SJ’s Myanmar office staff at Monastic Education School in the Hlegu township in Yangon
Surbana Jurong’s Myanmar office recently held a charity event to support poor and needy children at Monastic Education School in the Hlegu township in Yangon. The school which relies heavily on donations and community support is also a home for the children who are orphans, abandoned or come from broken families and migrant communities. These children are provided meals and lodging at the school.
SJ’s Myanmar team raised funds and received donations totaling USD 4,000 for this charity initiative. The team generously gave their time to distribute stationary and nutritious food items to hundreds of students. Gifts were presented to 24 teachers as a token of appreciation for their work caring for the 680 children at the orphanage school. Other donated items included rice and cooking oil as well as cash for miscellaneous expenses.
More than 85 ex-offenders have received financial help through the Bursary and 23 of them have graduated with recognised diplomas.
At Surbana Jurong’s charity golf event in Singapore last year, we raised more than $120,000 which was donated to two of our adopted beneficiaries. For one of them, the Yellow Ribbon Project’s Yellow Ribbon Fund (YRF) – the donation was assigned to its Skills Training Assistance to Restart (STAR) Bursary which aims to provide ex-offenders the financial support they need to obtain vocational and skills training, so that they have a purpose in life, earn a living for themselves and their families and regain their self-respect.
In November 2016, SJ’s donation to the bursary programme which covers 100 per cent of the course fees of a full-time diploma or vocational course, living allowance and book grants, has helped five ex-offenders get a new lease on life. One of the beneficiaries is *Linda. Linda is a single parent of three kids who are between the ages of seven and 15. Struggling with her divorce and under tremendous financial pressure, she turned to drugs for relief. She was jailed for 18 months when the law caught up with her. While in prison, Linda found out about the STAR Bursary which inspired her and gave her hope. Soon after her release, Linda approached the YRF to apply for the bursary, and to change her life. We are pleased to share with you that Linda has recently started her diploma programme and hopes to eventually provide a better future for her children.
“The bursary rekindled the fire and motivation in me to achieve the goals I had in life. I am grateful for this incredible opportunity and would like to thank the Yellow Ribbon Fund and Surbana Jurong for giving me a second chance to fulfil my dream,” said Linda.
Four other ex-offenders in a similar situation as Linda have received support from the STAR bursary programme to start life afresh, and are on their way to becoming contributing members of society.
The YRF STAR Bursary has supported financially needy ex-offenders seeking vocational and skills training since 2010.
More than 85 ex-offenders have received financial help through the Bursary and 23 of them have graduated with recognised diplomas.
*Name has been changed to protect the individual’s identity.
Surbana Jurong held its first charity golf event on 9 December 2015 (Wednesday) at Jurong Country Club. The inaugural event saw a turnout of 150 golfers who managed to complete their game on a sunny day!
The event was organised in support of Surbana Jurong’s adopted charities – St. John’s Home for Elderly Persons (SJHEP) and The Yellow Ribbon Project (YRP). A sum totalling slightly more than S$120,000 was donated to the two beneficiaries to support their efforts in caring for the displaced elderly residents and providing training and education for ex-offenders. SJHEP, established in 1958, provides shelter and care for the needs of elderly persons aged 60 and above, with no home or next of kin with adequate resources to care for them. The YRP, initiated in 2004, supports ex-offenders aged 18-30 in their reintegration back into society.
We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to all golfers, sponsors and donors for their generosity and kind support in making this event a huge success! We hope to see you at the next Charity Golf!
