(This article is singapore news)
Although China's economy is in a period of transition and many enterprises are also undergoing restructuring, this does not affect the business community to give back to the society and be charitable.
Last year, more than 700 corporate donors and over 800 philanthropists donated a total of about $5.8 million to the Singapore Children's Association through both schemes.
Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Cheung Chi Yin recently attended the Singapore Children's Society's 1000 Enterprises for Children-in-Need Programme and 1,000 Philanthropists Programme) thank you for the speech at the dinner, sharing details of the corporate community's donation to the Singapore Children's Association.
The "1,000 Businesses helping children in need" program began in 2009. Zhang Zhixian said that although it was a very challenging period in the post-Asian financial crisis, companies and their employees were aware of the needs of their children and generously donated. "Today, nearly 15 million yuan has been raised from more than 2,000 corporate donors, many of whom donate annually," he said. Last year alone, more than 700 corporate donors raised more than $2.9 million to the program.
Zhang Zhixian: Strong donor support helps children develop
On the other hand, the "1,000 Philanthropists" program raised 1 million yuan from more than 400 philanthropists when it was launched in 2014.
Last year, the number of philanthropists donating under the program increased to more than 800, more than double the first year of the program, with a total donation of more than $2.9 million.
Cheung said strong donor support has helped the Singapore Children's Association to develop and help it expand its programmes. But there are two key areas where the Children's Association can also play, which can help bring long-term benefits.
"First of all, early intervention helps to provide a safe environment for children in need to develop good character and master life skills... These children also learn how to communicate effectively, master dispute resolution skills, and become good players. ”
Zhang Zhixian believes that these interventions, which start from the "upstream", can help children in need to support themselves, master the skills they need, and move towards a better future.
He also believes that focusing on research in the field of children allows industry players to better grasp and communicate relevant knowledge, while using limited resources in areas where they can make a huge impact.
The Children's Society of Singapore has worked with researchers and education and health experts to develop parenting guidelines on child development.
In his speech at the appreciation dinner, The President of the Singapore Children's Association, Hui Junhui, also revealed that the Children's Association raised a total of 13.06 million yuan last year. While this is 10 percent less than the year before, it is a good achievement in terms of the expected decline of 20 to 25 percent in overall fundraising in social services, allowing them to benefit 74,141 beneficiaries through their 69 programmes.
The Ministry of the Interior announced earlier that it would launch the "Appropriate Adult Scheme (Juvenile Suspects)" for young people under the age of 16, training a group of adult volunteers to accompany juvenile suspects to police questions and provide moral support.
The Singapore Children's Association has been conducting a trial for the Appropriate Adults Scheme (Juvenile Suspects) since April and has trained 143 volunteers, after which more volunteers will be recruited and trained.