SIF Awards are one way we recognise and celebrate the significant contributions and achievements of our volunteers, partners and friends who give generously of their time, talent and treasure to build a better world.
Global Citizen Award
For individuals who exemplify what it means to be an active global citizen. They work alongside others, across multiple SIF programmes for many years, to effect positive social change while fostering greater intercultural understanding.
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2021 Winners
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2019 Winners
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2017 Winners
Ramaswamy Akhileswaran
Having been an SIF Specialist Healthcare volunteer since 2009, Dr Akhileswaran has led three projects and has gone for more than 25 trips to build palliative care capabilities in Indonesia.
Having been an SIF Specialist Healthcare volunteer since 2009, Dr Akhileswaran has led three projects and has gone for more than 25 trips to build palliative care capabilities in Indonesia.
Under his leadership, the projects have trained more than 100 Master Trainers and positively impacted more than 60,000 people in Jakarta and Bandung, Indonesia. Nine hospitals have also successfully set up multi-disciplinary palliative care teams, with some initiating pilot projects to bring palliative care into the community and homes.
In 2020, he partnered with musician Leslie Tan to bring together palliative care and music, to uplift the lives of the patients, their family and caregivers.
Celia Tan
Celia Tan has been a specialist volunteer with the SIF for more than 17 years. As Group Director of Allied Health in SingHealth, she played a critical role in the SIF's specialist healthcare projects. These projects sought to deliver quality care and strengthen the healthcare systems of various countries in Asia.
Celia Tan has been a specialist volunteer with the SIF for more than 17 years. As Group Director of Allied Health in SingHealth, she played a critical role in the SIF's specialist healthcare projects. These projects sought to deliver quality care and strengthen the healthcare systems of various countries in Asia. They support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 of ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being of all. Since 2002, Celia has been actively involved in 13 projects across China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, spanning areas of emergency medicine, trauma rehabilitation, as well as physiotherapy care. Besides leading and scoping projects, she has brought on board many like-minded partners and volunteers to join the SIF’s mission. For helping to raise the standards of physiotherapy care in Cambodia, Celia was awarded the prestigious Monisaraphorn Thipadin Medal by its government in November 2019. Overall, Celia’s contributions have made a positive impact on thousands of lives in five countries.
Elim Chew
Elim Chew has been an active supporter of the SIF for nearly a decade, contributing to a myriad of the organisation’s programmes in different capacities. From 2009 to 2016, she had a hand in providing strategic advice and direction...
Elim Chew has been an active supporter of the SIF for nearly a decade, contributing to a myriad of the organisation’s programmes in different capacities. From 2009 to 2016, she had a hand in providing strategic advice and direction to the SIF as a member of its Board of Governors. She was instrumental in working with the SIF to design the organisation’s signature Young Social Entrepreneurs (YSE) programme, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. Having supported YSE as a mentor, judge and speaker, Elim currently plays the role of Special Advisor to the programme. She deems the success of the young changemakers from Young Social Entrepreneurs (YSE) programme – with over 1000 alumni spanning 30 nationalities – as her greatest source of achievement and satisfaction. In addition to the YSE, Elim has supported different SIF activities and events, such as the erstwhile Ideas for a Better World Forum and Young Business Ambassadors programme. She also contributes widely to the SIF’s outreach and marketing efforts.
Annie Yeo
As the Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Deutsche Bank, Annie Yeo spearheaded the bank’s sponsorship of Water for Life (Siem Reap) in 2010. She became a Singapore International Volunteer herself, contributing...
As the Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Deutsche Bank, Annie Yeo spearheaded the bank’s sponsorship of Water for Life (Siem Reap) in 2010. She became a Singapore International Volunteer herself, contributing in her personal capacity to the clean water project. On the social enterprise front, Annie was a judge at the SIF’s Young Social Entrepreneurs (YSE) programme in 2016 and 2017. She has also been a member of the SIF’s Arts for Good Advisory Panel since 2016.
Citizen Ambassador Award
For Singaporeans who volunteer with the SIF and represent our country and culture in different ways. By sharing their expertise and resources with overseas communities, they uplift lives and effect positive change.
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2021 Winners
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2019 Winners
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2017 Winners
David Pong (Good Business)
As a YSE alumnus, David has given back to the programme as a pro-bono speaker/trainer for pitching skills from 2019 – 2021 to help YSE participants prepare for business presentations. He participates in YSE alumni activities and offers consultation to foreign YSEs...
As a YSE alumnus, David has given back to the programme as a pro-bono speaker/trainer for pitching skills from 2019 – 2021 to help YSE participants prepare for business presentations. He participates in YSE alumni activities and offers consultation to foreign YSEs who are unable to show their best work in English in their application for alumni awards.
Most recently, David volunteered as a trainer for SIF’s Design Thinking for Good Business curriculum. He will be also be deployed as an alumni trainer for the YSE Regionals. David has been offered Wateroam’s story as a case study in the Design Thinking for Good Business curriculum, highlighting how effective listening and empathetic approaches are critical in deriving appropriate solutions for communities.
Kannigadevi Narayanasamy (Volunteer Cooperation)
Kanniga is the team leader for SIF’s ECE Mumbai and ECE Jakarta projects. She readily took on the additional responsibility to find an institutional partner in Singapore for the ECE Jakarta project.
Kanniga is the team leader for SIF’s ECE Mumbai and ECE Jakarta projects. She readily took on the additional responsibility to find an institutional partner in Singapore for the ECE Jakarta project.
Her strong endorsement of SIF as a credible partner to her management paved the way for SIF’s first partnership with Presbyterian Community Services (PCS). In addition to the responsibilities of a project lead, Kanniga brings in suitable and qualified SIVs to deliver each learning domain of ECE and for different components of the projects.
She was also one of the five shortlisted for the Singapore Silent Heroes Award 2021 under the “Outstanding Adult’ category.
Leslie Tan (Arts and Culture)
Leslie Tan began his association with the SIF in 2014 as a recipient of the Singapore Internationale, our erstwhile grant for artists looking to bridge cultural understanding between Singapore and world communities through their work. As part of...
Leslie Tan began his association with the SIF in 2014 as a recipient of the Singapore Internationale, our erstwhile grant for artists looking to bridge cultural understanding between Singapore and world communities through their work. As part of an Arts for Good initiative this year, Leslie led a music project in the Indonesian town of Cisarua, facilitated by musicians from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music and the Bandung Philharmonic. The project was aimed at empowering and improving the emotional well-being of Afghan refugees as they await resettlement. Leslie also fronted a new component in the SIF’s ongoing Enabling Palliative Care Trainers’ project in Bandung, Indonesia, working with healthcare specialist volunteers to incorporate music therapy into palliative care training to help both patients and their caregivers.
Russ Neu (Good Business)
For more than a decade, Russ Neu has been contributing his time and talent to the SIF through multiple programmes. He has served as an in-field volunteer in Vientiane, Laos and in Pariaman, Indonesia, respectively teaching English...
For more than a decade, Russ Neu has been contributing his time and talent to the SIF through multiple programmes. He has served as an in-field volunteer in Vientiane, Laos and in Pariaman, Indonesia, respectively teaching English to senior officers of the Lao Foreign Service and sharing skills on student-centred learning with local educators. More recently, he spoke at the SIF’s inaugural Young Social Entrepreneurs Overseas Workshop in Shanghai, sharing his insights and experiences as a venture capitalist to programme participants hoping to start or scale up their social businesses. With the support of the SIF, he published a book “A Whole Neu World” detailing his experiences in Laos that has inspired many other volunteers.
Akhileswaran Ramaswamy (Volunteer Cooperation)
A consultant in Geriatric Medicine from the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Dr Akhileswaran Ramaswamy is a specialist Singapore International Volunteer (SIV) who has helped develop and enhance palliative care services in Indonesia through...
A consultant in Geriatric Medicine from the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Dr Akhileswaran Ramaswamy is a specialist Singapore International Volunteer (SIV) who has helped develop and enhance palliative care services in Indonesia through two SIF projects in 2009 and 2014. To date, the team of Singapore volunteers under his charge has trained more than 225 clinical staff from 13 public hospitals and two host agencies, who have in turn gone on to share their knowledge with over 1,000 of their Indonesian peers. Today, Dr Akhileswaran continues to exchange medical ideas and advice with his Indonesian friends and counterparts on a regular basis.
Esther Joosa (Arts and Culture)
Dr Esther Joosa has been partnering the SIF to bridge communities through the arts since 2011. As a specialist volunteer and arts educator, she worked with Tamil Nadu-based Indian social welfare organisation, Buds of Christ, to empower...
Dr Esther Joosa has been partnering the SIF to bridge communities through the arts since 2011. As a specialist volunteer and arts educator, she worked with Tamil Nadu-based Indian social welfare organisation, Buds of Christ, to empower social workers through the SIF’s Arts for Good programme. Through this initiative, Dr Joosa worked with her Indian counterparts to incorporate art into care-giving practices for communities affected by AIDS. Over 2011, 2014 and 2016, more than 100 children and parents affected by the condition attended her workshops where she used masks to help them connect with their emotions and heal. Her work in the arts for good space has undoubtedly lifted these communities.
Friend of Singapore - Gotong Royong Award
For our foreign friends who help nurture the ‘kampung spirit’ between Singaporeans and world communities on a people-to-people level. Their efforts contribute to better understanding, ties and trust between communities and inspire more action for good.
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2021 Winners
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2019 Winners
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2017 Winners
Dian Permata Sari Mashari (Indonesia)
Dian’s connection with SIF began back in 2005 when she participated in the SIF International Student Symposium.
Dian’s connection with SIF began back in 2005 when she participated in the SIF International Student Symposium.
Since her appointment as an SIF Representative in 2018, Dian has been working actively to forge ties between Singapore and Indonesian communities, including securing involvement of SIF-ASEAN Fellow and West Java Governor, Ridwan Kamil, as a panellist at SIF eConnects! Indonesia 2019 as well as SIF’s inaugural conference on PD in Asia 2021.
Dian was also involved in the 2019 edition of the ASEAN Youth Fellowship, a by-nomination only programme which provides leadership development among up-and-coming leaders in ASEAN.
Sriram V Ayer (India)
Sriram Ayer started his association with the SIF as a Arts for Good Fellow in 2017. Since then, he has become a key partner of the Fellowship and this factored into the decision to organise the overseas exchange programme...
Sriram Ayer started his association with the SIF as a Arts for Good Fellow in 2017. Since then, he has become a key partner of the Fellowship and this factored into the decision to organise the overseas exchange programme of the Fellowship in Chennai, India.
He has been instrumental in connecting SIF with several key stakeholders not only in Chennai but across India. His warm relations with them contributed to several pro-bono engagements.
In 2021, for the fourth digital edition of the Fellowship, Sriram has come onboard and continues to support the programme with the staff support, community outreach and network building.
Matthew Herrmann (United States)
Since his appointment as the SIF Representative in Washington DC four years ago, Matthew Herrmann has actively represented the Foundation in its outreach activities both in the United States and Singapore. He played a key role in...
Since his appointment as the SIF Representative in Washington DC four years ago, Matthew Herrmann has actively represented the Foundation in its outreach activities both in the United States and Singapore. He played a key role in organising SIF Connects!, our annual get-together for engaging and reconnecting with Friends of Singapore in both Washington DC and Singapore. He also represented the SIF at the Young Southeast Asia Leadership Initiative, a programme to build the leadership capabilities of youth and to promote cross-border cooperation to solve regional and global challenges. In addition, he was a contributor to Singapore: Insights from the Inside, Vol. III, a publication by the SIF to bring fresh perspectives to Singapore from our friends across the globe.
Shawn Lourdusamy (Malaysia)
Shawn Lourdusamy's association with the SIF first began in 2012 as a recipient of the Singapore Internationale, our grant for artists seeking to bridge cultural understanding between Singaporeans and world communities through...
Shawn Lourdusamy's association with the SIF first began in 2012 as a recipient of the Singapore Internationale, our grant for artists seeking to bridge cultural understanding between Singaporeans and world communities through their work. Since 2016, Shawn has been partnering the SIF through our Arts for Good initiatives aimed at creating positive change through arts and culture. In the last four years, he collaborated with the SIF on the Arts and Healing component of the annual CausewayEXchange, a programme he founded to foster greater collaboration among artists in Asia. He also played a key role in our Arts for Good Fellowship, and in the Arts and Disability International Conference 2018 co-organised by the SIF.
Andy Holley
One of the most ardent supporters of the SIF’s Young Social Entrepreneurs (YSE) programme, Andy Holley has played the roles of both guest speaker and mentor since 2013. Even as Chief Operating Officer of Digital McKinsey Asia, Andy remains...
One of the most ardent supporters of the SIF’s Young Social Entrepreneurs (YSE) programme, Andy Holley has played the roles of both guest speaker and mentor since 2013. Even as Chief Operating Officer of Digital McKinsey Asia, Andy remains active in the Lead Mentorship programme, and has lifted YSE's profile to the business community in Singapore and beyond.
Today, the SIF’s YSE programme is supported by over 100 institutional partners across nine global cities, with a growing community of 780 young social entrepreneurs representing 27 nationalities, with successful social enterprises in 13 countries.
Today, the SIF’s YSE programme is supported by over 100 institutional partners across nine global cities, with a growing community of 780 young social entrepreneurs representing 27 nationalities, with successful social enterprises in 13 countries.
Christopher Davies
Christopher Davies has been the SIF’s representative in the United Kingdom (UK) since 2013. A strong advocate of collaborations, he has also helped facilitated partnership opportunities for the SIF with UK institutions. Christopher was a...
Christopher Davies has been the SIF’s representative in the United Kingdom (UK) since 2013. A strong advocate of collaborations, he has also helped facilitated partnership opportunities for the SIF with UK institutions. Christopher was a valued panellist on the SIF Connects! London 2016 dialogue session and he also contributed to the SIF’s publication “Singapore: Insights from the Inside”, a collection of Singapore stories from members of the international community who have lived or are living here.
Dedication Award
SIF Awards are one way we recognise and celebrate the significant contributions and achievements of our volunteers, partners and friends who give generously of their time, talent and treasure to build a better world.
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2021 Winners
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2019 Winners
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2017 Winners
Long Service Award – 10 Years
Angilay Davy V Doraisamy
- Young Social Entrepreneurs Programme (Mumbai, India)
- Management Skills Training for Social Sector Project (Mumbai, India)
- Curriculum Design and Teaching Methodology Project (Hanoi, Vietnam)
- Training of Trainers Methodology Project (Surabaya, Indonesia)
- Leadership Training (Surabaya, Indonesia)
- Young Social Entrepreneurs Programme (Mumbai, India)
- Management Skills Training for Social Sector Project (Mumbai, India)
- Curriculum Design and Teaching Methodology Project (Hanoi, Vietnam)
- Training of Trainers Methodology Project (Surabaya, Indonesia)
- Leadership Training (Surabaya, Indonesia)
Long Service Award – 10 Years
Mark Leong
- Virtual Forum ‘COVID-19 One Year On: Lessons from Singapore & Myanmar’ (Singapore; Myanmar)
- Traumatology Project (Malang, Indonesia)
- Disaster Medicine and Emergency Preparedness Project (Jakarta, Indonesia)
- Emergency Medical Care and Management Project (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
- Virtual Forum ‘COVID-19 One Year On: Lessons from Singapore & Myanmar’ (Singapore; Myanmar)
- Traumatology Project (Malang, Indonesia)
- Disaster Medicine and Emergency Preparedness Project (Jakarta, Indonesia)
- Emergency Medical Care and Management Project (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
Long Service Award – 15 Years
Celia Tan
- Emergency Medical Care and Management (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
- Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
- Paediatric Physiotherapy (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
- Physiotherapy Bachelor Programme Upgrade (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
- etc...
- Emergency Medical Care and Management (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
- Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
- Paediatric Physiotherapy (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
- Physiotherapy Bachelor Programme Upgrade (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
- Physiotherapy Programme Phase 1 and 2 (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
- Physiotherapy and Pedagogy (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
- Physiotherapy Bachelor's Programme (Chongqing, China)
- Physiotherapy Education Upgrade (Vientiane, Laos)
- Enhancing Trauma Rehabilitation Care (Yangon, Myanmar)
- Enhancing Healthcare Education (Colombo, Sri Lanka)
- Enhancing Competency in English Language Communication (Jaffna, Sri Lanka)
- Arthroplasty (Hanoi, Vietnam)
Long Service Award – 10 Years
Anette Sundfor Jacobsen
- Enhancing Maternal and Child Health Services, (Tamil Nadu, India)
- Paediatric Emergency Care (Bandung, Indonesia)
- Emergency Obstetrics and Paediatric Care (Vientiane, Laos)
- Enhancing Maternal and Child Health Services, (Tamil Nadu, India)
- Paediatric Emergency Care (Bandung, Indonesia)
- Emergency Obstetrics and Paediatric Care (Vientiane, Laos)
Long Service Award – 5 Years
Allan Tee
A veteran Direct Service Team Leader volunteer with the SIF, Singapore International Volunteer (SIV) Allan Tee has been involved in all of SIF's Water for Life projects – in Lamongan (Indonesia), Yangon (Myanmar), as well as...
A veteran Direct Service Team Leader volunteer with the SIF, Singapore International Volunteer (SIV) Allan Tee has been involved in all of SIF's Water for Life projects – in Lamongan (Indonesia), Yangon (Myanmar), as well as Siem Reap and Kampong Speu (Cambodia) over the past five years. Allan, a former regional director in a multinational company, is also a mentor on the SIF’s Young Social Entrepreneurs (YSE) programme where he shares his business know-how and experience with passionate changemakers from around the globe. Through volunteering, he hopes to help the less privileged, empower the young, and inspire others to do the same.
Betsy Ng
Since her first volunteer trip with the SIF’s Words on Wheels project in Bandung (Indonesia) in 2012, SIV Betsy Ng has gone on to participate in and lead almost 10 volunteer trips, including Water for Life. A dedicated and dependable...
Since her first volunteer trip with the SIF’s Words on Wheels project in Bandung (Indonesia) in 2012, SIV Betsy Ng has gone on to participate in and lead almost 10 volunteer trips, including Water for Life. A dedicated and dependable Direct Service Team Leader, her passion shines through in her warm interactions with both the other volunteers and the communities she has journeyed with.
