Thanks to our impressive vaccination rate, Singapore is slowly but surely easing restrictions as we return to somewhat ‘normal’ lives. Many of us will be returning to the office in the near future, and we can soon look forward to catching up with more of our loved ones and attend more events too.
However, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t others that don’t need help. With less restrictions around, it’s possible to go out to volunteer again, so why not spend your time fruitfully and help those in need? If you can’t spare the time, donations are always welcome!
We’ve collated different organisations that need help. Find a cause that you feel passionate about and see how you can meaningfully volunteer your time.
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What you can do now:
One thing that never stops is the need for blood, no matter what is going on in the world. Donating blood means you could save a life. Check your eligibility on the Red Cross website and find out what you need to do before and after you donate blood.
Book an appointment at one of the four blood banks or search the page for a community blood driver near your home or place of work.
The pandemic has left many vulnerable and at-risk individuals to fend for themselves. Much needed protection like masks and hand sanitisers, gear that we take for granted, could be unobtainable for some, leaving them at higher risk of contracting Covid-19.
Visit Contribute.sg to see how you can help or donate these materials to those that need it the most. They accept face masks, hand sanitisers, digital thermometers, furniture and other items. They’ll facilitate the distribution and make sure that those that need protecting, get protected, all thanks to you.
Charities and organisations to volunteer at (in alphabetical order):
If wildlife is your passion, then ACRES is the organisation you should give your time to. With a vision for a world where animals are treated with compassion and respect, ACRES is committed to improve animal welfare and to educate people about their lifestyle choices that don’t involve animal abuse or harming the environment.
Volunteers can get involved in wildlife rescue (from handling hotline calls to actually handling the wildlife), doing tasks at its wildlife sanctuary or aid in outreach efforts. Note that some roles require specific time commitments so enquire before you sign up for anything.
More information here.
Best known as AWARE, this gender equality advocacy group has a range of volunteer opportunities available. And, best of all, there’s the flexibility of choosing tasks that are either on-site or can be done remotely.
Options include administrative tasks, manning helplines for women in distress and being a part of the Befrienders Service, which supports women who have been victims of domestic violence or have undergone psychological trauma.
You have to register on their website to be a volunteer or email volunteermanager@aware.org.sg.
This organisation gives a helping hand to teenagers with unplanned pregnancies and you can be a part of this outreach too.
Be a befriender to these teens, provide pre- or post-natal care and advice, conduct programmes and workshops or even help with publicity for the organisation.
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This organisation’s main aim is to help children and youths from less privileged backgrounds to break out of the poverty cycle.
You can volunteer to share a skill or hobby, run an activity for children or just talk to and guide the youths. Register as a volunteer here.
If you care for people with dementia, their caregivers and their families, sign up as a volunteer at this organisation.
Opportunities include supporting staff at one of the day care centres, acting as a guardian to the elderly during outings or get involved in their in-house support services.
Providing palliative care to patients with advanced disease, this was Singapore’s first purpose-built built hospice when it opened in 1992. Volunteers help to provide care, comfort and even entertainment to patients in their last days.
The hospice has 18 different patient-facing and non patient-facing volunteer groups so there’s bound to be something that fits your time and talents. Be part of a handicraft group, get involved with outreach activities, become a befriender to patients and their family members, or help to organise weekly excursions for patients.
Find out about the various volunteering opportunities here.
Foodbank’s motto is to end food insecurity in all its forms in Singapore. Even in the midst of the circuit breaker, food deliveries continued.
Some of Foodbank’s beneficiaries are Senior Activity Centres (SACs), children’s homes, halfway houses and registered charities.
You can find out how to volunteer at their website Foodbank.sg or even donate funds to support these deliveries here.
Food From The Heart is a Singapore food charity that provided $6.35 million worth of food to more than 53,700 beneficiaries in 2020.
You might’ve heard of them: They had several notable projects in 2020 that were covered in mainstream media, such as Project Belanja! (QR code redeems free hot meals) and a couple of Pop-Up Fresh Produce Markets (free fresh groceries).
The charity has quite a few projects in store, with everything geared towards giving better to its beneficiaries and helping more people out there. Sign up as a volunteer for various roles such as delivering food, helping with packing food, or other duties such as admin work or photography. The website’s homepage also lists slots available for upcoming volunteering opportunities.
Students at this school have been diagnosed with Mild Intellectual Disability (MID) and Mild Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). It accepts volunteers who have the patience and love to work with children with special needs. You can assist at school events, support teachers in school or get involved with the reading programme.
Find out more and fill in the volunteer application form here.
HOME’s purpose is to support and empower migrant workers who experience exploitation and abuse. It works with government agencies, corporations and community partners to promote inclusion, justice, equality and dignity for all. Services include providing food and shelter for domestic workers experiencing abuse, dispensing employment advice and legal aid to foreign workers, and skills training in English language and computers.
HOME helps over 2,000 workers each year and you can play a part in their quest for empowerment too. Volunteers are needed to run help desks and helplines as well as the shelter and skills-training programme. All volunteers are required to attend a volunteer information session. If you’d like to help with casework and become a befriender, the organisation prefers if you can commit to at least six months of your time and at least twice a week too. Training is provided for such tasks so a longer commitment is needed from volunteers.
Find out more here.
Because of the stigma surrounding mental illness, patients at this psychiatric hospital often feel lonely as they don’t have contact with people apart from medical professionals. Volunteers help to normalise their lives, by making them feel that they are not forgotten by society.
If you choose to volunteer here, you’ll be taken through an orientation programme to prepare you for your activities.
You can plan outdoor activities, take them on outings, help in rehabilitative activities or simply keep them company and lend them a listening ear.
If you’ve always felt comfortable with elderly folk, Lions Befrienders is where you should volunteer. A befriender conducts weekly home visits, to help relieve the loneliness and isolation felt by seniors.
Or volunteer to teach skills to seniors at the centres – baking, simple exercise or crafts are just a few examples.
And if you really have time to spare, be a CAN (Caring Assistance from Neighbours) carer, where you’ll visit vulnerable seniors at their homes (up to three times a week) and work with staff to promote the overall well-being of seniors.
The only wish-granting foundation in Singapore, it helps children who are battling life-threatening medical conditions.
Volunteer opportunities include being a Wish Granter – someone who meets with wish kids and their families and help children determine a wish. Note that you’ll need to undergo an interview and training session for this role and need to be committed for six to eight months.
You could also get involved in other ways – provide administrative support or give your time during special events. Those with special skills could also volunteer to help out. Examples include anyone who can read or write in multiple languages or possesses skills such as photography, videography or graphic design.
Find out more and sign up here.
This voluntary welfare organisation provides services to people with intellectual disabilities and works very closely with volunteers.
You can sign up as a regular or ad hoc volunteer and opportunities include teaching, training and administrative work.
They also need professionals to donate their skills in areas such as photography, food and nutrition, medicine and wellness therapies.
A perfect volunteering opportunity for bookworms, you’ll get to spread your love for books with children. Become a Friend of the Library and you’ll get to organise enriching programmes for the community or deliver books to those who are unable to visit libraries.
Or be a kidsREAD volunteer and get involved in reading sessions for underprivileged children.
With the goal of creating “25 million safer children globally by 2025”, Sanrakshan’s founder and team travel the world to teach children how to talk about and prevent abuse.
It welcomes collaborations with organisations and individuals, including long-term volunteering opportunities.
Submit a query on its Facebook page.
The mission at Silver Ribbon Singapore is to instill a positive attitude towards mental health among the community.
Sign up as a volunteer if you want to be involved as a photographer, event coordinator, speaker, graphic designer, administrative assistant or IT technician. An application form can be found online.
A voluntary welfare organisation that helps offenders, ex-offenders and their families to get back on their feet, activities under their Volunteer After-Care Programme include befriending, as a support to help ex-offenders reintegrate into society successfully.
Note that you’ll have to go through an interview and training before you can get involved in their volunteer programme.
SANA has been fighting for the cause of preventing drug abuse since 1972 and you can join its journey to a drug-free Singapore.
Volunteering opportunities can be found on their website or on their Facebook page and range from photographers at events to para-counsellors at the drop-in centre.
Make a difference in the lives of children, youth and families in need with the Singapore Children’s Society, which lists specific volunteering opportunities, including duties such as giving tuition and helping out at fundraising events on its website.
Established in 1980 as the national coordinating body of women’s organisations in Singapore, SCWO has more than 50 member organisations, representing over 500,000 women. Its goal is to unite all these organisations to work towards the ideals of ‘Equal Space, Equal Voice and Equal Worth’ for women in Singapore.
Volunteers can get involved in causes such as helping out at Star Shelter, a safe temporary refuge for women and their children who are victims of family violence, or at New2U, a thrift shop that provides affordable pre-loved clothes, books and small household items that are donated to SCWO. You can also volunteer on an ad-hoc basis at SCWO, doing general office duties or research or lending a hand during events.
Find out more about volunteering opportunities here.
SINDA was established in 1991 to uplift the socio-economic status of the Indian community in Singapore. The focus is on education but there are also services to support families in need.
Volunteers play a big part in the organisation. You can help at ad-hoc events, participate in door-knocking exercises (training is provided) to engage Indian residents to find out how SINDA can better understand their need and help those in need. You can also choose to be a mentor under its Mentor Me enrichment programme, where students are matched with professionals in their field of study to find out more about the industry they’re looking to join in the future.
Singapore Red Cross organises a lot of activities throughout the year and volunteers are always needed to provide support during these busy times.
You can assist in administrative or logistical duties, or at events such as blood donation drives and flag days.
If you want to do your bit for furry friends instead, become a volunteer at SPCA Singapore. Do note that volunteers have to commit for at least four consecutive months, on a weekly or fortnightly basis.
Clean the animal shelters, man the animal shelter office or simply walk the dogs – there are loads of duties to choose from.
Having been in Singapore since 1935, this organisation reaches out to the needy in our society, such as children who need care, aged residents who need nursing care and families who need basic material things.
Even though it’s a Christian organisation, it helps people regardless of race or religion. As a volunteer, you can support one of their existing programmes or initiate a project that will benefit those under their care.
Opportunities include academic volunteering for children and raising funds or organising collection drives.
The charity arm of Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society, this organisation provides assistance to the community through more than 90 programmes and services and reaches out to over 55,000 people in Singapore.
Its services are catered to the elderly, families, children/youths and persons with disabilities. Volunteering opportunities include befriending, events/programme support, administrative support (photography, website maintenance etc.), fundraising, or even home improvement/maintenance.
Contact them at volunteer@thkmc.org.sg.
Serving the needy and disadvantaged, Touch invites volunteers to see what a difference you can make to the community – and to yourself too.
Sign up and you could soon be involved in their Meals-on-Wheels food delivery programme or accompanying the elderly to hospital check-ups.
TWC2 is a non-profit organisation and you can make a difference in the lives of migrant workers by volunteering here.
Help with outreach by distributing flyers and surveys to foreign workers where they congregate on their days off, accompany injured and unpaid workers on fun days out or provide a friendly smile and a listening ear to injured workers and workers in salary disputes with their employers.
Or help with research, casework or at public engagements to bring more awareness to the organisation.
Operating as a soup kitchen, Willing Hearts prepares, cooks and distributes about 9,500 meals a day, to over 40 locations across the island, 365 days a year.
Help with the preparation of meals or with food collection or delivery duties.
Also known as the Council for the Development of Singapore Malay/Muslim Community, Yayasan Mendaki organises programmes with the aim to uplift the Malay/Muslim community through education. The organisation was formed in 1982 and also has a goal to develop students’ resilience and adaptability.
Volunteers can get involved with estate visits to understand the challenges faced by Malay/Muslim families, be a mentor to youths, coach students in mathematics, or provide support at events.
Check out current volunteering opportunities here.
This national institution was launched in 2014 by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the National Youth Council, and champions youth volunteerism. Youths aged between 16 and 35 are urged to get involved in the cause, to ignite positive change in society through community service.
It doesn’t matter what sort of skill you have (or don’t have) — there’s something for everyone here, as long as you’re passionate about serving your community. There are over 21,000 volunteering opportunities in areas such as education, health, special needs, seniors, children, the environment and sports. Some opportunities are even via reaching out online, because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Check out the long list of volunteer call-outs here.