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Responding
to a
world
in need
World Vision International
Singapore Annual Review 2008
Singapore Registered Address
Annual Report
750 Chai Chee Road
#03-02, Technopark@Chai Chee
Singapore 469002
Telephone: 6511 7699 Fax: 6512 1963
Email: [email protected]
Pursuant to Section 16(1) of The Charities Act 1994
30 September 2008
Registered as a Charity under the Singapore
Charities’ Act Registration No. 0377
Incorporated under the laws of Monrovia, California,
USA with limited liability, the Articles of Incorporation and bylaws being its constitutive documents and
registered in Singapore on 6 August 1981 under the
Companies Act Registration No. F3015R
Bankers
DBS Bank, Standard Chartered
CONTENTS
Lawyers
Allen & Gledhill
Message from the Chair of World Vision Singapore
Pg 3
World Vision Singapore Annual Review 2008
Pg 4
Auditors
Lo Hock Ling & Co.
Certified Public Accountants
Singapore Advisory Council
(with date of appointment)
Watt Santatiwat
(1 September 2006)
Andrew Goh, Chairman
(26 September 2003)
Liew Heng San, Vice Chairman
(26 September 2003)
Choo Cheh Hoon
(26 September 2003)
Foo Pek Hong
(3 August 2004)
Diana Chandra Oh
(3 August 2004)
Tan Chee Koon
(3 August 2004)
David Wong Cheong Fook
(1 September 2006)
James Quek
(1 April 2008)
Singapore Office Staff
Executive Director
James Quek
Finance
Laura Ho
Michelle Lee
Michelle Ade-Ramos
Donor Relations
Stella Soh
Ethel Camiguin
Diana Voun
Daphne Law
Wong Sze Zen
Communications
Elaine Tan
Lynette Lim
Mindy Chee
Tan May Li
Mandy Loh
Jenny Teo
Kristy Wong
Esther Yeap
Tay Xiu Yi
Information Technology
Homer Sanchez
HR & Admin
Esther Low
International Ministries
Michael Chiam
Clara Goh
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN
We are currently in the midst of a deep economic crisis. The impact of this recession is real. People across the world
are feeling the cold chill of the economic meltdown. Yet, in these difficult times, the ones hardest hit are the poor,
and children in particular are the most vulnerable. For while we have the choice about what to cut back as we tighten
our belts, people living on as little as $1 a day have few options. For them, cutting back means choosing which family
members to feed, or quite simply, going without food. That is why at World Vision, we remain as committed as ever
to meeting the needs of poor children and their families, even as we deal with the current economic challenges.
I am pleased to report that notwithstanding such troubling moments, we continue to receive good and steady support
from thousands of generous donors and that have allowed us to continue the critical ministry of serving the poor.
In FY2008, World Vision Singapore received S$10.3 million in donations. During the year, we helped more than 1.4
million people in 16 Area Development Programmes (ADPs) in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia,
Laos, Lesotho (South Africa), Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. I am particularly
delighted that two of our ADPs
the Cipinang Melayu ADP in Indonesia and the Tiandong ADP in China – have
successfully completed their development cycles and are now self-sustaining.
World Vision Singapore started supporting the Tiandong ADP in Guangxi, China, in 2001. By the end of project, over
25,000 people from 15 villages across five townships have received assistance in health, food security, education and
community capacity building. The Cipinang Melayu ADP, located in east Jakarta, Makasar, was started in 1997 and after
11 years, nearly 39,000 people are now self reliant with greater access to education, healthcare, increased household
income, food security, and stronger leadership capabilities.
On 2 May 2008, Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar, sweeping two states and ravaging seven townships in the Ayeyarwady
region. Thousands of lives were lost and many more were left homeless. Generous Singaporeans contributed
US$750,000 to the relief and rehabilitation efforts. Through the various assistance provided by the World Vision,
more than 347,000 people in Myanmar received help.Even as we raced against time to provide relief to the Nargis
victims, a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck China’s Wenchuan County in north Sichuan on 12 May 2008.
World Vision again responded by distributing food and shelter materials to the affected areas. Over 700,000 people
received immediate help and a long-term relief and rehabilitation plan that will benefit 1.1 million people in the next
two years was implemented. In this instance, World Vision Singapore received US$180,000 to the relief and rehabilitation work in Sichuan.
During the year, World Vision Singapore supported 13 Street Children Centres located in Cambodia, China, Ethiopia,
Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and Pakistan. Everyday, millions of innocent children around the
world suffer from abandonment, abuse, slavery, child labor, drugs and other exploitations. World Vision rescues these
vulnerable children by putting them in Street Children Centres, providing them with shelter and protection, and
ensuring that they receive the basic needs of life, including health care, education and decent job opportunities.
Looking forward to FY2009, all of us at World Vision Singapore will be redoubling our efforts to ensure that the
children, families and communities whom we serve will continue to receive the help they so urgently need. I am
honoured to share this journey with you as we walk alongside the poor, helping them to alleviate the bonds of poverty
and transforming their lives and livelihood so that they, too, will have the opportunities to enjoy life in all its fullness.
Dr Andrew Goh
Chairman, Advisory Council
World Vision International - Singapore
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World Vision Singapore Annual Review 2008
October to December 2007
ONE LIFE EXPERIENCE ON HIV/AIDS
Launched on World AIDS Day on December 1, 2007, the One Life
Experience (OLE) was a 140-square-metre exhibition that allowed
visitors to literally “walk through” the life of a person affected by
HIV/AIDS.
OLE was a first-of-its-kind event for Singapore and was open to the
public in various locations at Woodlands Civic Centre, Toa Payoh
HDB Hub, National Library and Singapore Management University
from December 1, 2007 to February 3, 2008.
Co-organised with the Health Promotion Board, OLE was run with
close to 500 volunteers and visited by nearly 9,000 visitors who
experienced the lives of a young girl named Beatrice from Zambia,
Srey Mom from Cambodia, and Ah Hock from Singapore. Using
audio, photos and props, OLE was both interactive and immersive,
and designed to open people’s minds and hearts to the HIV/AIDS
pandemic.
One Life Ambassador, Jaymee Ong, walked through the
exhibit and experienced the journey of a HIV-affected child.
Surveys revealed that the exhibit had helped dispel certain stigma
and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS, particularly in relation to its
transmission methods, and changed visitors’ perspectives and biased
attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS.
Nearly 9,000 visitors walked through the OLE and experienced the lives of those affected by HIV/AIDS.
LIFE-CHANGING CHRISTMAS GIFT CATALOGUE 2007
World Vision Singapore compiled the needs of some 20,000 underprivileged children from around the world into its annual LifeChanging Christmas Gift Catalogue. Items included basic necessities
such as hygiene kits with soap so that children can bathe and wash
their clothes; blankets so that they are kept warm; and mosquito
nets so that they can be protected from mosquitoes and diseases
like dengue fever.
For Tippapha Chowyong from Bo Kleau Area Development
Programme, Thailand, receiving a quilt couldn’t be more timely, as
the winter months get very cold in Northern Thailand. Through the
generous support of the donors, Tippapha and the other children in
the community are kept warm, comfortable and happy.
Orphans and vulnerable children in the AIDS-devastated Lenkoane community received new brick homes due to the generosity Singapore’s donors.
Photo by Robert Coronado, World Vision.
Donations from World Vision Singapore supporters totaled
$1,001,760.
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January to March 2008
CHILD SPONSORS’ TRIP TO VIETNAM
A group of World Vision child sponsors and staff visited Phu
Cu Area Development Programme (ADP) in northern
Vietnam in January 2008. The ADP was started in 1999 and
would achieve self-sustainability by 2011 – ahead of schedule
as it has made good developmental progress.
The sponsors and staff spent three days in Phu Cu, visiting
six schools, one kindergarten, two handicraft centres, one
health clinic and two families who shared their stories on
how World Vision has benefited them.
From left to right: Laura Ho, World Vision Singapore staff, Van Cuong’s
father, mother, sister and Child Sponsor Tan Seck Kuan. Photo by Jenny
Teo, World Vision Singapore.
Phu Cu ADP organises training courses on childcare for pregnant
women, mothers and other caregivers in the district. These activities
have reduced the overall malnutrition rate by 20% amongst children.
Photo by Ngan Kim Nguyen, World Vision Vietnam.
They also had the opportunity to meet their sponsored
children and to spend time with them. For World Vision
Child Sponsor, Tan Seck Kuan, the experience of meeting his
sponsored child, Phi van Cuong, was transformational and
priceless, as it was for the rest of the child sponsors as well.
Attending training courses on maternal and childcare organised by
World Vision have helped local caretakers change their childcare
practices and improve children's health in the district.
Photo by Ngan Kim Nguyen, World Vision Vietnam.
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CYCLONE NARGIS IN MYANMAR
Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar on May 2, 2008, sweeping across two states
and ravaging seven townships in the Ayeyarwaddy Division and one township in the Yangon Division. Up to 95% of the houses were severely damaged, 84,547 lives were lost, and another 53,835 people were still missing
as a result of Cyclone Nargis.
Within hours of the Cyclone, World Vision conducted rapid assessments
and found that the urgent needs were for food, shelter, water and health
services. Humanitarian assistance to the Nargis-affected areas were
promptly provided from the second day of the disaster, upon invitation
from the government to assist severely affected communities in the most
affected townships in Yangon and Ayeyarwaddy Divisions.
The Cyclone Nargis Emergency Response programme was designed to
reduce the immediate vulnerability of affected households and communities
through: provision of food, non-food items and temporary shelters;
improved access to water and hygiene supplies; improved access to health
services and livelihood means; addressing protection and psychosocial
needs of children; and ensuring accountability across all projects.
World Vision set up distribution centres to assist those
who have lost their homes. Emergency items such as
tents, cooking utensils, medication and food were distributed to thousands of people within the first week.
World Vision Singapore received and contributed US$750,000 to the relief
and rehabilitation of Cyclone Nargis, and provided PUR water purification
sachets to Nargis beneficiaries through its partnership with Procter &
Gamble. Through the various interventions and assistance provided by
World Vision’s Cyclone Nargis Emergency Response Team, 347,378
people received help.
U Mya Win, 58, lost 10 members of his
family to Cyclone Nargis. He is left alone
to care for his three grandchildren. World
Vision is helping poor farmers like U Mya
Win by providing farming machinery,
seeds and tools.
Child-friendly spaces were set up to help children
overcome the trauma of the disaster and to offer
comfort and counselling. Photo by Lay Htoo, World
Vision.
PUR Water Purification Sachets from P&G gave the
people of Myanmar access to clean water, which was
essential to their survival. Photo by Khaing Min Htoo,
World Vision.
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SICHUAN EARTHQUAKE IN CHINA
On May 12, 2008, a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Wenchuan
County in north Sichuan, China, affecting more than 16 regions and some
46.24 million people. Within a short time, World Vision responded, distributing food, quilts and shelter materials to survivors in more than 12 counties
and cities throughout Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi provinces.
World Vision also built pre-fabricated classrooms and set up Child Friendly
Spaces to provide children with psychological support through games and
sharing. Life-saving assistance was extended to over 700,000 people and a
long-term relief and rehabilitation plan benefiting 1.1 million people over the
course of the next two years was also put into place.
World Vision is committed to rebuilding 94 schools and dormitories in
Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, providing about US$230,000 per
institution. There are also plans to help 5,800 families rebuild their homes. To
date, 260 families have already rebuilt their homes. In addition, seven clinics
will be built to provide healthcare services to quake-hit people.
Eight-year-old Zhao Jin and her 9-year-old cousin
Wang Wenfeng, were forced to seek temporary
refuge in World Vision’s tent during this post- quake
period because their house has been destroyed by
the quake. Photo by Michelle Tam, World Vision.
In the area of community development, 50 villages will be assisted to rebuild
their infrastructures. To help quake victims regain their livelihood, World
Vision will provide agricultural recovery items. Leader training programmes
will also be provided to people in rural areas to help them develop their communities into self-sufficient ones.
World Vision Singapore received and committed US$180,000 to the relief
and rehabilitation work in Sichuan, China.
Toys were distributed to children affected by the quake
to help lessen their pain and loss.
Villagers were grateful to receive a cooking set from
World Vision. Photo by Michelle Tam, World Vision.
This student is grateful for a warm winter with the gift of
a quilt from World Vision. Photo by Caroline Lee, World
Vision.
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30 HOUR FAMINE CAMP 2008
The 30 Hour Famine Camp is World Vision Singapore’s annual community education project, aimed at inspiring, educating and motivating young
people into action on global issues – issues that affect millions of people
living in countries less developed than Singapore.
On June 14-15, 2008, some 450 youths in Singapore fasted for 30 hours
in an overnight camp held at Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) to
show empathy for people affected by global hunger and poverty,
HIV/AIDS and climate change.
The intent and goal of the 30 Hour Famine Camp 2008 was to enlighten
the minds and hearts of our youths so that they can become more aware
of others who are less fortunate than them and act in compassionate
ways through volunteerism and the giving of themselves. The theme was
“Be a Change Agent - Change Hearts, Save Lives”.
Students collecting newspapers to help raise funds for
local families living with HIV/AIDS.
Through presentations, role play, simulations and a unique 140-squaremetre HIV/AIDS exhibition called One Life Experience, participants
engaged in mind-changing and heartfelt sessions that seek to challenge
their worldviews and generate compassion for those whose lives are
fraught with the challenges of poverty, HIV/AIDS and calamities caused by
global warming and climate change.
Participants also heard the live testimony of Srey Mom, a victim of child
prostitution from Cambodia. Although she has managed to escape from
the sex trade, she is now HIV-positive. Nonetheless, she leads a purposeful life and is helping to empower other child sex victims to seek justice
and an alternate life of hope.
A candlelight memorial in remembrance of the those who
died from HIV/AIDS.
To further instill the spirit of compassion and caring for those who are
less fortunate, participants were involved in a community service project
on the second day of the camp, raising more than S$4,000 through newspaper and old clothing collection. The proceeds went to helping local
families who are living with HIV/AIDS.
The camp culminated with a closing ceremony and finale concert featuring local acts, and officially ended at 8:00 pm on Sunday, June 15, 2008
where campers broke fast and partook in a meal together.
Srey Mom, who was a victim of child prostitution in Cambodia,
shared her story with the youths at the 30 Hour Famine Camp.
Srey Mom is currently an advocate against child sex trafficking and
works for World Vision.
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July to September 2008
TWO WORLD VISION AREA DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES ACHIEVE SELFSUFFICIENCY
Celebrations were in store as World Vision Singapore successfully phased out of two Area Development Programmes (ADPs)
at the end of its fiscal year 2008 – Cipinang Melayu ADP in Indonesia and Tiandong ADP in China.
Tiandong ADP, China
World Vision Singapore started supporting Tiandong ADP in Guangxi,
China, in 2001.
By the end of the fiscal year 2008, a total of 25,564 people from 15 villages
across five townships have received assistance in health, food security,
education and community capacity building.
One of the most significant changes in Tiandong is in the area of education. School buildings, classrooms, dormitories, playgrounds and bathrooms have been built or refurbished, providing a more conducive
environment for learning. World Vision also established a scholarship
scheme to assist students from extremely poor families to pursue higher
education.
The school dropout in Tiandong ADP has decreased as
students now enjoy going to school in their new learning
environment.
Cipinang Melayu ADP, Indonesia
Cipinang Melayu ADP, located in east Jakarta, Makasar, was
started in 1997 to improve education, healthcare and economic
development for the community.
After 11 years of support from World Vision, 38,779 people – of
which 13,430 were children – now have achieved self-reliance
with greater access to education, healthcare, increased household income, food security and stronger leadership capabilities.
Child Sponsor Chantel Tian (left) met her sponsored child Shavira
(centre) during the her visit to Indonesia in July 2008.
To celebrate the success of the ADP become self-sufficient,
several child sponsors visited Cipinang Melayu where they met
with their sponsored children and families. They also visited a
project in the slum near the river banks, where sick children are
receiving medical assistance from World Vision.
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CHANNEL U’S “BIRTHDAY PALS” - BORN ON THE SAME DAY YET LIVING
SUCH DIVERSE LIVES
A 30-minute Chinese documentary by Channel U was televised on
August 20, 2008, featuring two 17-year-olds who shared the same
birthday – Ly Long from Cambodia and Jessica from Singapore – but
whose lives could not be more different from one another.
Ly Long was a victim of family violence who scavenges rubbish dumps
for a living, while Jessica is a Junior College student who leads a comfortable and sheltered life.
Through World Vision’s Child Labour Project where vulnerable
street children are provided access to informal education, skills training and recreational activities, Ly Long is now receiving help to better
his life.
The documentary was a successful collaboration between World
Vision Singapore, World Vision Cambodia and Channel U.
Ly Long (left, with his sister) is being assisted through World
Vision’s Child Labour Project, enabling him to participate in
informal education and complete his schooling. Photo by
Sopheak Kong, World Vision Cambodia.
MEDIACORP MAKING A DIFFERENCE BY BUILDING A SCHOOL FOR THE
CHILDREN OF SICHUAN
“Making a Difference – A School for the Children” is an initiative
by MediaCorp Pte Ltd in support of World Vision to fund the
building of a school in Shaanxi, one of the worst affected province
by the Sichuan earthquake.
From August 4 to September 14, 2008, all of MediaCorp’s radio
stations actively promoted the school rebuilding effort and held
road shows at various public venues to raise awareness and funds
for the victims of Sichuan earthquake. The proceeds collected
from their donation drive were channelled to World Vision
Singapore for the rebuilding of a new school.
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“PLANET PREPARE” HEIGHTENS NEED FOR DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
In September 2008, World Vision Singapore and World Vision Asia Pacific Regional Office (APRO) launched the “Planet
Prepare” report, a study on climate change and its impact on coastal communities in developing countries in Asia.
Associate Professor Wong Poh Poh, an eminent geographer from National University of Singapore, Nobel Peace Laureate and
one of the coordinating authors on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change co-chaired the media launch with the
author of “Planet Prepare”, Johannes Luetz. Luetz is the co-founder of a German-based publishing company and has a B.A. in
Social Development and a MBA in European-Asian Programme.
The Ciliwung River is prone to frequent flooding, causing people to abandon their lower floors and move up higher. This photo shows the
river with low water levels. The “Planet Prepare” report highlights climate change issues such as these. Photo by Abi Hardjatmo, World
Vision Indonesia.
Floods in 2007 made Kampung Melayu one of the worst affected districts. The water levels of the Ciliwung River rose five metres high,
triggering large scale evacuations. Photo by Abi Hardjatmo, World Vision Indonesia.
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