The CWA hopes raise the first tranche of funds for the endowment at its fundraising gala dinner on November 25, which is set to be a family affair
Throughout its rich history of over a century, the Chinese Women’s Association (CWA) has done good work for the betterment of society in Singapore. One notable project it undertook during the postwar period was the Henderson Senior Citizens’ Home, which it managed from 1978 to 2009 before handing over the reins to NTUC Eldercare.
In the decade since, the CWA has raised more than a million dollars for various charities, including the St Andrew’s Mission Hospital and National Museum of Singapore.
Now, as the organisation enters the second century of its establishment, the CWA continues its charitable work with its current initiative, the CWA-NUS Bursary, which was first introduced in 2020. Unlike its other charitable projects, this is the first time that the CWA has a charitable gift named after it.
The endowment fund will support female students at the National University of Singapore (NUS) who are in financial need. According to CWA vice president Vivienne Tan, the CWA hopes to raise a first tranche of $300,000—with a matching grant from the government, of which one-third, or $100,000, will go to the CWA-NUS Bursary—to start a $400,000 endowment fund. (The balance of the government grant will go towards the central endowment fund as stipulated by the Ministry of Education.)
“It’s a modest start, but we will build on this,” says Tan, who adds that the CWA hopes to grow the endowment fund, which will be administered by the NUS, over the years. NUS will also be responsible for the selection of candidates.
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For a start, the CWA will be holding a fundraising gala dinner on November 25, at the Regent Hotel Singapore, which will be graced by Indranee Rajah, minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and second minister for finance and national development, as the guest of honour.
The evening is set to be a celebration of over 100 years of family ties, says Tan, who shares that with the entertainment programme will feature the combined talents of family and friends of CWA members, directed by Brandon Barker, the son of Gloria Barker (wife of Singapore’s first law minister, the late E W Barker).
Brandon’s sister Carla Barker and her daughter Megan will wow guests with their singing chops, alongside actress Cheryl Chitty Tan (best known for her role of Yehenara in the hit musical Forbidden City: Portrait of An Empress, alongside Kit Chan), as well as an impromptu vocal group dubbed “The Singing Husbands”.