Over the past few days, Singaporeans above 21 have been receiving S$600 from the government as part of the solidarity fund—and many will continue to do so in the coming weeks.
For many, this is a great relief. People who have lost their jobs or are facing pay cuts (and have families to support) will need this more than ever. Others, however, might be lucky enough not to need this money; they may still have their jobs, with little changed in their lives except that they now work from home.
If that is the case for you, you could consider donating your solidarity fund—or a portion of it—to someone who needs it more.
In the past few days, there have been hundreds of individuals doing so to various initiatives in the country. This comes after multiple charities and ministers called for Singaporeans who are financially stable to donate their payouts to help vulnerable groups suffering during the current economic downturn.
If you are considering donating your solidarity fund, here is a round-up of initiatives you could look into:
Beyond’s COVID-19 Family Assistance Fund
Beyond Social Services is a charity that supports young people and children from less privileged backgrounds. By guiding them with care, resources, and education, the group helps them break out of the poverty cycle. Living in rental housing areas, the individuals they help have been hardly hit by the coronavirus outbreak. Many have lost their jobs or had their income drastically reduced.
To ensure they continue to have access to basic goods, food and basic financial assistance, donate to Beyond’s Beyond’s COVID-19 Family Assistance Fund here.
We’ve also previously written about Beyond Social Services here and here.
Hagar SG COVID19 Global Emergency Response
Hagar is an international organisation that helps vulnerable individuals and migrant workers who faced slavery, abuse or human trafficking. In Singapore, Hagar helps migrant workers access safe accommodation, healthcare, legal support and education, to help them reintegrate into society.
With the Covid-19 outbreak, individuals who have been subject to slavery and abuse are struggling to cope psychologically, and financially—as many have lost their jobs, or have been infected themselves.
Donate to Hagar to help migrant workers and abused individuals here.
Boys Town
Boys Town was founded in 1948 as a home for war-torn orphans, helping to educate them and integrate them in society. Today, they provide a wide array of services for children and young people, including providing residential shelter, fostering, therapy and clinical intervention. Currently, they work with almost 1,500 children and young people every year.
Many of the individuals they support have faced abuse, come from financially disadvantaged families, or don’t have families at all. Boys Town will continue to support them during the coronavirus outbreak and ensure their needs are met.
Donate to Boys Town here.
Laptops and broadband for underprivileged children by Children Wishing Well
Children’ Wishing Well is a non-profit organisation and charity that was founded in 2002 to help children and youth from low-income families.
Now that home-based learning has become compulsory, young people across the country need access to computers and broadband to learn. However, many who are underprivileged struggle to get these essentials.
To help all children get access to laptops, broadband access and safe learning environments, donate to Children’s Wishing Well here.
Our Babies Need Milk & Diapers by SSVP
SSVP Ltf is affiliated to the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SSVP) Singapore, a Catholic organisation that helps vulnerable families and people in need. They currently support 200 underprivileged families with babies, providing them with milk and diapers.
To fund the program, SSVP runs charity events—which have now all been cancelled. Their current reserves will only bring them to June or July, and if the babies they support are not adequately nourished after that, it could be potentially dangerous to their lives.
To help the babies SSVP supports have access to milk and diapers, donate here.
Singapore Association of Motion Picture Professionals Relief Fund (SAMPP)
The film and theatre industry heavily relies on live productions, events and performances for an income. With all of that being cancelled due to the Covid-19 outbreak, many artists and creative professionals have no source of income. To help, SAMPP is creating a relief fund that will help their members who lost their jobs or are struggling to get by.
Specifically, SAMPP will help those who are struggling to pay for their daily needs—like food and housing. They will also focus on those facing the burden of medical costs, or who have family members who lost their jobs.
Donate to SAMPP’s Covid-19 relief fund here.
SISTIC Roundup of initiatives to help local art groups
To support other local arts groups that are struggling to survive, SISTIC has compiled a list of initiatives you can donate to.
Shelters For Abused Women
Now that all families are forced to stay at home, women and children in abusive households are especially vulnerable. In fact, AWARE”s Women’s Helpline and Sexual Assault Care Centre has reported a 35% increase in calls.
Donate to AWARE here. Or to support other organisations that provide shelters for women and children facing abuse, donate to SCWO and Casa Raudha.
You can also donate to this Give Asia fund, that makes it easier to split up your donation amount between 5 organisations including AWARE and HOME—or lets you donate the full amount to a charity of your choice.
It’s also important to note that while the groups listed above are particularly vulnerable during this outbreak, there are still organisations that run off of donations all year round. For example, the WWF and ACRES work hard to preserve and protect our wildlife and animals, and without constant support, would struggle to keep their activities running. Others include Willing Hearts— who continue to provide food daily to those who need it, and the Samaritans of Singapore—who provide support to those who are suicidal.
Please continue to donate to your favourite charities.
