Top 10 Volunteer Organisations in Singapore
Volunteer organisations are a great way to give back to your community and make a difference. They provide opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to contribute their time and skills to worthy causes, while also gaining new perspectives and connections. There are many ways to get involved with a volunteer organisation, whether you donate your time or resources, attend events, or simply recommend the organisation to friends. Volunteering is an ideal way to get involved in your community, make new friends, and give back to those in need.
Here are the top 10 volunteer organisations in Singapore to get you started!
Table of Contents
#1 – Hopefull
Introduction: Hopefull is a ground-up initiative that creates, gathers, and provides engaging educational resources for children and youths from low-income families by collaborating with their network of local expertise.
By tackling the resource-divide that stems from systemic inequality, they have then contributed to the wider social movement in order to solve this problem. The projects serve as platforms for their network of changemakers to support existing programs run by social service organisations.
Moreover, the initiatives had since then provided educational resources to more than 900 beneficiaries each month, supplementing existing programs run by partner social service organisations.
Type of Services:
- Tinker:
Targeted at children aged 4-10 years old, Tinker is a monthly-themed kit made of activities, stories, games, and projects. From science models to crafts to comic books, the goal is to make holistic learning available for all, anywhere. Members of The Block will also be sharing stories and penning letters, encouraging the children to find their passions and pursue their dreams.
To get involved in Tinker: Click here
Email: [email protected];
Website: https://www.wearehopefull.sg/
#2 – National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre
Introduction: The National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) is the steward of the City of Good vision for Singapore, where individuals, organisations, and leaders come together to give their best for others.
City of Good is a vision of a Singapore, where Individuals, Organisations and Leaders come together to give their best for others. Giving their best for others means moving away from a ‘me-first’ mindset and being other-centred.
In short, a City of Good is where they value people first and foremost, and become a Singapore that cares.
Location: 6 Eu Tong Sen St, #04-88 The Central, Singapore 059817
Contact: 6325 0955
Website: http://www.cityofgood.sg/
#3 – Food from the Heart
Introduction: Food from the Heart is a non-profit organisation that feeds the needy through its food distribution programme. It was established in February 2003 after Singapore-based Austrian couple Henry and Christine Laimer read a report in The Sunday Times about bakeries discarding their unsold bread. Stirred, they then decided to channel surplus food from bakeries to those in need.
Food from the Heart started with 120 volunteers in 2003. As of the end of 2020, their volunteers multiplied to over 10,000, and together they had reached 53,700 beneficiaries across Singapore.
Type of Services:
- Bread Run
Aims to feed the needy with safe-for-consumption bread that would otherwise have been thrown away.
The programme strives to achieve an equilibrium between food surplus in the retail sector and where it is needed within the community.
It is organised by Food from the Heart and executed by an intricate network of partners who donate bread, volunteers who can deliver the bread, and community partners who pass on the bread to our beneficiaries.
- Community Food Pack
The Community Food Pack programme comprises distributions of fresh fruit, eggs and bread, as well as monthly food packs of non-perishable food items.
The programme helps the less fortunate put food on the table and offset their living expenses.
- School Goodie Bag
The School Goodie Bag programme focuses on providing underprivileged primary and secondary school students and their families with food rations to support them through a key stage of their lives.
The programme supplements the meals of needy children and their families and reduces their financial burden.
- Project Belanja!
Project Belanja! (热食暖心齐买单) is Food from the Heart’s app-driven hot food redemption programme, run in partnership with hawker stall owners. The programme provides the needy with freshly-cooked meals to be redeemed at designated neighbouring hawker stalls, within proximity of the activity zones of the beneficiaries.
Location: 130 Joo Seng Road #03-01 Singapore 368357
Contact: 6280 4483
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.foodfromtheheart.sg/
#4 – Beyond Social Services
Introduction: Beyond Social Services is a charity dedicated to helping children and youths from less privileged backgrounds break away from the poverty cycle. They provide guidance, care and resources that enable families and communities to keep their young people in school and out of trouble.
Type of Services:
- Healthy Start Child Development Centre (HSCDC)
An early childhood education programme regulated by the Early Childhood Development Agency. It offers full day childcare and has a capacity of 9 infants and 54 children. This facility is dedicated to children from lower income families who pay a nominal fee, but no child is turned away because of an inability to meet school fees. The operating deficit is recovered through fund-raising efforts.
The targets are children below 6 years old from less privileged socio-economic backgrounds whose parents and caregivers are less present
- Bakers Beyond
Seasonal income-generating bake sales.
- LIFE – Learning Is Fun & Exciting
All learning activities for those aged 6 & above are coordinated under LIFE to impress participants that Learning Is Fun & Exciting.
- Competent Communities
A deepening of the community building approach with an emphasis on local response. This translates to an increased level of leadership, participation and decision making by residents. They have visualised this as a neighbourhood where residents have an awareness of their shared challenges, an understanding of how they can work together to tackle them and experience a deep sense of ownership for their collective well-being.
- The Community Theatre
Staging for social change by rallying neighbours to act on their shared challenges.
Location: 26 Jln Klinik, #01-42/52, Singapore 160026
Contact: 6375 2940
Website: http://www.beyond.org.sg/
#5 – Habitat for Humanity Singapore
Introduction: Habitat for Humanity Singapore is part of an international housing charity with a vision of creating a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Convicted that safe and affordable housing provides a path out of poverty, they have been working alongside low-income communities to increase their access to improved living conditions.
Type of Services:
- Project HomeWorks
Intensive home rehabilitation programme for vulnerable elderly and families.
- UnLitter Red Dot
Community clean-up programme in neighbourhoods across Singapore.
- HomeWorks Champion
Community of volunteer leaders who support Project HomeWorks sessions on a regular basis.
- Campus Chapters
Student-initiated organisations in tertiary institutions that help widen their reach.
Location: 56 Lor 23 Geylang, #05-00 Century Technology Building, Singapore 388381
Contact: 6744 7326
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.habitat.org.sg/
#6 – U_SPACE by Hope Centre
Introduction:
U_SPACE by Hope Centre is officially opened on 15 August 2015 by Ms. Denise Phua, Mayor of Central District Singapore. It is a youth centre located at the void deck of Block 466 Crawford Lane, which aims to engage youths living in Kampong Glam (and beyond) through a range of programmes.
Supported by Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the National Council of Social Services, U_SPACE reaches to the 4000 youths in Kampong Glam – about 12.1% of the region’s population. Some of these youths face a myriad of unfavorable conditions, which may lead to negative outcomes in their lives. Therefore, U_SPACE provides a conducive environment for learning and growth. We hope to encourage and spur youths to reach their fullest potential.
More than just a cosy hangout spot, U_SPACE engages and trains youths in the areas of education, sports and arts. Some of the signature programmes include DreamPACT Bursary Awards, HD Movement Dance, GoalKICK Soccer, Guitar Classes, Art Classes, Homework Clinic and Tuition With Love. These activities help youths to acquire new skills, improve self-confidence, develop meaningful friendships, instill a sense of belonging as well as bring about positive change in their lives.
With the launch of U_SPACE, Hope Centre looks forward to engage, enrich and empower the youths of Kampong Glam and Singapore!
Type of Services:
- Seniors Programme
Aimed to hinder the trend of senior isolation in Singapore by reaching out to the seniors living in King George’s Avenue. Their seniors drop-in programme provides a platform for these seniors to socialise with other seniors in the area to form closer relationships with their neighbours.
- Children & Youth Programmes
Engaging the children and youths through fun and exciting programmes that Enrich their lives and Empowering them to become productive and serving citizens in the future.
- Intergenerational Programme
With Singapore’s growing ageing population, there seems to be a need to bridge the generational gap between the young and the old. Both have much to offer to the other – the seniors’ wealth of knowledge and experience makes them exceptional mentors to the youths, while the vivaciousness of the technologically skilled children and youths will impart something to our seniors as well.
- Community Outreach
Their community engagement efforts seek to go upstream to proactively and positively shape the environment and to meet the needs of residents in the community. With the hope to bring together community partners, donors, and volunteers from different parts of Singapore so that everone can work hand in hand towards improving the communities’ social welfare.
Location: 806 King George’s Ave, #03-212, Singapore 200806
Contact: 6348 5479
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.hopecentre.org.sg/
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#7 – Helping Joy Ltd
Introduction: Helping Joy Limited is a Singapore-registered charity organisation. They help the vulnerable in the society, such as physically and mentally challenged individuals, elderly persons and low-income families, regardless of race, religion or language, by bringing a little joy into their lives.
Type of Services:
- Major Cleaning, painting & Washing
Their team of volunteers help the physically and mentally challenged elderly with no immediate family to declutter their homes. Providing them with a clean, like-new home and basic furniture to live in. The duration of volunteer work starts from 9 am till 6 pm on Sunday.
- Guardians of Love
Their teams of volunteers befriend the elderly who stays alone, visit and bring them out for fun-filled outings every weekend. The duration of volunteer work starts from 10 am till 1 pm on Sunday.
- Monthly maintenance house cleaning
Houses that they previously facelift will have a team of angels to follow up and help to maintain the house for those physically and mentally challenged residents. The duration of volunteer work starts from 930am till 1 pm on a Sunday OR 2 pm till 5 pm on weekdays. Volunteer scope of work includes simple household chores like sweeping, mopping, changing bedsheets etc…
- Free Vegetarian food on weekdays
The low-income individual/families and elderly residing in the neighbouring blocks from the centre are provided free vegetarian lunch on weekdays.
- Monthly Free provision of basic necessities
Basic necessities and food rations are packed differently based on their needs and distributed to individual/low-income families. The duration of volunteer work starts from 2 pm till 5 pm on weekdays.
Location: 705 Sims Dr, #06-04A, Singapore 387384
Contact: 6636 3340
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.helpingjoy.org.sg/
#8 – Willing Hearts
Introduction: A secular, non-affiliated charity, Willing Hearts is wholly run by volunteers, apart from a handful of staff. It operates a soup kitchen that prepares, cooks and distributes about 11,000 daily meals to over 70 locations island wide, 365 days a year. Beneficiaries include the elderly, the disabled, low income families, children from single parent families or otherwise poverty stricken families, and migrant workers in Singapore.
With their vision of improving the lives of the underprivileged and marginalized by providing them with their “daily bread” and helping them to become valuable members of our society, while also striving towards the goal of providing daily meals and other support services to the underprivileged, the needy, and other marginalized members in Singapore, and to assist and guide them towards rehabilitating and reinstating themselves as useful members of our society. They are without a doubt an organisation not to be missed.
Type of Services:
Soup Kitchen
The Soup Kitchen opens 365 days a year inclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and Public Holidays.
It operates from 5.00 am to 4.00 pm –
Time is as follows:-
- Early Morning I (5.00am to 6.30am) – Limited to 50
- Early Morning II (6.30am to 8.30am) – Limited to 50
- Morning (8.30am to 12.00pm) – Limited to 50
- Afternoon (12.00pm to 4.00pm) – Limited to 50
To volunteer: Click here
Location: 11 Jalan Ubi Blk 6, #01-51 Kembangan – Chai Chee Community Hub, 409074
Contact: 6476 5822
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.willinghearts.org.sg/
#9 – Red Cross Home
Introduction: Red Cross’ Home Monitoring and Eldercare (HoME+) is a monitoring system using sensors placed around the home. When unusual patterns are detected (inactive, fall, etc.) or when the user activates the panic button, the Red Cross’ call centre is notified immediately. Depending on the situation, community responders or the SCDF (for emergencies) will be dispatched to provide assistance.
HoME+ is a great help and safety net for seniors living alone, post-surgery patients, those who are wheelchair-bound and more!
Type of Services:
- HoME+: A monitoring system using sensors placed around the home.
Get HoME+ today for your loved ones.
Call 6664 0699, or email them
Location: 8 Lengkok Bahru, #04-01 Family Link @, Singapore 159052
Contact: 6762 1029
Website: https://www.redcross.sg/get-assistance/red-cross-home-for-the-disabled.html
#10 – Marymount Centre
Introduction: Marymount Centre reaches out to vulnerable women and children in Singapore. Under Marymount Centre, there are currently three 24-hour residential homes for girls, namely Ahuva Good Shepherd – Children’s Home, Ahuva Good Shepherd – Interim Placement and Assessment Centre, and Ahuva Good Shepherd – Small Group Care; Good Shepherd Centre, a 24-hour crisis shelter for abused women and their children, and victims of trafficking in persons; and Good Shepherd Student Care, which provides dedicated after-school care for students of Marymount Convent School.
In May 2015, Marymount Centre stepped out from the shadows of the old, yet elegant building on the hillock on Thomson Road to a purpose-built smart building in Toa Payoh. However, they have remained steadfast and true to their mission to advocate for social justice, restore human rights and dignity of self, and responded appropriately to the changing needs of society.
They have been blessed by the support and partnership of The Ministry of Social and Family Development, Good Shepherd Sisters, donors, benefactors and volunteers as they accompany the women, girls and their families in their often long, painful and arduous journeys to rehabilitation, recovery and restoration.
Type of Services:
- Ahuva Good Shepherd – Interim Placement and Assessment Centre:
Ahuva Good Shepherd – Interim Placement and Assessment Centre provides an interim care option for children who need a safe care environment while there are ongoing social investigations and assessments of their needs. IPAC received its first child in June 2015; to date more than 630 children have found solace with us.
- Ahuva Good Shepherd – Children’s Home:
The forerunner of Ahuva Good Shepherd – Children’s Home provided vocational education, and residential care for teenage girls and single women in pregnancy crisis. As social norms in Singapore changed, these services became unnecessary. However, other problems that threatened the safety of women and children emerged, and Marymount Centre responded.
- Ahuva Good Shepherd – Small Group Care:
In the course of caring for the girls in Ahuva Good Shepherd – Children’s Home, they had learnt that while there are similarities in their family backgrounds and the issues that precipitated their placing with them, each child responds differently. After many dialogues with stakeholders, including the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), Ahuva Good Shepherd – Small Group Care (SGC) was birthed.
Location: 9 Lor 8 Toa Payoh, Good Shepherd Place, Singapore 319253
Contact: 6256 4440
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://marymountctr.org.sg/
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