WELCOME ADDRESS BY MR ANBARASU RAJENDRAN, CEO, SINDA, AT THE SINDA APPRECIATION TEA ON SUNDAY, 21 JANUARY 2024 AT GARDENS BY THE BAY, SINGAPORE

Guest of Honour, 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 and Executive Committee;

Community leaders, partners, donors, volunteers and sub-committee members;

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen;

Brothers and sisters,

Introduction

1. A very good afternoon and it’s my pleasure to welcome you to the SINDA Appreciation Tea 2024. I am very glad that you could join us today.
2. Each year, SINDA works with close to 25,000 beneficiaries. We have over the years, nurtured a large network of partners, volunteers, and people who just want to do good, in furthering our goal of empowering the Singaporean Indian community. It is an impactful mission, one filled with purpose and meaning.
3. This impactful presence has only been possible, thanks to you – our partners, volunteers and donors. Together with you, we have been able to expand our reach, uplift lives and fuel aspirations in our community effectively and meaningfully.
4. So today, we honour all 300 of you. Thank you for journeying with us over the years.

Volunteerism in SINDA

5. Each stakeholder is important to us. One group is our pool of passionate volunteers, who have been the beating heart of our work at SINDA. In 2023, 605 volunteers contributed over 3,172 hours to a wide range of SINDA’s initiatives.
6. From engaging Indian households door-to-door through our Door Knocking Exercise, to patiently nurturing our young ones through reading programmes, our volunteers have given their time meaningfully, and have played a crucial role in uplifting our community.
7. They are very much part of the SINDA family, and our goal over the last several years, has been to transform their volunteering experience. We have empowered our volunteers to not only give back to the community but also to lead key programmes. Our commitment to ensuring that each volunteer’s time is meaningful led us to be recognised nationally at the NCSS Volunteer Management Conference in 2023. There, we were able to not only share more about our volunteer management practices but also learn from social service industry leaders, to continue enhancing our volunteer management practices.
8. Moving into this year, we remain focused on building a community of diverse volunteers, connected by their passion to serve. We will work hard to ensure that their time is meaningfully spent and that they continue to develop their skills, even as SINDA reaches out to more people in society. Thank you volunteers for journeying with us, and I look to our continued collaborations in 2024.

Role of Partner Organisations

9. Complementing the work of our volunteers are our diverse community partners. In 2023, we were joined by 226 partners across several initiatives to support our community’s needs.
10. Our partners provide SINDA with crucial support. These may be resources in the form of venues and logistical support, to referrals identifying those in need of additional support. Many of them also share with us their vast ground expertise and their own volunteers, allowing us to work together to reach those in need. Such mutual partnerships reinforce to us the power of collective action, and the need to work hand-in-hand to ensure that no one falls through the gaps.
11. Partnerships therefore are a testament to the extent of our benefit, serving as strong bridges to extend our support to those in need. So, thank you partners, and we look forward to strengthening our commitment as we look to the future.

Fuelling Efforts

12. Fuelling much of these efforts are our donors, a key tenet of SINDA’s in uplifting and supporting our fellowmen. As a charity, SINDA looks to the community for funds and resources to bolster our initiatives and widen our presence in the community. And while we are a small community, our donors and contributors always ensure that we have the means to do so.
13. We’re grateful for being supported by 29 donors in the past year. Thank you for playing an incredible role in supporting our initiatives, and I look to your continued support as we serve our community.

Moving Forward Together

14. Each of our stakeholder groups is dear to us and it has been our privilege to work with you. Importantly, thank you for having a generous heart, the passion to serve and the zeal to help our fellowmen.
15. I look forward to deepening our relationship further and uplifting the community together. Thank you for journeying with us as one SINDA family.