Citizen Ambassadors

Citizen Ambassadors: The MusiCare Project

"MusiCare is the ability of music to touch the lives of others and for us to feel the emotion in return."

Meet our volunteers and partners who come together to use music to heal. Join Dr Akhileswaran Ramaswamy and musician Leslie Tan on their journey to bring together palliative care and music, to uplift the lives of the patients, their family and caregivers. Watch as the duo collaborate with musicians from Bandung Philharmonic and medical professionals in Bandung, Indonesia.

The MusiCare Project is supported by the SIF's Citizen Ambassador (CA) Development Fund, which enables our volunteers to amplify the positive social impact of their work. For more information, drop us a note at [email protected] 

Citizen Ambassador: The English Teacher

"She teaches from her heart so when we receive, we also receive from our hearts."

Meet English teacher Deborah Low, who spent a year with us as an in-field specialist volunteer in Vientiane where she taught the English language to Laotian government officials. Find out why this was the best teaching year she's ever had. 

Citizen Ambassador: The Empowering Musician

He's performed in some of the grandest concert halls around the world, and is much sought after both as a teacher and concert artiste. But off stage, Singaporean musician Leslie Tan can often be found playing in places you may not expect.

Watch as the talented T'ang Quartet cellist and Project Artitude founder joins us for the Music Projec tin Cisarua, Indonesia to empower Afghan refugees to share their stories through music. 

Citizen Ambassador: The Early Childhood Educator

One of the pioneers of the early childhood education (ECE) sector in Singapore, Dr Nirmala Karuppiah is an established practitioner and educator, as well as a long-time Specialist Volunteer with the Singapore International Foundation.

From Ullon in West Bengal to more recently Mumbai in Maharashtra, Dr Nirmala has helped build capacity in various ECE sectors in India and developed enduring friendships along the way. We followed her in Mumbai to find out what motivates her to volunteer her services. 

Citizen Ambassador: The Sustainability Soldier

Allan Lim champions the idea of sustainability and believes that this positive change can be brought about by a community of like-minded people. 

He brought Chinese and Singaporean artists to collaborate on the Art of Sustainability programme that uses arts and culture as a means to promote awareness, and encourage the public to take action towards sustainable urban living. 

Citizen Ambassador: The Empowering Teacher

Irene Toh immersed herself in the Cambodian culture when she volunteered with the Singapore International Foundation's Physiotherapy Bachelor Bridging Programme.

She spent six months enhancing the standards of Physiotherapy education, training the Cambodian physiotherapists but above all, creating unforgettable friendships and learning from her Cambodian counterparts.

Citizen Ambassador: The Visual Artist 

A photography workshop for the visually-impaired?

Why not? Watch Singapore visual artist Alecia Neo bridge communities through art and shed light on the merging of two seemingly disparate worlds.

Citizen Ambassador: The Social Entrepreneur

One Singaporean. Eight months of social enterprise training. Goal: To create a more inclusive Singapore.

Find out why Debra Lam of Society Staples devotes her time to making Singapore a more inclusive place for everyone -- and how the SIF's Young Social Entrepreneurs' programme has helped her to do so. 

Citizen Ambassador: The Singapore International Volunteer

A husband. A father of two. An international volunteer building something lasting for communities overseas.

Read more about Anthony's volunteering trips in SINGAPORE Magazine.

Citizen Ambassador: The Jiu Jitsu Exponent

Known as a gentle giant, Khairuddin Anshar's mission is to reach out to at-risk youths in the community through a unique sports--Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (aka BJJ). As a part of the Singapore International Foundation's Young Social Entrepreneurs programme, Anshar had the opportunity to take his social enterprise The Lockr up another notch, through mentoring, study visits, and friendship with social entrepreneurs from all over the world. 

Citizen Ambassador: The Arts Educator

Meet Richard Tan, the Arts Educator.

Richard, who was Artistic Director (Dance) with the SAF Music & Drama Company, has groomed countless professional dancers, celebrities, and stage artistes in the local performing arts community over the past 35 years.

Determined to give back to community, Richard has gathered a team of creative educators to train and connect with children from Roslin Orphanage in Kupang, Indonesia, with the support of the Singapore International Foundation's Arts for Good initiative. With their creative talents unleashed, these children will soon perform in Jakarta to raise funds for their orphanage - showcasing the beauty of using arts for social good.