» Address by Mr Anbarasu Rajendran, CEO, SINDA, at the SINDA Appreciation Ceremony on Saturday, 15 July 2023, at HomeTeamNS Khatib, Singapore

Guest of Honour, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Chairman, SINDA Board of Trustees;

Ms Indranee Rajah, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Finance and National Development, and President, SINDA;

Members of the SINDA Board of Trustees, Executive Committee and Sub-Committees;

Community Leaders, Partners and Volunteers;

Ladies and Gentlemen.

A very good afternoon and it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the SINDA Appreciation Ceremony 2023.

Today is a day for us at SINDA to express our gratitude and appreciation, to those who have joined hands with us, individuals and organisations who have dedicated their time and energy, and contributed skills and expertise, to bring positive differences to lives in our community.

At this ceremony, we honour the efforts of 236 such partners, schools and volunteers; and on behalf of SINDA, I thank each one of you for being passionate about and being dedicated to the cause of community upliftment.

In 2022, SINDA worked with over 26,000 beneficiaries. This is a 21% increase from the year before and we provided them with holistic support across several fronts. Such assistance was only possible through partnerships with all of you. You have been our eyes and ears on the ground, extending our reach, bringing our services to the community, and through your partnership, bridging those who need help to appropriate avenues of support.

Educational performance is a key focus for SINDA, with us wanting to bring out our students’ potential and help each one perform to the best of his or her abilities. So naturally, our ties with the schools are important. Our school partners here with us today represent the depth of SINDA’s work for students.

Through the tutorial programmes offered by SINDA in partnership with schools, and through our other enrichment programmes, we have been successful in guiding and supporting over 10,000 students every year.

Complementing these efforts are also our SINDA Liaison Officers. More than 200 educators are appointed as SINDA Liaison Officers. They serve passionately as SINDA’s ambassadors in their schools, facilitating programmes, encourage participation and referring students who need the additional help.

Equally passionate are our volunteers, who form the beating heart of our work here at SINDA. In the last one year, over 500 volunteers have contributed over 2,600 hours in support of diverse SINDA initiatives.

Many of them also lead projects in tandem with SINDA. One such example is the Door Knocking Exercises, which is volunteer-driven and is organised in various constituencies, and we are reaching out to better understand people’s needs and connect them to adequate support. Thanks to these efforts, about 700 new families, who were previously unknown to SINDA, could benefit from support to improve their quality of life, helping us to ensure that no one slips through the gaps.

SINDA is also heartened to be joined by volunteers from the other races, who have chosen to partner us in the passion to serve. Their partnership tells us that community upliftment transcends race – that we view one another only as Singaporeans, and that we work towards the betterment of every Singaporean, leading to the development of not just the Indian community, but all of Singapore.

Working alongside SINDA is also a sizeable network of community partners. In 2022, SINDA partnered with more than 300 organisations across a range of initiatives, as we worked hand-in-hand to actively tend to community’s needs.

We’re also heartened to see more corporate organisations join us, offering their resources to bolster our initiatives. Corporations such as Grab Singapore and McDonalds Singapore, among others, have partnered SINDA to support families.

None of this is easy work – spending hours to ensure that our students get the right support; gathering at void decks in the early morning hours carrying several gift packs; perspiring as we run up and down, and household to household to make sure that we engage each and every one. It does take considerable effort. But it is meaningful work; and it is work that we’ve all undertaken in commitment to serve our community.

Each partner and volunteer here exemplifies this spirit of kindness and empathy for our fellowmen. Hand-in-hand, our collaborative efforts have uplifted and empowered thousands of individuals and households in Singapore.

Through our combined effort, someone is better off in their life, someone can smile that day, and someone can put food on the table for their family.

SINDA only hopes to deepen this special relationship and achieve even more, with all of your help. On behalf of all of us, thank you once again for being part of the SINDA family and for joining us in this very special journey of community upliftment.