21 October 2014

Celebrating Our Singapore International Volunteers

President’s Award for Volunteerism (Non-Profit Category) awarded to SIF recognises the contributions of more than 3,500 Singapore International Volunteers (SIVs) to international understanding and development.

SIF Governor David Chong (middle) receiving the award from SIF Patron and Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam.

“Singaporeans form the backbone of our work. From artists to social entrepreneurs, doctors to business leaders, youths or professionals, many have joined SIF as our citizen ambassadors. Singaporeans are our strategic enablers, connecting and collaborating with others to build a better world. Among them are the SIF’s vibrant corp of Singapore International Volunteers,” says Ms Jean Tan, SIF’s Executive Director.

For our work in enabling Singaporeans to contribute to international understanding and development, SIF was presented with the President’s Award for Volunteerism in the Non-Profit category at this year’s President’s Volunteerism and Philanthropy Awards (PVPA) on 15 October 2014. The award recognises SIF’s best practices in the management of volunteers.

The ripple effects of the SIVs’ work and efforts have been felt in our neighbouring countries, inspiring many others in those communities to become change agents themselves.

Numbering around 3,500, they comprise doctors, nurses, therapists, teachers, public servants, social workers, bankers, lawyers and more. Whether as specialist or generalist volunteers, they are our change agents who share their knowledge, skills, and resources to uplift lives. Their hard work, dedication and passion have made a positive difference – significantly improving lives in developing communities across 17 countries over the past two decades.

SIV A/Prof Annette Jacobsen from the KK Womens’ and Childrens’ Hospital, one of our longstanding partners, congratulates SIF on winning the award, “I’m very excited for SIF to have received this endorsement. SIF has become like a family to me, and I am happy for the SIF staff. I very much enjoy partnering SIF to contribute to the betterment of the programmes and encourage all of you to continue the good work you are doing!”

Today, our SIVs continue to empower communities in 35 projects across Asia - improving the quality of healthcare, environmental and education services through skills training and provision of direct services.