Helping hands in Singapore
Five ways you can start your volunteering journey. (Photo: Shutterstock)
The idea is to create more avenues for Singaporean youths to serve the community.
On 25 July, the Youth Corps Singapore announced that it would provide more “bite-sized volunteer opportunities” for those less able to commit their time.
These may range from a one-time event or regular volunteering opportunities such as weekly reading sessions with children from disadvantaged backgrounds, reported Channel News Asia.
According to a poll released last year by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), volunteer numbers are down: The total number of hours volunteered in 2014 fell by 38 per cent to 66 million, from 91 million in 2012.
Fewer than one in five people volunteered, down from one in three in 2012, reported Today newspaper.
Average volunteer hours, however, went up to 93 hours per volunteer, compared with 72 hours in 2010.
The survey polled 1,828 people aged 15 and above on their giving behaviour in the past 12 months.
Respondents were interviewed face-to-face between June and August 2014, reported the newspaper.
There are a lot of places around Singapore that are always on the lookout for volunteers. We list five organisations here to get you started on your volunteering journey.
Cause: Helping the elderly
Charity: SG Cares offers a variety of opportunities available to those who want to get involved in helping the elderly. Whether it is befriending the elderly at a hospice or providing support for an array of events, SGCares has positions available.
Get involved: Visit https://www.sgcares.org/public/ProjectCalendar/SGCares_P_ProjectCalendar_ImmediateOpportunities.aspx for immediate vacancies and https://www.sgcares.org/public/Volunteer/SGCares_P_Volunteer_Login.aspx to sign up.
Cause: Animal care
Charity: SPCA Singapore is one of the best-known animal welfare groups in Singapore, providing various animal welfare services such as the investigation of cruelty complaints as well as caring for animals at their shelter at Mount Vernon Road. To volunteer at the shelter, applicants must be at least 17 years old. However, new volunteers need to commit for at least four months consecutively, on a weekly or fortnightly basis.
Get involved: Visit http://www.spca.org.sg/helpus_volunteer.asp for more details.
Cause: Feeding the less fortunate
Charity: Willing Hearts is a volunteer-based, non-profit organisation, preparing 4,500 daily meals to the poor and needy in various parts of Singapore. Volunteers are also needed to help with the food preparation, distribution and to clean up after the day’s cooking is done. The organisation does not have a roster for volunteers, giving you the flexibility of helping whenever convenience.
Get involved: Visit http://www.willinghearts.org.sg/ for more details.
Cause: Cheering up children
Charity: The Children’s Society helps children from all backgrounds. This includes caregiving, counselling as well as implementing developmental programmes such anti-bullying initiatives, amongst others. Apart from donations to help fund the programmes, the society is also always on the lookout for volunteers to provide their service as teachers and befrienders.
Get involved: Visit https://www.childrensociety.org.sg/ to find out how you can help.
Cause: Helping migrant workers
Charity: Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) is a non-profit organisation in Singapore dedicated to improving conditions for low-wage migrant workers. Founded in 2003, it operates with a small number of regular staff and a larger number of unpaid volunteers who are at the heart of their operations. Those interested to volunteer can either help migrant workers with surveys, organise monthly outreach sessions or assist social workers with gathering background information on ongoing cases.
Get involved: Visit http://twc2.org.sg/getinvolved/volunteer/ for available volunteering positions.
