Singapore International Foundation

27 Oct 2009

SIF Appreciation Dinner 2009

Ms Euleen Goh, Chairman of Singapore International Foundation, speaks at The Appreciation Dinner 2009 to thank friends and partners of SIF.

Your Excellency President S R Nathan,
President of the Republic of Singapore and Patron of the Singapore International Foundation;

RADM (NS) Lui Tuck Yew,
Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts;

Friends and partners of the Singapore International Foundation;

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,


Good evening. It is my pleasure to welcome you all warmly and to thank you, sincerely, for taking time out of your busy schedules to share a meal with us, and help us mark a night that is very special to the Singapore International Foundation.

A night like this is made special only partly by the evening's agenda. It is made special mostly by the people in this room. You who have chosen to join hands with the SIF in a quest to do good and who have come tonight to extend those same hands in a warm gesture of friendship.

Singapore International Foundation was founded 18 years ago to nurture Singaporeans as global citizens and to make friends for Singapore. The excellent work done by many of you has won us friends around the world and a standing among international organizations. We continue that good work even as we refresh our mission in today’s fast changing world.

Your efforts, no matter how small reap big dividends. For example, last year announced our partnership with MediaCorp’s Village Help initiative to support a humble project in a small, remote village of impoverished dairy farmers in India. Today they boast 11 healthy cows which provide 15 families with a steady monthly income. Mothers can put food on the table. Children can go to school. Next year, more calves born mean more families helped. And the cycle for good continues, making true the words of philanthropist Sir John Templeton that “The best investment with the least risk and the greatest dividend is giving.”

We have been especially encouraged to reshape our ambitions – thanks to your support. Our volunteers, of course, never cease to inspire us. Our partners – our public hospitals and educational institutions – release precious staff to ease the lives of our neighbours. And our corporate donors – Ngee Ann Development, Singapore Airlines, Temasek Foundation and Metro (with the help of Pioneer Junior College) – continue to fuel our work through their donations.

Your giving has reaped results. Since last October, your dedication as volunteers, funders and institutional partners has helped the SIF support 20 international volunteerism projects in seven countries. Thousands of people in the region stand to benefit, while Singaporeans return enriched from the experience.

Over the past year, the SIF also forged friendships through the arts. By the end of November, three groups of Singapore artistes would have performed in Jakarta, Dubai and Brussels respectively – showcasing the creativity of Singaporeans.

The SIF Distinguished Visitors Programme brought friends to our shores. Among the thought leaders we hosted was Dr James Leape, Director General of WWF International – (I’m happy to see Amy Ho here tonight, their MD in Singapore). Dr Leape’s lecture potently added to the ferment of new ideas as our world grapples with climate change. In turn, he told me that he came away from the lecture energized by the interest and insightful questions of the Singapore public.

On another front, I have met so many expatriates, foreign students and visitors who have enjoyed being in Singapore. How do we retain their warm regard and keep them connected? This question has led the SIF to think about the space we can occupy as an agency that helps keep these friendships alive no matter where our friends may be.

All of SIF’s work has as its cornerstone – friendship. The new vision that the foundation unveils today celebrates the ties that bind all of us in this room to a common cause. You – volunteers, funders, donors, institutional partners, alumni – you form the thread of friendship that helps us tie up the loose ends of an unequal world and create instead a tapestry of hope and opportunity.

Thank you for helping us keep these ties strong. Thank you for being here with us, and for us. Stay with us as we continue our journey ahead.

I wish you an enjoyable evening.