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CEO’s Note
Dear friends of SINDA, Dear Friends, As we come to the middle of 2015, SINDA’s programmes for pre-schoolers, students, youth and parents are running at full steam. We organise over 70 key programmes each year and each of these require sufficient time, energy and resources to run optimally. I am happy to note that SINDA is not alone in this endeavour—various partners, each with their own unique strengths and area of expertise, join with us as we work towards community benefit. Whether initiating projects, raising funds or volunteering, each brings a valuable component to the mix. Let me touch on some of our key partnerships. SINDA’s staunch ties with the Ministry of Education (MOE) have been integral in our efforts to elevate Indian students’ academic performance, and MOE’s strategic support and guidance has been invaluable to us in implementing various educational initiatives for students. Our students reap the fruits of this meaningful partnership, as they get to enjoy a holistic education environment that is sure to propel them to success. From access to day schools to run our STEP and Project Teach programmes, to secondment of key staff to help us develop the complementary custom curricula and run these programmes, MOE has over 80 schools involved in our various SINDA programmes. Our efforts are further boosted by meaningful community partnerships with Indian, religious and grassroots organisations. We meet with such partners regularly to explore initiatives for the community’s good and for mutual benefit. These organisations readily offer their resources and expertise to SINDA, allowing us to connect with their constituents and members to maximise our outreach. For example, with our partners’ help, SINDA now runs pre-school enrichment classes at over 33 decentralised venues islandwide, making it convenient for family members to bring their children to a centre near them. I am also happy that various commercial entities have joined hands with SINDA to do their part for society. Our recent Back-To-School-Festival benefited over 5,000 people at the Singapore Zoo, more than double from previous years. Sponsorships from corporate donors like Rajah & Tann were put to good use through school kits for students and by providing them a fun-filled day with their families. Others like Essilor Vision Foundation partnered SINDA to offer free vision screening and spectacles to 300 underprivileged students. The Indian BusinessLeaders’ Roundtable raised funds to underwrite the e-learning initiatives of SINDA tuition programmes.
K Barathan CEO, SINDA
Organisations like the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SICCI), Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCCI), Optimum Solutions, and Lighthouse Foundation have also inked Memoranda of Understanding with us to offer educational grants. This is on top of organisations like Kaplan, Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS), PSB Academy, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU), and Singapore Institute of Materials Management (SIMM) offering places in selected tertiary courses to deserving students. Such efforts are sure to make an immense difference in people’s lives. SINDA also benefits from the strong ties we have with media partners. They consistently offer us discounted rates to broadcast our social messages and publicise our programmes to the community. We are grateful that this allows us to effectively increase our reach to the community. Before I end, I would also like to highlight an important partnership that SINDA has—its volunteers. They form the backbone of our services, from ensuring that our programmes run smoothly to spending weekends reading to young children to increase their level of competence. They often work quietly in the background, and I would like to commend them for sacrificing their personal time, effort and energy for communal good, with nary a complaint. The partnerships I have shared are just a snapshot, for this space is not sufficient to list them all. I am not exaggerating when I say that the efficacy and reach of SINDA’s programmes are only further strengthened by the ardent support of our partners. If any of you should wish to explore avenues for partnership or have suggestions for us to reach out to more beneficiaries, do get in touch with us. I am thankful for such support, and I am sure that these meaningful partnerships will continue to benefit the community.