Ground-up community projects get boost from new fund

A 900-strong virtual choir singing Home and volunteers distributing welfare kits to migrant workers and seniors are among more than 80 projects getting a hand from a new fund to help people cope with the fallout from Covid-19.

The Singapore Strong Fund, started in February by philanthropic organisation The Majurity Trust, supports community efforts to tide vulnerable groups, front-line workers and ordinary Singaporeans over the pandemic.

It covers 80 per cent of project expenses, or $5,000, whichever is lower, and people can apply for it online at www.majurity.sg/sgstrong

"The fracture in society is going to be far harder to recover from than the virus itself," said The Majurity Trust's executive director Martin Tan, who worries about the coronavirus' impact on vulnerable groups.

"What we were concerned about was: How will our society remain strong post-Covid-19? We felt there was a need to support what volunteer groups were doing. A lot of them are not registered charities - these are just ordinary Singaporeans who want to do their part."

The $550,000 Singapore Strong Fund, backed by 10 main donors - from philanthropists to foundations - complements other funds, such as The Courage Fund, set up during the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak, and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth's Our Singapore Fund.

The Majurity Trust was co-founded in 2018 by Mr Danny Yong, co-founder of Dymon Asia Capital - an Asia-focused alternative investment management firm - and a nominee for The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year 2019.

The Trust is deliberating if it will extend the fund after the money runs out. Mr Tan expects it to reach its tail-end by May or early June.

One initiative the fund supported was an uplifting music video by non-profit arts organisation Voices of Singapore. A "virtual choir" of more than 900 singers, each of whom filmed himself or herself singing in isolation, performed a rendition of Dick Lee's popular song Home. The video, supported by the Singapore Tourism Board as well, was released online on Tuesday.

Another group to benefit from the Singapore Strong Fund is Project 100, which gives sundry items to underprivileged seniors in Telok Blangah every month.

Former project manager Eric Koh, 52, started the initiative with a colleague last year.

"At least they know society has not forgotten about them," he said of the seniors, many of whom live alone.

The $240 they received will defray the cost of supplies, to be given out after the circuit breaker measures are lifted.

Mr Delane Lim, 34, founder of youth development social enterprise FutuReady Asia, received $5,000 for each of the three projects he started during the outbreak. He and a team of volunteers gave out supplies, from masks and hand sanitiser to food and sleeping bags, to people such as seniors, migrant workers and bus drivers.

Mr Tan said the speed with which people came up with ideas to help shows there are many empathetic people here. "Your neighbour next door might even be that person who packs care packs for migrant workers - you just don't know about it."