Throughout the course of 2012, a total of $9.7 million has gone to helping low-income members and their families through the Labour Movement’s NTUC U Care assistance programmes.
NTUC took the opportunity to cap its U Care Fund efforts in December 2012 by organising the 8th-run of the Back to School Fair.
Over 10,000 union members had the chance to enjoy exciting offers from returning merchants such as BATA, POPULAR, Evergreen Stationery as well as brand new merchants such as History, Bookaburra and National Geographic.
At the fair, NTUC also presented a donation of $500,000 from the U Care Fund to the NTUC First Campus Bright Horizons Fund (BHF).
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.
Also at the fair was a mini-exhibition where eight testimonials of the beneficiaries of the various U Care Fund programmes were exhibited to showcase the Labour Movement’s effort to care and share.
NTUC Care and Share Competency Director Zainal Sapari said: “As a Labour Movement that values every member, we organise this annual Back to School Fair to extend greater value to all our members. In addition, the U Care Fund is here to provide the extra help to our members so as to defray their cost of living.”
NTUC President Diana Chia said: “This is a meaningful way in which NTUC shares in terms of helping the lower-income families, and this is definitely a labour of love.”
