On Monday, 17 October, AWARE’s funders, donors and supporters gathered for a colourful evening of fun and festive fundraising at the WORLD Ball.

This year, AWARE shed the light on the plight of lower-income women in Singapore, their struggles and triumphs, their heartwarming stories of family, love and ambition, and how our society can support them to break out of the cycle of poverty.

Women in Singapore are especially vulnerable to poverty, with 41% of women dropping out of the workforce doing so because of caregiving and family responsibilities. That’s why AWARE, together with Daughters Of Tomorrow (DOT), is launching Building Dreams, a new initiative that helps to support these women with back-to-work support including confidence building, skills training, job placements, mentorship, entrepreneurial support and collaboration with industry partners. Our research will also help us to advocate for more supportive policies and services for lower-income women.

Siti and Rene, both beneficiaries of DOT’s services, shared their moving experiences with the night’s audience. We also heard from Noor Asiken, who featured in last year’s #asinglelove video, and is now the Women’s Support Executive at DOT.

Together with our supporters, we raised over $370,000* for the Building Dreams programme through our silent auction, a sure-win lucky dip, and an exciting pledge drive. This is a record high that would not be possible without the generous in-kind and cash donations by our sponsors.

Thank you to everyone who made this night possible! We look forward to embarking on our next journey for Building Dreams with you.

(Check out some snaps from the night at Invertigo Studios’ page here!)

* We had announced a total of $402,000 on Monday. Unfortunately, there was an error in the system and $370,000 is the correct figure. Our apologies for this mistake.