The NTUC concludes its U Care Fund efforts for the year, with a three-day U Care Back to School Fair. Organised yearly to complement the Back to School voucher programme, the fair reaches out especially to low-income members with school-going children, to help lighten their expenses for the new school year through exclusive deals and special promotions on school-related merchandise offered by participating merchants. The fair promotions are also extended to all union members.
In 2011, $3.6 million worth of U Care Back to School vouchers were disbursed to help over 29,000 school-going children of low-income union members prepare for the new school year. Each child received $125 worth of Back to School vouchers, which can be used to purchase school-related items from participating retail outlets and authorised suppliers at schools under the Ministry Of Education. The vouchers can also be used at the Back to School Fair.
Back to School Fair Offers More Attractive Deals
This year, the three-day fair from 9 to 11 Dec 2011 is held at the Toa Payoh Central Amphitheatre (outside Toa Payoh Library) from 12pm to 9pm. Participating merchants include BATA, Evergreen Stationery, NTUC Unity, PC Connect, POPULAR, SingTel and The Point Optical. For the first time, the fair will also have a U Care Learning Zone where educational talks are organised for parents to learn more about healthy eating for their children, social networking sites and how to keep their children safe online respectively. Children can also participate in creative art and crafts workshops such as caricature drawing and designing their own storybook.
Members will be rewarded with LinkPoints (the Labour Movement’s loyalty programme) with purchases made at the fair. Some of the exclusive offers for NTUC members include discounts of up to 30% off a wide selection of assessment books and selected items from POPULAR, 35% off spectacle frames from The Point Optical and daily specials from PC Connect when they present their membership card at the fair.
Donation of $500,000 to NTUC First Campus Bright Horizons Fund
At the fair, the NTUC also presented a donation of $500,000 from the U Care Fund to the NTUC First Campus Bright Horizons Fund. The fund offers financial assistance to children of low-income families to attend pre-school at My First Skool centres. It also funds learning assistance such as the Read-to-REACH literacy programme and the Behaviour Support Programme for children whose families require help in giving them a foundation for primary schooling.
Disbursement of $9 Million through U Care Assistance Programmes in 2011
With concerns over rising cost of living, the NTUC is pleased to conclude that a total of $9.13 million was disbursed through the U Care Fund to low-income union members and families through six different assistance programmes. This translates to help and outreach to over 90,000 low-income members and their families.
The assistance programmes are U Stretch vouchers, U Care Back to School vouchers, Family Recreation & Fun Carnivals, U Care Education Co-Funding scheme, and donations to NTUC Eldercare Trust and NTUC First Campus Bright Horizons Fund.
|
Programme |
Amount disbursed* |
| U Stretch vouchers ($100 per recipient) |
$2,377,200 |
| U Care Back to School vouchers ($125 per school-going child) |
$3,646,625 |
| Family Recreation & Fun Carnival (worth $100 per family package for 4) |
$805,700 |
| U Care Education Co-Funding scheme (total projected - disbursed through unions) |
$800,000 |
| Donation to NTUC Eldercare Trust |
$1,000,000 |
| Donation to NTUC First Campus Bright Horizons Fund |
$500,000 |
|
Total Disbursed in 2011 |
$9,129,525 |
*Figures as at 8 Dec 2011
NTUC Care and Share Director, Mr. Zainudin Nordin said, “This year, with concerns like rising cost of living falling on the shoulders of our workers, we have reviewed the application criteria of our assistance programmes. We have since increased the income ceiling so as to reach out to even more members. In total, the U Care Fund has disbursed about 53,000 voucher booklets, over 8,000 recreation packages to some 32,000 union members and their families, and supported over 6,000 students through co-funding of our unions’ bursary and scholarship programmes. We will continue to monitor the economic situation and be prepared to do even more when the need arises.”
Mr Mohd Ali Bin Mohd Salleh, 47, taxi driver, who benefited from both the U Stretch and Back to School programmes received $725 worth of assistance this year. He said, “With six school-going children and as my job does not guarantee a stable income, it can get really difficult financially especially when we are looking at such a gloomy economy outlook. I cannot express how grateful I am receiving these vouchers by U Care Fund. They have helped tremendously especially with expenses for my children’s new school term.”
The roll-out of the U Care Fund assistance programmes was strongly supported by contributions from NTUC-affiliated unions and association, the Singapore Labour Foundation, NTUC social enterprises such as NTUC FairPrice Foundation, NTUC Income, NTUC Club and NTUC Choice Homes, and corporate donors such as ComfortDelGro, CapitaLand Hope Foundation and The Singapore Buddhist Lodge.
