CDAC spent record $33.5m last year to help more S'poreans
This year's expenditure estimated at $36m as virus' impact continues
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Chinese Development Assistance Council chairman Ong Ye Kung speaking after the self-help group's annual general meeting yesterday, with (from left) board of director members Low Yen Ling, Koh Poh Koon, Chee Hong Tat, Sun Xueling and Baey Yam Keng.
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
A record $33.5 million was doled out last year by the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) to help more Singaporeans in need.
A total of 18,600 households benefited from the community self-help group's programmes, up from 17,000 in 2019.
The CDAC said yesterday that new schemes this year will continue providing more aid.
One such programme will provide grocery vouchers for fresh produce to families in need who have schoolgoing children, to encourage healthier eating habits.
Project Fresh, to be rolled out later this month, will support 300 families by providing $30 worth of Sheng Siong supermarket vouchers per family member, up to $120 per family, every month till December.
Another programme provides subsidies to households with schoolgoing children who need Internet access for home-based learning.
Project Broadband Access Subsidy for In-School Children (Basic), which began in January, has been providing subsidies to 650 households, with a plan to support 1,000 households eventually.
These households do not qualify for existing government schemes to support digital access for various reasons.
But under Project Basic, they will receive a subsidy capped at $240 a year, to defray Internet subscription costs.
With the pandemic's impact on the social and economic front set to continue, CDAC is enhancing its support to needy families and individuals in the community, in particular the more challenged households with young or schoolgoing children, it said.
To this end, the quantum for the CDAC-Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations Bursary will be increased by 7 per cent from next year.
The amount for primary school pupils will be increased to $300 a year from $280 now, while the amount for secondary school students will be increased to $480 from $450 now.
CDAC chairman Ong Ye Kung said at a press briefing at the OnePeople.sg building in Toa Payoh after CDAC's annual general meeting yesterday that the cost of running the self-help group's schemes and programmes last year was $33.5 million.
This was an increase of about $6.7 million from the year before and the largest annual expenditure in CDAC's history.
CDAC executive director Pok Cheng Chong said that this year's estimated expenditure is about $36 million.
Last year, CDAC introduced additional measures to help its beneficiaries whose livelihoods were hit hard by the pandemic.
These included an allowance of up to $400 per family for workers who lost their jobs.
It also collaborated with government agencies to organise virtual job fairs, seminars and talks to help those who needed to find jobs.
Mr Ong, who is also Health Minister, said: "Last year, we did as much as we could to defray the education expenses of our beneficiaries. CDAC Bursary reopened for applications in March 2020.
"As a result, we saw a 45 per cent increase in bursary recipients in 2020, totalling 7,260."
He added: "Last year was also a very special year - the Government provided an additional grant of $5 million to CDAC in 2020.
"The community also continued to support us with their contributions and donations, and these additional resources were very important to us and helped us to adapt our programmes."
