22 top inspiring places to volunteer and give back in Singapore
PUBLISHED ONNovember 04, 2019 7:15 AM
Is giving back to society on your list of resolutions for 2019?
Whether you want to help the elderly, kids or animals, here are some of the charities you can volunteer at in Singapore.
ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE ASSOCIATION
If you care for people with dementia, their caregivers and their families, sign up as a volunteer at this organisation.
Opportunities include supporting staff at one of the day care centres, acting as a guardian to the elderly during outings or get involved in their in-house support services.
ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN FOR ACTION & RESEARCH (AWARE)
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Best known as AWARE, this gender equality advocacy group has a range of volunteer opportunities available.
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And, best of all, there’s the flexibility of choosing tasks that are either on-site or can be done remotely.
Options include administrative tasks, manning helplines for women in distress and being a part of the Befrienders Service, which supports women who have been victims of domestic violence or have undergone psychological trauma.
You have to register on their website to be a volunteer or email volunteering @ aware.org.sg.
BABES PREGNANCY CRISIS SUPPORT LIMITED
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This organisation gives a helping hand to teenagers with unplanned pregnancies and you can be a part of this outreach too.
Be a befriender to these teens, provide pre- or post-natal care and advice, conduct programmes and workshops or even help with publicity for the organisation.
BEYOND SOCIAL SERVICES
This organisation‘s main aim is to help children and youths from less privileged backgrounds to break out of the poverty cycle.
Check out their event calendar and sign up for any volunteering opportunities that interest you.
Register online as a volunteer to participate in its events and activities.
BRIGHT VISION HOSPITAL
This community hospital serves needy patients who require immediate and long-term medical care and volunteers are considered an important part in their journey to recovery.
Regular volunteering activities include being a befriender, helping with patients’ physical activities, patient group activities, taking patients on sponsored outings and taking part in patients’ birthday celebrations.
SINGAPORE CHILDREN'S SOCIETY
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Make a difference in the lives of children, youth and families in need with the Singapore Children’s Society, which lists specific volunteering opportunities, including duties such as giving tuition and helping out at fundraising events on its website.
FOOD FROM THE HEART
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Food from the Heart is a Singapore food charity that supported 40,300 beneficiaries with S$5.9 million worth of food on a consistent, sustainable basis in 2018.
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You might’ve heard of them: They’ve had several notable projects this year that appeared in mainstream media, such as Project Belanja! (QR code redeems free hot meals) and a couple of Pop-Up Fresh Produce Markets (free fresh groceries).
The charity has quite a few projects in store, with everything is geared towards giving better to our beneficiaries, and helping more people out there.
Find out how you can help here.
INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
Because of the stigma surrounding mental illness, patients at this psychiatric hospital often feel lonely as they don’t have contact with people apart from medical professionals.
Volunteers help to normalise their lives, by making them feel that they are not forgotten by society.
If you choose to volunteer here, you’ll be taken through an orientation programme to prepare you for your activities.
You can plan outdoor activities, take them on outings, help in rehabilitative activities or simply keep them company and lend them a listening ear.
LIONS BEFRIENDERS
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If you’ve always felt comfortable with elderly folk, Lions Befrienders is where you should volunteer.
A befriender conducts weekly home visits, to help relieve the loneliness and isolation felt by seniors.
Or volunteer to teach skills to seniors at the centres – baking, simple exercise or crafts are just a few examples.
And if you really have time to spare, be a CAN (Caring Assistance from Neighbours) carer, where you’ll visit vulnerable seniors at their homes (up to three times a week) and work with staff to promote the overall well-being of seniors.
MAKE A WISH FOUNDATION
The only wish-granting foundation in Singapore, it helps children who are battling life-threatening medical conditions.
Wish-granting volunteering opportunities are based on word-of-mouth recommendations but you can get involved in other ways – administrative support (during office hours) or help with transportation if you have a big car or van.
If you’re good at graphic design, you can also help with their publications and marketing collaterals.
MOVEMENT FOR THE INTELLECTUALLY DISABLED OF SINGAPORE (MINDS)
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This voluntary welfare organisation provides services to people with intellectual disabilities and works very closely with volunteers.
You can sign up as a regular or ad hoc volunteer and opportunities include teaching, training and administrative work.
They also need professionals to donate their skills in areas such as photography, food and nutrition, medicine and wellness therapies.
NATIONAL LIBRARY BOARD
A perfect volunteering opportunity for bookworms, you’ll get to spread your love for books with children.
Become a Friend of the Library and you’ll get to organise enriching programmes for the community or deliver books to those who are unable to visit libraries.
Or be a kidsREAD volunteer and get involved in reading sessions for underprivileged children.
SINGAPORE RED CROSS SOCIETY
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Red Cross Singapore organises a lot of activities throughout the year and volunteers are always needed to provide support during these busy times.
You can assist in administrative or logistical duties, or at events such as blood donation drives and flag days.
SINGAPORE AFTER-CARE ASSOCIATION
A voluntary welfare organisation that helps offenders, ex-offenders and their families to get back on their feet, activities under their Volunteer After-Care Programme include befriending, as a support to help ex-offenders re-integrate into society successfully.
Note that you’ll have to go through an interview and training before you can get involved in their volunteer programme.
THE SALVATION ARMY
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Having been in Singapore since 1935, this organisation reaches out to the needy in our society, such as children who need care, aged residents who need nursing care and families who need basic material things.
Even though it’s a Christian organisation, it helps people regardless of race or religion.
As a volunteer, you can support one of their existing programmes or initiate a project that will benefit those under their care.
Opportunities include academic volunteering for children and raising funds or organising collection drives.
SINGAPORE ANTI-NARCOTICS ASSOCIATION
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SANA has been fighting for the cause of preventing drug abuse since 1972 and you can join its journey to a drug-free Singapore.
Volunteering opportunities can be found on their website or on their Facebook page and range from photographers at events to para-counsellors at the drop-in centre.
SILVER RIBBON SINGAPORE
The mission at Silver Ribbon Singapore is to instil a positive attitude towards mental health among the community.
Sign up as a volunteer if you want to be involved as a photographer, event coordinator, speaker, graphic designer, administrative assistant or IT technician.
An application form can be found online.
SPCA SINGAPORE
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If you want to do your bit for furry friends instead, become a volunteer at SPCA Singapore.
Do note that volunteers have to commit for at least four consecutive months, on a weekly or fortnightly basis.
Clean the animal shelters, man the animal shelter office or simply walk the dogs – there are loads of duties to choose from.
TOUCH COMMUNITY SERVICES
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Serving the needy and disadvantaged, Touch invites volunteers to see what a difference you can make to the community – and to yourself too.
Sign up and you could soon be involved in their Meals-on-Wheels food delivery programme or accompanying the elderly to hospital check-ups.
TRANSIENT WORKERS COUNT TOO
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This is a non-profit organisation and you can make a difference in the lives of migrant workers by volunteering here.
Help with outreach by distributing flyers and surveys to foreign workers where they congregate on their days off, accompany injured and unpaid workers on fun days out or provide a friendly smile and a listening ear to injured workers and workers in salary disputes with their employers.
Or help with research, case work or at public engagements to bring more awareness to the organisation.
WILLING HEARTS
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Operating a soup kitchen 365 days a year, Willing Hearts prepares, cooks and distributes about 5,000 meals to the needy every day. Help them with the preparation of meals or with food collection or delivery duties.
SANRAKSHAN
With the goal of creating “25 million safer children globally by 2025”, Sanrakshan’s founder and team travel the world to teach children how to talk about and prevent abuse.
It welcomes collaborations with organisations and individuals, including long-term volunteering opportunities. Submit a query on its site.
This article was first published in Shape.