In 2013, the Labour Movement disbursed $8.99 million to its low-income union members and families, through its various NTUC U Care assistance programmes.
The U Care assistance programmes aim to help low-income union members and families improve their lives, as well as support needy children and elderly in a meaningful way through the use of the NTUC-U Care Fund (herein referred to as U Care Fund). Many low-income union members and their families have benefitted from the U Care Fund, which has aided them in many areas, including subsidising their children’s education costs.
In total, the U Care Fund assisted some 30,900 union members with U
Stretch Vouchers; and about 9,300 low-income families participated in six runs of Family Recreation & Fun Carnivals. Collectively, this amounted to $3.43 million in assistance. The fund also supported some 29,300 members’ children with Back to School Vouchers; close to 8,600 students through our affiliated unions’ bursary and scholarship programmes and about 600 needy children received support from NTUC First Campus Bright Horizons Fund. Not forgetting the more vulnerable groups of the elderly in our midst, over 5000 elderly also received assistance through NTUC Eldercare Trust. The U Care Fund makes donations to the Bright Horizons Fund and NTUC Eldercare Trust every year.
|
U Care Focus Areas |
U Care Programmes |
Projected Amount disbursed* |
Outreach |
|
Supporting low-income Families |
U Stretch vouchers ($100 per recipient with dependents in the same household in Singapore; or $50 per recipients with no dependents staying in Singapore) |
$2.5 million (30,900 families) |
40,200 families |
|
Family Recreation & Fun Carnival (worth $100 per family package) |
$0.93 million (9,300 families) |
||
|
Champion for Children and youth by levelling the playing field |
U Care Back to School vouchers ($125 per school-going child) |
$3.66 million (29,300 children) |
38,500 children |
|
U Care Education Co-Funding scheme (projected) |
$0.9 million (8,600 children) |
||
|
Donation to NTUC First Campus Bright Horizons Fund |
$0.5 million (over 600 children) |
||
|
Helping Seniors stay active |
Donation to NTUC Eldercare Trust |
$0.5 million |
More than 5,000 seniors |
|
|
Total Disbursed in 2013 |
$8.99 million |
*Figures as at 13 Dec 2013
At the fair, it was also announced that the Tote Board and Singapore Pools will co-fund the Back to School Voucher programme to the tune of $1 million. The donation will be disbursed from 2014 through 2016 in aid of students from low-income families across kindergartens, MOE-registered primary, secondary and special schools, Institute of Technical Education, and polytechnics.
Said Singapore Pools’ Director of Corporate Services & Public Affairs, Mrs Janet Seow at the event, “As a committed supporter of worthy causes in the local community, the Tote Board and Singapore Pools are pleased to partner NTUC in this meaningful project to assist families in our midst that are challenged by the cost of their children’s school-going expenses. Besides providing monetary support to the programme over the next 3 years, we have also involved our Singapore Pools Sports Excellence Scholars from the Singapore Sports School to give motivational talks and organise fun games at the Back to School Fair for the children. We hope our giving will go a long way in helping these families in need.”
NTUC Care and Share Director, Mr. Zainal Sapari said, “The Labour Movement is committed to help our low-income union members and their families. We are grateful to the many generous donors who believe in our cause and their contributions had enabled us to disburse $8.99 million this year. We had also organised the annual U Care Back to School Fair to provide even greater value to all our members as they prepare their children for the new school year. We hope our members will take advantage of the special promotions, educational talks and workshops that were organised just for them.”
The roll-out of the U Care assistance programmes was strongly supported by contributions from all 60 NTUC-affiliated unions and association, the Singapore Labour Foundation, NTUC Social Enterprises such as NTUC FairPrice Foundation, NTUC Club, NTUC Income and NTUC Choice Homes, Tote Board and Singapore Pools, management and tripartite partners as well as corporate donors.
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