Giving Back as an individual

It is clear that Singapore is strongest when we stand together — when we recognise that caring for each other is also the best way to care for ourselves, and when we develop a deep sense of kinship and trust in one another.

In particular, those who have succeeded should do their part to uplift others in society. Every citizen should know and feel that they have a stake in our society and in building our shared future together.

What you can do for your family and friends:

• Family members and friends have a role to encourage each other and our seniors to lead a healthy, active lifestyle. With a strong network of support, we can help to delay the onset of or better manage the chronic illnesses among our seniors.
• We need more focused efforts to reduce the risk of social isolation of seniors. This is one of the most powerful ways to enable seniors to spend more of their remaining life in good health. By living among their family, friends and neighbours and participating in social activities and physical exercises, seniors can delay frailty and deterioration of health.
• To encourage support by family members for seniors to meet their retirement needs, we are enhancing the current Matched Retirement Savings Scheme, which provides a dollar-for-dollar matching CPF grant of up to $600 per year for cash top-ups to eligible seniors with lower retirement savings.

• We ask that parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and any adult who cares for our children continue to play a part in building our children’s life skills, and nurture a sense of curiosity. This is the best time for all children to learn through play, and develop a love for learning.

What you can do for others:

Besides financial contributions, we can do more to uplift our fellow citizens. For example, some Singaporeans will need access to networks that can help them gain and remain in stable employment. Others may need ongoing mentorship and guidance on their education and career pathways. We thus need to consider different ways to provide care and support that are more impactful to Singaporeans from less privileged backgrounds. The type of support and the period of intervention matter.

There are many ways for Singaporeans to care for and support other members of society. Volunteerism is meaningful and impactful. The Government has developed channels like the SG Cares Volunteer Centres and SportCares, where Singaporeans can come together to care for and impact the lives of those in need. Singaporeans can also contribute through community organisations, including civic organisations, neighbourhood associations, grassroots groups, and co-operative societies, as well as through their own self-initiated ground-up projects. (Scroll down to "Opportunities" for a list of ways to give back.)

• The enhanced Active Ageing Centres will mobilise volunteers and Silver Generation Ambassadors to reach out to all seniors in their vicinities. Community befrienders are critical in this effort, especially in engaging seniors who live alone. The Active Ageing Centres will organise a wide range of activities, such as communal meals and exercise programmes. Through partners and common spaces in the community, the Active Ageing Centres will extend their reach to and encourage seniors to build social circles and lead active lifestyles.

• The Government introduced Mentoring SG to create avenues for youths to benefit from mentoring, access opportunities amidst life transitions, and realise their fullest potential.

• We encourage those who have done well to give back. To maximise the impact of their contributions, we will work with the Community Foundation of Singapore and Community Chest to introduce a new programme that better connects donors to the needs of local communities and less privileged groups over a sustained period.
• For example, a donor could commit to supporting the educational needs of children from a specified number of lower-income families. The donor could provide both financial contributions as well as mentorship, internship and job opportunities, to help these children build their social capital and networks, and secure good employment in the future.

• Ultimately, everyone has a part to play to build an inclusive society — one where PwDs are empowered to live and participate in fully. Singaporeans can care and show more kindness to PwDs, while communities can step up on collaborations with the Government to improve the caregiver support landscape.

• We need everyone in society to do their part so that we can build up our climate, food and water resilience for the future. At the individual level, we can reduce consumption, conserve water and energy, choose more reusables, and purchase more local farm produce.
• We want more Singaporeans to get involved in supporting their fellow citizens and shaping the character and life of the places they live in. It could be through looking out for an elderly neighbour who is living on their own, providing useful feedback on municipal services through the OneService app, or designing and co-creating a new playground or amenity in the neighbourhood. These are all concrete ways in which each of us can contribute.

• Multi-racialism is not just about accepting and tolerating each other’s differences. We must do more to deepen our appreciation and understanding of each other’s cultures and traditions. We can do so through areas such as the arts and culture, where we can develop a greater awareness of our shared history and heritage, and better develop empathy and understanding for one another.
• The Government will continue to expand spaces for more interactions between different groups. For example, we will do more to promote collaborations between our Self-Help Groups, and encourage more Singaporeans to develop, organise and take part in racial harmony programmes in the community.
• At the personal level, we can also make conscious and deliberate steps, however small, towards understanding others better. This will enlarge the common stake we have in our future, and further strengthen our shared Singaporean identity.

*16 Feb 2024 Update - Find out more about how the Government is building a resilient future as laid out in Budget 2024.

Check out the Budget Booklet for a summary of the measures announced at Budget 2024.