Volunteers from OCBC to work with lower-income families in rental flats under new programme

The Families100 Programme by OCBC will see 200 staff volunteers from the bank visit the beneficiary families monthly over the course of one year. PHOTO: OCBC BANK

SINGAPORE - A new volunteer programme seeks to help 100 lower-income families with children, who are living in rental flats, to implement solutions to some of the struggles they may be facing.

The new partnership between OCBC and the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) will see 200 staff volunteers from the bank visit the families monthly over the course of one year.

The volunteers, working in pairs, will be assigned to specific families to understand their predicament and recommend ways to meet their basic needs, as well as to achieve self-reliance and social mobility to transition out of their existing situations.

The programme was launched on Monday by Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration Desmond Lee and OCBC group chief executive Helen Wong at the Singapore Sports Hub.

OCBC said in a press release that the programme, called Families100 Programme by OCBC, will go beyond providing financial support.

It will give other forms of assistance, such as helping the children and youth from these families access sports and other creative avenues, so as to pursue their interests and motivate them to continue with their academic journey.

For breadwinners who are seeking career progression, volunteers will provide guidance on attending suitable courses and applying for grants to upskill and improve their employability.

Mr Lee, who is also National Development Minister, said that those under the Community Link (ComLink) programme work hard and dream of a better future for their children.

But they are often dealt a difficult hand in life, he added. “We want to give them the fullest support possible so that they and their children can break through to a better future.”

He noted that Singapore seeks to ensure that its engine of social mobility never dulls or slows down.

“No government in the world has managed to tackle this challenge of the slowdown in the engine of social mobility, and for us we are feeling the stones as we cross this great, unknown river,” he said.

“We want to achieve something through a uniquely Singaporean approach.”

Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration Desmond Lee (centre) and OCBC group chief executive Helen Wong (second from left) interacting with beneficiaries at the OCBC Square. PHOTO: OCBC BANK

Ms Wong said that better understanding the needs of the lower-income families, and helping to address gaps, is the only way to truly uplift them.

She added: “Whether to help prepare the parent for a job interview, to find and sign up for upskilling courses, to obtain a driving licence to work as a taxi driver, to guide the child in school work or to enable the child to pursue his or her interest in a sport or art as a motivation to study, OCBC staff will be there with the family over 12 months.”

The families under the programme are identified by MSF from its three newest ComLink communities – Queenstown, Clementi and Jurong East.

Volunteers, who underwent training by the ministry, have started engaging with 22 families. The remaining 78 families will be matched with the other volunteers over the next three months.

The partnership follows MSF’s call in March for more volunteers to address the needs of families with children living in rental flats.

One of the volunteers, Mr Gaurav Babar, said that after the training, he is now more aware of the sensitivities and challenges in working with the families.

He said: “We want to contribute meaningfully to lasting improvement for both the parents and their children over the 12-month period.”

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