If there is one thing that Covid-19 has shown, is that when times are tough, there are many among us who step up to help the community. Project Smile is one such organisation that has been working tirelessly to empower less-privileged women within our community. The volunteer-led organisation has focused their efforts through teaching art and skills like sewing, mask-making, which they then sell to help these women earn extra income and build self-confidence.
When Singapore entered into circuit breaker, Project Smile faced fresh challenges. With the closure of workplaces and schools, the organisation was approached by more ladies, whose jobs were affected and were in need of support.
“Covid-19 has been a huge set-back for us. With limited orders, our finances were affected as well and we needed additional support from the community to fund our projects. That is why we immediately applied for the SINDA Community Impact Fund,” says 63-year-old Uma Balji, Chairperson of Project Smile
Through this SCIF funding, the organisation was able to continue its projects by offsetting material costs, ensure weekly product deliveries and pickups, and most importantly, pay their beneficiaries for their hard work. With the pandemic still ongoing, Project Smile has been receiving continued orders for reusable masks from different organisations. Today, Project Smile has completed several projects, including an order for 600 reusable facemasks, which provided their beneficiaries with substantial income.
Uma remains thankful for the support: “Having SINDA’s support is not only about financial relief. It has also given us the assurance that our community looks out for one another and will support each one’s effort to bring smiles to our people’s faces and happiness to their lives.”
Learn more about the SINDA Community Impact Fund and how it can help fund your community cause at sinda.org.sg/scif