Caring for the Underprivileged
Stronger Together
June 2020
Keppel Corporation has, through its philanthropic arm, Keppel Care Foundation, pledged $500,000 over the next three years to support the sheltered workshop programme run by local charity SPD, helping it to stay relevant, current and economically viable in the longer term.
As the world continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Keppel is committed to supporting its stakeholders and the wider community in this challenging time, and has committed over $5 million to provide support to communities affected by the pandemic in Singapore and China.
In March 2020, Keppel Corporation announced a comprehensive package worth more than $4.2 million to help the Singapore community weather COVID-19, funded by voluntary contributions from the Group’s directors, senior management and staff, with dollar-for-dollar matching contributions from Keppel Corporation. Dr Lee Boon Yang, Chairman of Keppel Corporation, said, “As one of the largest homegrown companies in Singapore, Keppel will do what we can to strengthen national resilience in the fight against COVID-19. Through this package, we will provide support to the communities most affected by the pandemic, including healthcare workers and patients, lower income families, as well as Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs).
“Keppel has stood together with the community to overcome many challenges over the past five decades. I am confident that with unity and determination, we can effectively weather this difficult environment, and emerge stronger together.”
The CEO and CFO of Keppel Corporation, as well as CEOs of key Keppel business units, volunteered to give up one month of their salaries in April 2020 to support this effort, while Directors of Keppel business units would also contribute an equivalent amount of their annual fees. Other members of the Group’s senior management gave up half a month of their salaries, while other Keppel employees in Singapore were free to contribute any amount of their choice.
About $3.5 million will go towards supporting lower income households in Singapore, through rebates given by Keppel Electric, M1 and City Gas to residents living in 1 and 2-room HDB flats. The rebates are expected to benefit more than 40,000 households. In addition, $300,000 has also been donated to The Courage Fund to fund relief schemes for communities in Singapore affected by COVID-19. Up to $400,000 will be set aside to support Keppel’s frontline staff, such as cleaners and security personnel, in appreciation for their contributions and hard work during this difficult period, and also to provide personal protective equipment, hygiene items and other essentials to vulnerable communities in Singapore.
In addition, Keppel Care Foundation had earlier made a $300,000 donation to The Courage Fund, while the Keppel Group, through Keppel Land China, had also made a RMB3 million donation to the Shanghai Charity Foundation, one of the largest charity foundations in China, to support the deployment of medical teams from Shanghai and the provision of medical and other supplies to Hubei Province and other affected regions in China.
Volunteers across the Group have also stepped up during this challenging period to serve the community. Keppel volunteers in Singapore organised several care pack deliveries to various groups, including: low-income families living in rental blocks in Boon Lay and Taman Jurong; education personnel undergoing swab tests at Singapore Polytechnic and Republic Polytechnic; healthcare workers from Geylang Polyclinic, for whom Keppel also sponsored weekly lunches of nutritious bento sets over a period of four weeks in June; social service agencies, including the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, NKF, SPD and other organisations Keppel is working with (50,000 surgical masks, thermometers, PPE, disinfectants and 2-in-1 hand sanitiser with mosquito repellent).
Keppel Volunteers also engaged our beneficiaries in virtual activities, from interactive game sessions with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (Singapore), to virtual art and cooking classes for seniors from Montfort Care.
Separately, as part of Temasek Foundation’s Stay Prepared initiative, over 80 volunteers from Keppel distributed hand sanitisers to Singaporean households, anchoring shifts at Funan Mall over a week.