The social sector needs leaders who can come up with creative ways to help Singapore’s vulnerable groups, whose lives and livelihoods have been upset by the COVID-19 pandemic, said President Halimah Yacob.
In her address during the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) 40-Under-40 programme, she praised Singapore’s social service agencies for rising to meet the challenges brought about by the pandemic.
Still, Madam Halimah added, the agencies need to look into how they can further collaborate across sectors and agencies to serve their beneficiaries better.
She also said that as agencies leverage more on technology, they must keep an eye on the issue of inequality.
“We don’t want to have a situation where… (it is) a lot harder for those from the lower-income households to access opportunities and to have access to services,” said Madam Halimah.
The three-day programme, which started on Tuesday, is aimed at building a community of young leaders empowered to solve problems and drive change in anticipation of a new normal in the post-COVID-19 world. The participants were nominated by social service agencies, social enterprises and organisations from the public and private sectors.
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Source: The Straits Times, 13 August 2020