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NTUC-U Care Fund has been named one of the winners of the inaugural Charity Transparency Awards 2016, organised by the Charity Council, for its exemplary transparency and disclosure practices. NTUC-U Care Fund was presented with the award at the awards ceremony on 28 September 2016 (Wednesday).
The NTUC-U Care Fund was established in 2009 to consolidate the Labour Movement’s efforts to better the welfare of low-income union members and their families. Since its inception, the NTUC-U Care Fund has touched the lives of the members in need through various assistance programmes such as discount vouchers for groceries, back-to-school vouchers, funding support for bursaries and scholarships and family recreation packages.
Mr David Wong, Chairman of NTUC-U Care Fund, said, “As a relatively young charity, the NTUC-U Care Fund is very pleased to be recognised for our efforts in upholding good transparency and disclosure practices. We strongly believe in being a responsible and responsive charity, fully accountable to all stakeholders. Guided by this ethos, we hope this will further instil trust and confidence in us as we carry out our primary mission of improving the lives of our low-income union members and their families.”
Mr Zainal Sapari, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General and Director of Care and Share Department said, “We welcome the strong affirmation given to the NTUC U-Care Fund for our governance to ensure the funds raised are properly managed. We hope our donors and beneficiaries will continue to support us in the coming years to enable us to make a positive difference in helping our low-income union members, their families and those who are less fortunate."
Among those union members who benefitted from the U Care Fund is Mr Khairudin Bin Salim. A union member since 2001 and the sole bread-winner for his family of five, Mr Khairudin expressed that he is grateful for the help he has received through various U Care Assistance Programmes. The assistance is especially important for his family this year as his wife and mother-in-law fell ill and underwent surgeries. Through this trying time, his union’s bursary – funded by U Care Fund – has also provided extra help to his children. “My children feel motivated and that their hard work at school are being recognised. It is not easy to get the bursary award and I am very grateful that my three children managed to get it each year,” he said.
Another beneficiary of U Care Fund, Madam Govindasamy Thillaiammal, joined as a union member since 1992. In her early days, 64-year-old Madam Govindasamy used to take on two to three jobs in order to single-handedly bring up her four children. As she struggled to make ends meet, the U Stretch vouchers and U Care Back to School Vouchers enable her to tide through the difficult times by stretching her dollar on daily necessities and defraying schooling expenses. Madam Govindasamy commented that with the assistance programmes, she was able to buy school shoes, textbooks and uniforms for her children. Without the vouchers, those would have inevitably add on to her financial burden.
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