People who give often have one thing in common—they remember giving as children. This was a key finding in the National Giving Study 2023, released in 2024 by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), the national agency dedicated to driving a culture of volunteerism and philanthropy in Singapore.
According to the study, “people who remember giving as a child are more likely to give today—including seniors who recall childhood giving from when they were growing up.”
Empowering Families to Give Together
The launch of Compassion Singapore, in partnership with Compassion International—which holds accreditations from three global charity monitoring organisations, including CharityWatch—is set to offer Singaporeans the opportunity to transform the lives of children living in poverty across Asia.
More than that, it will start by engaging youths and families to experience sponsorships together, building a meaningful relationship with their sponsored children through the exchange of letters, while strengthening their own family foundation in the process.
With newly established fundraising operations, Compassion Singapore will serve to facilitate increased support for the most vulnerable children in the region. On the other hand, recognising that poverty does not lie only in monetary terms, since it could also be the poor or limited quality time that children get to spend with their families in a fast-paced, first-world environment—the charitable organisation aims to kickstart its mission by reaching out to youths and their families in Singapore to give together.
Cultivating Sustained Giving
Through its holistic child development programme, Compassion currently supports 2.3 million children in 29 countries in partnership with over 8,500 local churches. Singapore will now join Compassion’s network of dedicated fundraising countries, helping to mobilise support for its programmes.
In NVPC’s press release issued in June 2024, it also noted that “those who subjectively perceive religion to be more important in their lives, and those who attend religious services regularly, were more likely to give.”
For a city-state well-known for its philanthropy, Partnerships Director for Compassion Singapore, Irene Chong, emphasises the significant impact this expansion will have in the global fight against child poverty.
“Our focus is on raising awareness and creating a vibrant community of philanthropy, uniting individuals, churches, and businesses to resource this vital work,” said Irene Chong.
Compassion Singapore will initially focus on supporting children in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Thailand.
Later this year, Singaporeans will also have the opportunity to sponsor children in all 29 countries where Compassion operates, including those in Africa, and Central and South America.
“The opportunity for Singaporeans to make a life-changing difference through child sponsorship is enormous. With our culture of giving back and our desire to empower the most vulnerable, we can create lasting change in children’s lives. Take Dr Ita Sari, for example, a Compassion alumna from Indonesia who broke free from poverty in just one generation. While the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reported in 2018 that it can take anywhere from two to 11 generations for people in developing countries to reach the average wage, Dr Ita’s story is a testament to how Compassion is helping individuals break the cycle of poverty within their lifetime, creating lasting change for future generations,” shares Irene.
Dr Ita became part of Compassion’s programme at nine years old, when she received not only educational resources, but also emotional and spiritual support, which empowered her to pursue her dreams.
Dr Ita’s journey was shaped by unwavering support from her sponsor in Korea, who invited her to visit South Korea, assisted with her application for university there, and sparked her passion to take her PhD in Integrated Biomedical Science at the Soonchunhyang University.
Today, Dr Ita is a Research Fellow at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore, with a clear focus on making a difference in the field.
“Compassion gave me the chance to turn my life around. I will never forget how my sponsors loved and believed in me like their own daughter. It’s this love and belief that I want to pass on now, by sponsoring children who deserve a bright future.”
https://www.a-star.edu.sg/
To pay it forward, Dr Ita now sponsors two children in Indonesia through Compassion. By doing so, she hopes to offer them the same hope, support, and opportunities that allowed her to rise above her circumstances.
Spreading Compassion Across the Globe
Compassion Australia has been leading efforts to expand into new countries in Asia, and Chief Marketing Officer Steve Baird says the launch in Singapore is a pivotal step forward.
“Compassion currently supports over 400,000 children in partnership with 1,600 local church partners in Asia, but the need remains vast and urgent,” explains Steve Baird.
“Globally, more than 333 million children are living in extreme poverty, including more than 60 million living in South Asia. The effects of COVID-19 have significantly slowed progress in reducing poverty.”
“Poverty deprives children of essentials such as food, healthcare and education, trapping them in a cycle of disadvantage, and leaving them vulnerable to malnutrition, disease, and all forms of exploitation.”
“Malnutrition, in particular, has lifelong consequences. Stunted growth caused by chronic hunger affects a child’s physical and cognitive development, limiting their potential. According to UNICEF, more than half of all children under five who are suffering from stunting live in Asia,” said Steve Baird.
Creating Lasting Impact
Compassion works with local partners to ensure children receive education, good nutrition, clean water, healthcare and opportunities for emotional and spiritual growth, empowering them with the skills they need to break the poverty cycle.
For seven-year-old Thanushkanth from rural Sri Lanka, this support has been life changing. His family were living in extreme poverty and often survived on just one meal a day.
When he joined the Compassion programme, one of its first priorities was to support him in returning to school. Due to a long absence, his school initially refused to re-enrol him, but thanks to the advocacy of Compassion’s local partners, he is now continuing his education.
Thanushkanth’s family were also provided with food packs to improve their nutrition. While some challenges remain, they now have hope for a brighter future.
Steve Baird says,
“We want to bring hope to thousands more children across Asia, reaching an additional 420,000 children by 2028. That’s why we are expanding into new markets across Asia. We started with the launch of fundraising in the Philippines in 2023, and now we’re excited to launch in Singapore—a country known for its economic strength, generosity and strong philanthropic culture.”
“This expansion is a crucial step toward ensuring more children have the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential.”
To find out more about Compassion Singapore, visit https://compassion.org.sg
