SINDA Collaborates with National Agencies to Support Less-Privileged Families During the Festive Season

SINDA’s flagship Project Give initiative ventures into heartlands for the first time, with a goal of providing holistic and accessible support to families.

1. 14 October 2023 – SINDA commenced Project Give Heartlands (PGH), the heartlands edition of its annual flagship initiative, Project Give (PG), on 14 October 2023, at the Tampines East Community Centre. The launch was attended by Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for Health, Mr Masagos Zulkifli. With a focus on holistic care for less-privileged students and families during the Deepavali festive season, SINDA will also collaborate with multiple national agencies this year, to bring comprehensive support to those in need.

2. Project Give Heartlands will see pop-up booths and carnivals at community centres in Tampines East, Yuhua, Henderson and Nee Soon GRCs on four weekends throughout the month leading up to Deepavali. Through PGH, SINDA hopes to reach out to over 1,200 low-income households in the heartlands. The initiative will also open its doors to the wider Indian community to extend outreach efforts to more of those in need.

3. Low-income households will be able to collect SINDA’s Celebrate! Festive Gift Packs (FGPs) at PGH booths, which contain essentials and Deepavali-related items to help alleviate the cost of their celebrations and reassure them of continued support. Additionally, representatives from various national agencies will be on hand at booths to introduce their support services to beneficiaries, with the goal of ensuring that families remained well-supported. These partner agencies include:

• • Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) Families for Life: sharing Families for Life programmes, including positive parenting workshops, marriage courses and more, with the goal of building healthy and resilient families.
  • Ministry of Manpower (MOM): raising awareness on strengthened protections through the Progressive Wage Model.
  • Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA): introducing the Neu PC Plus programme to provide low-income households with brand new computers at affordable prices.
  • Health Promotion Board (HPB): educating visitors on the Health365 app and how they can use it to build a healthier lifestyle.

4. PGH will also introduce SINDA’s efforts to bring the festive spirit and celebrations closer to the doorsteps of the wider Indian community. Booths will feature festive activities organised by SINDA and its partners, including carnival games, murukku-making and face-painting. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet and interact with Mediacorp Vasantham artistes, including watching Deepavali performances live on stage, while enjoying festive meals sponsored by the Little India Shop Owners and Heritage Association (LISHA).

5. Project Give Heartlands booths will be hosted on the following dates:
   • Tampines East Community Club: 14 October 2023
   • Yuhua Community Club: 22 October 2023
   • Henderson Community Club: 28 October 2023
   • Nee Soon GRC: 4 November 2023

6. Project Give is SINDA’s flagship fundraising initiative, aiming to promote greater awareness of community initiatives and encourage the spirit of giving back during the festive season. The month-long initiative, which will last until 10^th November, launched on the morning of 14 October 2023, with cyclists from Ride to Serve carrying the Project Give flag from SINDA and riding to the Project Give booth at the Indian Heritage Centre. There, a mass Kuthu Aerobics dance, in line with the HealthierSG movement, commemorated the official commencement of Project Give.

About Project Give

Project Give (PG), SINDA’s flagship fundraising event, has been held since 2001 to raise funds for the educational and financial needs of the Indian community, while raising awareness for SINDA’s programmes and support for the community. Taking place during the festive season leading up to Deepavali, Project Give sees many community partners, volunteers and organisations working with SINDA to generate festive cheer and support those in need during the festive season.

The Project Give booth will be held at the Indian Heritage Centre from 14 October 2023 to 11 November 2023.

The following activities will take place throughout the month at the booth:

• Project Give Heart (14 October 2023) – the Project Give booth will attempt to enter the Singapore Book of Records by unveiling the Project Give Heart, a heart that will be made of wishes written by members of the public.
• Deepavali Elderly Engagement (28 October 2023)
• Children’s Workshops
• Arts and Crafts Workshops
• Performances
• Storytelling Sessions

About Project Give Heartlands 2023

The inaugural Project Give Heartlands (PGH) 2023 will see Project Give booths open up across 4 locations around the island, each on a different date.

The locations and dates are as follows:

• Saturday, 14 October 2023 – Tampines East Community Centre
• Sunday, 22 October 2023 – Yuhua Community Centre
• Saturday, 28 October 2023 – Henderson Community Centre
• Saturday, 4 November 2-23 – Nee Soon GRC

Recipients of SINDA’s Celebrate! Festive Gift Packs will be able to collect their goodie bags at the different PGH locations. About 300 SINDA beneficiaries are expected to visit each PGH location.

These beneficiaries will be able to interact with booths and take part in hands-on activities organised by SINDA and its community partners, while being treated to entertainment by Mediacorp and Zee Tamil artistes, local arts groups, live bands, and sponsored meals by the Little India Shop Owners and Heritage Association (LISHA).