10 inspiring people who are leading Singapore’s social justice space

Cai Chengying, Pro Bono SG’s head of community lawyering

Credit: Cai Chengying

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During her past career as a litigator with Allen & Gledhill LLP, Cai Chengying was seconded to Pro Bono SG, an access-to-justice charity, to do full-time pro bono criminal defence under the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme.

This life-changing secondment sparked a passion to advocate for the needy and vulnerable facing legal and other related challenges, such as family breakdown, mental health issues, financial insecurity, and job insecurity.

After volunteering for seven years, Cai joined the charity full-time. The 35-year-old is head of community lawyering at Pro Bono SG, providing integrated legal care to the most socially excluded through strong partnerships with the social service sector and establishing Community Law Centres offering free legal assistance in the heartlands.

On the side, she is a passionate storyteller who leads Pro Bono SG’s walking tours focused on the intersection of justice and community.

Florence Lee, co-founder of School of Ability & Recovery

Credit: Florence Lee

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Having experienced psychosis in 2013, Florence Lee has become a passionate advocate for removing the mental health stigma. She co-founded a ground-up initiative, the School of Ability & Recovery (SOAR), to help young adults navigate the fast-paced Singapore society.

Since 2018, the group has been actively developing public awareness and providing recovery-related workshops for youths, modelled after recovery colleges in the UK.

SOAR holds a safe space for people to explore their mental well-being through interactive workshops like Slowing Down, centred on reflection, self-care, mindfulness, and psychological safety. Broken Crayons, developed in collaboration with the Institute of Mental Health’s Early Psychosis Intervention Programme, is another workshop series on the realities of recovering from psychosis.

Lee, 36, said, “​​Perhaps by talking about our mental health failures, young people who are struggling do not need to learn their lessons the hard way.

Sapna Kewalramani Malhotra, co-founder of Her Rise Above

Credit: Sapna Kewalramani Malhotra

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As a new mother, Sapna Kewalramani Malhotra ran a small home business in personalised stationery and experienced the challenges of solopreneurs who must wear many hats. She realised that networks and resources were key to growth — and not all women have access to the same opportunities.

In 2019, the 38-year-old launched Her Rise Above, a volunteer-led mentorship programme for women facing financial instability. It aims to provide business skills for women to run their own home-based businesses.

To date, Her Rise Above has mentored more than 40 women. The initiative is supported by the Kewal Ramani Foundation, which is helmed by Sapna as director of philanthropy. “I strongly believe that women are catalysts for the wellbeing and progress of their families and communities… We empower these women to take charge of their lives,” said Sapna.

Narasimman (Narash) S/O Tivasiha Mani, co-founder of Impart

Credit: Narasimman S/O Tivasiha Mani

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Not many might think about youth dropouts or hikikomori (severe social withdrawal), but Impart has placed this urgent issue at the forefront. It’s thanks to the efforts of Narasimman S/O Tivasiha Mani (also known as Narash), a trailblazing force driving impactful community initiatives for children and youths facing adversity.

When he first met his co-founder, Joshua Tay, at the Singapore Boys’ Home, the pair were determined to find ways to support high-risk youths better. In 2015, they launched Impart, a non-profit that serves youths who struggle with issues like academic hurdles, mental health struggles, integration within the community, and low motivation stemming from adversities like domestic violence.

Narash, 39, has pioneered community-based programmes ranging from free mental health care and preventive work to aftercare rehabilitation. Grounded in trauma-informed practices, evidence-based interventions, crisis intervention, and trans-diagnostic clinical approaches, Narash’s visionary leadership redefines mental health support for young people. “Timely access to psychological help is really critical for youths in psychological distress,” says Narash.

Tan En, general manager of Ray of Hope

Credit: Tan En

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As Ray of Hope’s general manager, Tan En has been pivotal to its growth in the past four years — raising $500,000 a year to an annual donation income of over $7 million.

The crowdfunding charity raises funds for people who have fallen through the cracks and offers intervention to them.

Tan, no stranger to empowering marginalised populations, has spent over a decade in the non-profit sector. His key roles include saving wild animals as director of advocacy at ACRES, a legislative assistant for a Member of Parliament, and a founding project manager for the Silent Foundation.

He was part of the inaugural National Council of Social Service’s 40 under 40 signature leadership programme which saw promising young leaders in the social service sector from diverse backgrounds come together to make change happen.

“We need to come together to support each other in need; this way, we can build a stronger and more inclusive Singapore community where anyone can give to those who fall through the cracks,” said Tan, who is turning 39 this year.

Ho Kah Yoke, executive director of Kampung Kakis

Credit: Ho Kah Yoke

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When Ho Kah Yoke began her career as a social worker and later transitioned into the philanthropic sector, she recognised the transformative power of community engagement in driving change.

This realisation became the cornerstone of her work with Kampung Kakis, a neighbourhood buddy system initiated during the pandemic to aid isolated and frail seniors by connecting them with resident volunteers. “I find great meaning in walking the ground because that’s the only way to understand areas of need and opportunity deeply,” explains the 36-year-old.

This hands-on approach is fundamental to her belief that impactful change happens when communities are provided with a voice and a platform to articulate their needs and participate actively in their betterment. Her past work with Spooner Road residents exemplifies this philosophy, where she worked with the community to foster a culture of mutual support and camaraderie.

Jamsari Ahmad, co-founder at BapaHebat SG

Credit: Jamsari Ahmad

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Jamsari Ahmad’s passion for volunteerism transcends decades. Over the years, Jamsari has volunteered extensively, where he conducted basic IT literacy and self-awareness workshops at local children’s homes, was a career mentor with Young NTUC, and served as a safe-distancing ambassador during the pandemic.

Inspired by his trainer and co-founder of the Centre for Fathering, Jamsari joined a network dedicated to raising awareness about fathers’ crucial role in children’s lives. He participated in awareness programs within Singapore prisons, recognising the need for more impactful interventions.

In late 2021, Jamsari and three fellow volunteers established BapaHebat Sg Limited. This nonprofit aims to go beyond awareness by offering longer-term programs in collaboration with the Singapore Prison Service. Driven by the belief that an involved father’s presence is vital for family well-being, BapaHebat SG emphasises positive communication as the cornerstone of building strong father-child bonds, even during incarceration.

Their programs encourage consistent, positive interactions between incarcerated fathers and their children.

Beyond prison walls, they organise similar programs at local halfway homes and run small group talks for fathers. These intimate group sessions provide a safe space for fathers to ask questions, share concerns, and receive support. They partnered with Ahmad Abu Bakar Clay Studio and New Life Stories to launch “Clay That Binds”, a pottery program to encourage father-child connection.

Jamsari, who is 58 this year, says, “We aspire for our children to flourish, realising their full potential, and active father involvement stands out as one of the key factors in fostering their thriving journey.”

Suraendher Kumarr, community organiser at Workers Make Possible

Credit: Suraendher Kumarr

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Growing up in poverty in a single-parent household, Suraendher Kumarr saw first-hand how his mother struggled to raise five children in crazy-rich Singapore. During his student days, he became involved in community organising and activism, particularly with the then-student organisation Community for Advocacy and Political Education (CAPE) at the National University of Singapore. He was also one of the organisers of the actions responding to the way the campus management handled Monica Baey’s case (which sparked a national debate on sexual harassment).

An internship at a migrant labour NGO opened his eyes to the exploitation of migrant workers. It strengthened his resolve that workers need to be able to fight for their own rights. A member of SG Climate Rally during the pandemic, he later left to dedicate his energies towards building Workers Make Possible in 2022. The platform aims to be a resource for workers of all nationalities, trades, and incomes.

In 2023, he was one of the people responsible for the first-ever independently organised labour day rally in Singapore since the decline of the labour movement in the 1960s, with some 300 workers attending it.

Suraendher says, “The best way to resist things is through building and growing a workers’ movement that has the interests of the working class front and centre. Whether you’re a tech worker, a doctor, a lawyer, a cleaner, a road sweeper, a bus driver, a migrant construction worker, or a food delivery rider, we are all one working class. We need to build and sustain a movement that will enable not just migrants but all workers in Singapore to organise themselves and fight for their rights. Many workers have great ideas on how best to solve their issues. However, many lack the confidence and space to experiment with these solutions. At Workers Make Possible, we aim to help workers meet their shared goals. Our ethos is that workers can solve their own issues as long as they have adequate tools, confidence, and community.”

Anders Tan, co-founder of Inclus

Credit: Anders Tan

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In trying to source a job for his brother-in-law, who is on the autism spectrum, Anders Tan found the process challenging and stressful. His brother-in-law changed jobs four times in four months because of the unsupportive work environment.

That sparked the idea for Inclus, a social enterprise that empowers people with disabilities to reach their fullest potential in life through gainful employment and independence.

Since 2019, more than 1,000 trainees have gone through Inclus’ programmes since the organisation was founded, and about 80 per cent who are job-ready have been successfully placed into jobs. For his efforts, Anders was one of the leaders inducted under the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) 40 under 40 in 2021.

Prior to Inclus, Tan ran multiple startups, with the first dating back to 2013, an edu-tech social enterprise that helps underprivileged students who need help with their schoolwork get access to free support. The 38-year-old runs Inclus with his other founders, Shaun Tan and Arudra Vangal, who also have autism.

Matt Oon, founder and CEO of Acceset

Credit: Matt Oon

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Growing up in the shadow of his mother’s schizophrenia, Matt Oon knows first-hand the stigma of mental health, such as the unwillingness to acknowledge nor the courage to have a dignified conversation around caregiving for loved ones suffering from mental illnesses.

Armed with a sociology degree, he started Acceset, a digital platform that lets people discuss mental health issues and support each other in a safe and anonymous manner. In 2018, Oon was one of two Singaporeans who received the Queen’s Young Leader award in recognition of the potential of his leadership and project impact and is part of the Philip Yeo Initiative fellowship community, a youth leader program administered by the NUS Enterprise.

Oon fostered safe spaces offline through facilitating trauma-informed care workshops for students, parents, caregivers and working professionals. He built safe spaces online and partnered with the National University of Singapore Yong Ling School of Medicine for research into the safety and efficacy of the Acceset digital platform.

This article was originally published in The Peak.