SIWEC manager Ranjit Singh. Left: First ambulance donated to Singapore General Hospital by the Sikh community in 1964
By Asia Samachar | Singapore |
Ranjit Singh is familiar face when someone is dealing with Sikh Welfare Council (SIWEC). He has served as its manager for the last nine years.
As the Singapore organisation celebrates its 25th anniversary, Asia Samachar talks to Ranjit on his experience.
“The past 9 years that I have been with SIWEC have been very fruitful and as SIWEC grew to reach out to the community in a myriad of ways, I too was able to reach out to many more people in the community through our various projects,” he says.
SIWEC was set up as a community-wide response to assist vulnerable Sikh families and individuals in Singapore to better cope with a fast-changing socio-economic context which presented financial, educational, employment and social challenges. Today, it is has evolved and does much more.
On Saturday (4 December), the organistion will celebrate its 25th anniversary, with Singapore president Halimah Yacob as the guest of honour.
This is the second interview in the run-up to the 25th anniversary event. Yesterday, Asia Samachar ran an interview with SIWEC advisor and immediate past president Gurdip Singh Usma. Tomorrow, we will talk to Balbir Kaur, the first and longest serving volunteer Sikh woman prison counsellor, one of the projects undertaken by SIWEC.
Excerpts from the interview.
Q: Can you share with us your journey in SIWEC since 2012, when you first took on the role as manager?
The past 9 years that I have been with SIWEC have been very fruitful and as SIWEC grew to reach out to the community in a myriad of ways, I too was able to reach out to many more people in the community through our various projects. Over the years, we have cultivated many relationships with agencies beyond the Sikh community and I have worked closely with the various establishments and stakeholders in order to cater to the needs of the community. Working hand in hand with the various agencies has allowed for us at SIWEC to constantly improve in terms of our approach to serving the community as I firmly believe that there is always room for improvement. One of our services that has remained over the years is our 24/7 hotline that responds swiftly to help Sikh families. We started with helping by providing bereavement services and hospitalisation transport and today we even respond to delicate cases that require mediation due to family violence or abuse. Through all of this, my motivation has been to be able to support our clients in the best way possible across the various initiatives we have, in line with our mission of Sarbat Da Bhalla.
Q: Tell us about one of the volunteer project that you and your team have actively participated in?
I have been a part of SIWEC’s key initiatives and services which include education support services, spending time and meeting with clients such as the elderly who are living alone, and bereavement to name a few. I have personally been involved in some of the more novel and even unique SIWEC initiatives like coordinating and participating in our special fund-raising events such as the annual Ride-2-Serve charity cycle rides where volunteers cycle from Malacca, Malaysia to Singapore. Ride-2-Serve is an important initiative for SIWEC as there has been a sustained outreach in the community to encourage voluntarism and seek donations. I get immense satisfaction from being part of a committed group of volunteers like our friends from Ride-2-Serve (R2S).
Q: What do you envision for SIWEC in the next 25 years?
Going forward, I feel more can be done for the community especially the youths as we have an ageing population as such, I feel that more is needed to be done for the community. We look forward to more volunteers and more generous donors to work with, in the community.I also wish that going forward, SIWEC will continue to be people oriented and continue striving to reach out to the needs of those in the community so that we can continue to live up to the mission of Sarbat Da Bhalla.
Event Live Stream: 4 Dec 2021 (Saturday, from 2pm-4pm, Singapore time). Join SIWEC as they celebrate Silver Jubilee to recognise the contributions of their volunteers. Guest of Honour is Singapore President Halimah Yacob. Links: Facebook and YouTube
RELATED STORY:
25 years on, SIWEC continues to serve Singapore (Asia Samachar, 6 Dec 2021)
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ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here
