Singaporeans donate their Solidarity Payment to charities

The $600 Solidarity Payment would have helped this family of three pay for their daily needs and utilities for a few months. But Miss Rina Ang and her parents decided that others may need the money more.

The 29-year-old who works part-time as a telephone operator told The New Paper: "I discussed it with my parents, and we all felt we can manage since we get other financial assistance from the Government.

"There are many others who may need the money more than us."

Her father works as a cleaner and her mother is a housewife. Together, they kept $100 each and donated a total of $1,500 to Giving.sg

Singaporeans aged 21 and above received a $600 payout from the Government on Tuesday, to tide them over the Covid-19 outbreak.

But some Singaporeans chose to donate their Solidarity Payment to charities instead.

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In a Facebook post yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat encouraged Singaporeans who did not need the money to donate to charities, citing a link to Giving.sg, where over 500 charities are listed.

Giving.sg has four different campaigns specifically for Solidarity Payment donations. On Tuesday, it had 28,000 unique visitors, the highest number to its website this month.

A similar effort is being made by the community-driven Sayang Sayang Fund (SSF). It experienced an increase of 15 per cent in donations from Tuesday.

Mr Delane Lim, 34, who heads the Character & Leadership Academy, said he split his $600 payout and donated it to 60 different charities.

"If we are able to set aside 10 per cent of our $600 - which is $60, you can split it into $10 and help six different charities," he said.

Meanwhile, Miss Enkainia Lee, 22, a student from Nanyang Technological University, donated a total of $300 to three different charities - Migrant x Me, HealthServe and Transient Workers Count Too.

Miss Lee said: "Different people contribute differently and it is up to your personal convictions. To me, it is just about feeling compassion (for others)."

An army regular, who wants to be known only as Mr Yap, said it is important to help low- income families with Covid-19- related losses.

Mr Yap, 24, donated to Project Stable Staples, which provides families affected by the pandemic with grocery vouchers.

Miss Joyce Teo, SSF's deputy chief executive officer, said: "There is still a lot more that can be done for those affected by the Covid-19 outbreak, and we appeal to all who are able to, to donate generously."

This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.

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