble sale was part of CapitaLand’s initiatives

to aid the Canossaville Children’s Home, to which CapitaLand was matched with under

the government’s ComCare Connection programme.Happy faces all around at the bazaar.

Rising to the ChallengeSiemens – President’s Challenge Charity Golf 200628 August, Singapore Island Country Club

In aid of President’s Challenge 2006, Siemens organised the Siemens

– President’s Challenge Charity Golf 2006 which saw some 130

golfers teeing off at the New Course of the Singapore Island Country

Club. A total of $130,000 was raised through the golf event and

several company-wide activities. This is the fourth year that Siemens

is participating in the President’s Challenge and the second that

a charity golf event

has been organised

to raise funds.

All for one, one for all – Hans-Dieter Bott, MD of Siemens Pte Ltd (second from left) prepares to tee off with his golfing party.


Bravo, Toyota!Toyota Classics Fundraising Concert for The Salvation Army21 October, Esplanade Concert Hall

Under the banner of the 17th Annual Toyota

Classics, the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra,

led by award-winning conductor Tatsuya

Shimono and featuring acclaimed flautist Ayako

Takagi, performed recently at the Esplanade

Concert Hall, raising $120,000 from ticket sales

to benefit The Salvation Army Bedok Multi-

service and Rehabilitation Centre. This fundraising classical concert series was first intro-

duced in Singapore in 1990 and the distributors of Toyota in Singapore, Borneo Motors, has

constantly strived to use the series as an opportunity to bring world-class orchestras here

for the enjoyment of classical music buffs and to do their bit for charity at the same time.

Colour My World Opening of Colors of Life Photo Exhibition in aid of the Saigon Children’s Charity and the Business Times Budding Artist Fund15 September, The Arts House

As part of a fundraising project that benefited two

charities – Saigon Children’s Charity (SCC) and the

Business Times Budding Artist Fund (BTBAF) – The Arts

House recently hosted Colors of Life, a photo exhibition

by the Saigon Children’s Charity at its photo gallery.

Featuring 45 photographs produced by the disadvantaged

children from the Photography Project in the Thang Long

Vocational Training School – one of the beneficiaries of

the Saigon Children’s Charity – the proceeds from the

sale of the photographs raised nearly $4,000, excluding

generous financial sponsorship from

Credit Suisse and Prudential.

Lighting the WayLaunch of Halogen Foundation, 25 October, The Chambers @ The Arts House

After 10 years of work among more than 150,000 young people in

Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, Young Leaders Foundation

Singapore re-launched itself recently with a new name to better capture

the organisation’s mission of developing proactive and positive

change-makers amongst the young people of Singapore. Now known

as Halogen Foundation, the new name comes with it a fresh vision to

inspire a generation of young people to lead themselves and others

well. With the first National Young Leaders Day held in Singapore

exactly three years ago, Halogen Foundation has touched the lives of

some 11,000 students through its various events and programmes.

Just NETS ItLaunch of NETS’ Helping Hands, Touching Hearts Programme, 29 September, POP@Central

Christmas came early for nine child

beneficiaries from the Children’s Cancer

Foundation (CCF) at the launch of

NETS’ Helping Hands, Touching Hearts

programme at POP@Central on 29

September. They were presented with a

CashCard each for an on-site shopping

spree by CCF Patron and Senior Minister

of State for Law and Home Affairs, Assoc

Prof Ho Peng Kee, who officiated at the

event. For every eNETS or Combi CashCard

retail transaction made from 1 October

2006 to 31 December 2007, NETS will

donate one cent to CCF. It hopes to raise

$250,000 through this programme, which

is 10 per cent of CCF’s required funding

each year.

From left: Halogen Foundation ED Martin Tan; co-founder Jeff Yip; guest-of-honour Teo Ser Luck, Parliamentary Secretary, MCYS; chairperson Melissa Kwee; and director Dr Andrew Goh.

(From left to right, with CCF child beneficiaries) NETS CEO Poh Mui Hoon; Assoc Prof Ho Peng Kee; CCF ED Raphael Lim; eNETS GM Raj Lorenz; NETS GM (CashCard & Financial Transaction Processing) Jocelyn Ang.

Mark Choong, MD, Borneo Motors (extreme left) and Hiroshi Takada, senior MD, Toyota Motor Corporation presented the $120,000 cheque to Lt-Col Gillian Downer, chief secretary, The Salvation Army (right), before the evening’s concert began.

Two paintings from Colors of Life: Waiting for the Kettle by Truong Le Uyen, aged 19; and Crossing the Monkey Bridge by Truong Le Minh Chau, aged 17.


A D A S H O F S A L T

“Happiness means you do what you can to help other people.”Elizabeth Choy (1910 – 2006)

Born Yong Su-Moi in Sabah in 1910, Elizabeth

Choy came to Singapore to study in 1929, and

started teaching in 1933, first at St Margaret’s School

and later, St Andrew’s School. A volunteer nurse during

World War II, she secretly passed food, medicines

and messages to British prisoners-of-war during

the Japanese Occupation of Singapore and Malaya,

which led to her being jailed and tortured by the

Japanese for 193 days. In recognition of her war-time

efforts, she was awarded the Order of the British

Empire (OBE) following the end of the Occupation

in 1945. Asked to name those who tortured her,

she refused to. Years later, she was to explain: “It is

not people who are wicked. War is a wicked thing.”

In 1951, Choy was nominated to the Legislative

Council and became Singapore’s first woman legislator,

giving voice to issues related to the welfare of

women and children. She retired from politics in

1955 and returned to teaching, helping to set up

the School for the Blind in 1956 and serving as its

first principal. A fervent volunteer throughout her

life, Choy passed away on 14 September 2006, at the

age of 96. Tributes flowed in for the woman widely

acknowledged as a true Singaporean heroine.

“My abiding memory of her was a woman who, despite having met monarchs and politicians and lived a life beyond extraordinary, personified grace and humility, and had kindness that was almost palpable. Her grace, dignity and courage stayed with her in her final days.”Straits Times journalist Wong Kim Hoh

“She was truly a Girl Guide who lived her promise of serving the country and the people, right to the end.”Girl Guides Singapore’s deputy chief commissioner Jessie Tan.Elizabeth Choy was one of the very first Girl Guides in Singapore.

“She showed us that teaching was not just a job, that it was a calling. Students found her very approach-able and even at recess time, her desk was always crowded.”Mrs Mary Yee, a teacher at St Andrews Junior School, recalling Elizabeth Choy’s patience and how she used to sit and read with each child who was not good in English

“Goodbye Mrs Choy. You were a real inspiration. When I read about how you were tortured for your country, I ask myself if I can be strong. The answer? I don’t know, but you make me want to be. We have lost a true hero.”Muscato, writing on the Straits Times interactive platform Stomp

“She was a pillar of strength and a great inspiration to all Singaporeans. She will always be a part of our history and our hearts.”Minister of Defence Teo Chee Hean

“This is not goodbye. This is till we meet again. She had told us not to cry when she goes to heaven, but to celebrate her life. She would have been very happy and proud of us. She was something like Singapore’s Mother Teresa.”Daughter Bridget Bay, raising a glass of pink champagne to about 100 family members and friends gathered at the Mandai Crematorium for their final farewell to Elizabeth Choy

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