Former United States president Barack Obama is slated to speak at a Singapore charity gala on 14 December 2019 to help raise funds for four Singapore charities that support education and training for marginalised women and children from disadvantaged families.
Some S$5 million is expected to be raised at the inaugural Education Benefit Gala by organiser Novena Global Lifecare, a subsidiary of the Dorr Group, to commemorate the company’s 10th anniversary and affirm DORR founders’ belief in empowerment and equal opportunities through education.
“There are 617 million children and adolescents who are not proficient in either reading or mathematics, according to data from the UNESCO Institute of Statistics. In Singapore, education is compulsory before children turn 15, and our literacy rate is 97%; still, let’s not rest on our laurels as there is a minority who are marginalised and fall out of the system for various reasons,” said Nelson Loh, executive chairman and co-founder of the Dorr Group and Novena Global Lifecare.
“On our 10th anniversary, we want to reflect on that and how DORR can contribute to maintaining the nation’s high education standards now and in the future,” he added.
The highlight of the evening will be a moderated conversation with the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama.
The Education Benefit Gala Dinner will be held at the Grand Ballroom, Ritz Carlton Millenia Singapore, with a fine dining experience curated by four renowned Michelin star chefs, Tetsuya Wakuda, Tristin Farmer, Cheung Siu Kong, and Beppe De Vito.
The funds raised will go to the following beneficiaries:
- Dreams Institute (South Central Community Family Service Center), which aspires to be an inspirational lighthouse that empowers promising and deserving young persons from low-income households to break out of the entrapment of poverty by believing they too can excel if they dare to dream. Dreams Institute’s initiatives include bond-free scholarships as well as residential accommodation, which comprises weekday boarding/enrichment programs as well as structured academic programmes.
- SCWO (Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations) Service Fund, which aids marginalised women in need through counselling, financial assistance and legal advice. The Service Fund does much work in education on The Convention on the Elimination on the Discrimination of Women, financial literacy and IT proficiency by offering training to seniors and those who need to learn basic skills. It also supports Star Shelter, which provides safe temporary refuge for women and their children who are victims of family violence regardless of race, language, creed or religion.
- Daughters Of Tomorrow is an organisation that supports and complements existing training and workforce-related agencies by connecting volunteers and community resources to enable underprivileged women on an individual level. Daughters Of Tomorrow runs educational programmes such as DOT Confidence Curriculum, IT Literacy and Financial Literacy that aim to give women the tools to build and sustain financially independent and resilient families.
- PPIS, founded in 1952, is dedicated to working with Muslim women of all ages in carrying out their multiple roles in society through three core community services: Family Services, Student Care, and Early Childhood Education. PPIS provides holistic support for Muslim women and their families with a comprehensive range of training programs and consultancy services, from one-day educational courses to large scale learning and networking events.
