FairPrice Group announced on 23 December 2020 a $500,000 donation to NTUC First Campus’ (NFC) Bright Horizons Fund (BHF) and NTUC Health’s Eldercare Trust.
The donation will be done through FairPrice Group’s charity arm, FairPrice Foundation.
Some $250,000 of the donated amount will go to NFC’s Digital Kampung Programme to enhance digital access and strengthen digital literacy for low-income families and their children from 2021 to 2023.
Meanwhile, the remaining half of the donation will go towards upgrading NTUC Health’s IT infrastructure to benefit more than 5,000 seniors across NTUC Health’s centre-based services. This includes nursing homes, day centres for seniors, senior activity centres and active ageing hubs.
FairPrice Group CEO Seah Kian Peng said: “FairPrice Group has increased our support to various community programmes providing further assistance to the less fortunate affected by the pandemic.
“We continue to scale-up on our corporate giving and hope that our donations to NTUC First Campus to support its Digital Kampung Programme, as well as NTUC Health’s upgrading of its IT infrastructure, will help boost digital literacy and skills among disadvantaged groups including vulnerable seniors and children from low-income families.”
Under the Digital Kampung Programme, NFC will lease Apple iPads on a short-term basis of up to three months to eligible families whose children are enrolled in a K1 or K2 class at My First Skool.
Families with monthly household incomes of $4,500 or less, or monthly per capita incomes of $1,125 or less, would be eligible for the programme. Their children should also have achieved an average attendance of at least 50 per cent in the preceding month.
The initiative aims to facilitate the children’s learning and online engagement between MFS centres and families.
The Apple iPads will be pre-installed with educational materials and applications to support the children’s learning and encourage high-quality screen time, as well as resources for parents to communicate with the preschool online.
Parents will also receive a “Digital Kampung Programme Starter Kit” which contains a useful step-by-step guide on iPad usage, recommended screen time for children and cyber-wellness tips, to strengthen their digital literacy.
Additionally, NFC will provide SIM cards for low-income families without WiFi access so that they can access the internet.
NTUC First Campus’ Deputy CEO for Development Phoon Chew Ping, said: “With COVID-19 disrupting the education landscape, NFC has leveraged technology to support children's learning. We recognise that some of our low-income families and children risk falling behind as they lack the necessary digital devices and know-how. With FairPrice Foundation’s support for our Digital Kampung Programme, NFC will be equipping more than 2,000 beneficiaries with digital devices and digital literacy skills over three years, opening doors to digital learning opportunities now and beyond.”
On the other hand, the donation to the Eldercare Trust will allow NTUC Health to enhance its digital infrastructure to expand two-way virtual interactions between seniors and facilitators through activities such as art and craft sessions, exercise workouts for seniors, and digital befriending where seniors can interact with volunteer befrienders online.
Virtual activities are now part of the programmes offered at NTUC Health’s nursing homes, day centres for seniors, senior activity centres and active ageing hubs, to enable seniors to remain active and stay connected with the community, according to NTUC Health.
Some 5,000 seniors will benefit from the donation.
“As seniors are most at risk from COVID19, many activities conducted by our staff and volunteers have moved online to allow them to continue participating in the activities in a safe manner. FairPrice Foundation's donation to the Eldercare Trust will help seniors move more confidently forward with technology in their everyday lives. We hope to enable seniors to continue to age purposefully with passion and vigour even in an increasingly digital world,” said NTUC Health CEO Chan Su Yee.
Since its launch in 2008, the FairPrice Foundation has donated about $138.5 million to sponsor various causes benefiting the poor and needy, the community, and caring for workers’ welfare.
