Written by Kane Chang, AWARE Fundraising Consultant

Saturday, 6 May 2023 saw AWARE’s first in-person general meeting in three years. Seventy-four members attended AWARE’s 38th Annual General Meeting, which was chaired by AWARE President Ong Soh Chin and held at the AWARE Centre in Dover Crescent. 

In her opening remarks, the president highlighted two key challenges that AWARE faces in the months ahead – people and funding. She noted the departure of two department heads, Amy Daga (Catalyse) and Shailey Hingorani (Advocacy, Research and Communications), and the cessation of Tote Board funding for the Women’s Care Center (WCC) and Sexual Assault Care Center (SACC). Moving forward, fundraising, as well as revenue from Catalyse, AWARE’s corporate training and consulting arm, will be even more crucial. So too will be the need to sustain a strong pipeline of talented staff, like new joiners  Sugidha Nithi, who takes over from Shailey as Director of Advocacy and Research, and Yasmine Tan, our new Head of Operations.

After Soh Chin’s introduction, AWARE department representatives gave updates on each department’s key work during 2022. The full details of this work is in the Annual Report 2022, but below is a summary.

The CARE Department, represented by Ashley Chua, Assistant Manager at the Sexual Assault Care Centre, together with Jessica Nagulendran, Senior Programme Executive at the Women’s Care Centre, described 2022 as a landmark year for governmental support for survivors of sexual assault, with the advent of new services. The evolving landscape has informed CARE’s strategy of providing effective support services, conducting more advocacy for systemic change, building support ecosystems, investing in staff and improving data management. In 2022, the Women’s Helpline received over 5,000 calls, with 2 in 5 related to emotional distress and 1 in 4 to abuse and violence. The Women’s Care Centre provided 2,000+ counselling and legal clinic sessions to 500+ clients, with 8 in 10 surveyed recounting that they felt well-supported. 

Meanwhile, the Sexual Assault Care Centre received 947 cases in 2022, the majority of which involved physical sexual violence. Across services, more than 9 in 10 clients felt well-supported through counselling, case management, legal support and befriending services. Three highlights of the year for SACC were: training case workers on sexual assault support, introducing a trauma-informed programme for staff and setting up a new operations and programme horizontal for improved efficiency and data management.

Caroline Callow, Senior OD Consultant at Catalyse, reported that in 2022, Catalyse increased its team size, diversified partnerships and generated over $1 million in contracts, resulting in a profit of $163,732. A significant 2022 project was the #IAmAMaleAlly programme developed in partnership with Dr. Michael Kaufman, co-founder of the White Ribbon Campaign in 1991. This programme saw almost 100 male ally participants and 49 trainers (who go on to train others in allyship) over the course of the year. Looking ahead to 2023, Catalyse aims to strengthen its position as anti-discrimination and anti-harassment experts in Singapore, to adopt a more trauma-informed approach and to establish an “inclusion lab”.

Lee Yoke Mun, Senior Project Executive at ARC, provided a comprehensive overview of the department’s 2022 achievements, including the launch of the anthology What We Inherit: Growing Up Indian, which sold nearly 1,800 copies by year-end, and the report “Why Stable Housing Matters” following the end of the S.H.E. Project. AWARE conducted Singapore’s first comprehensive workplace discrimination survey with Milieu Insight and discovered that 55% of the respondents had experienced discrimination. Our comprehensive sexuality education programmes reached around 800 students and 100 parents, and the Sexual Assault First Responder Training programme saw almost all 305 participants feeling more confident in their ability to assist survivors of sexual violence. AWARE’s Saga podcast won more awards in 2022 and crossed the 100,000 mark in all-time plays. Finally, ARC kicked off a new research project on coercive control, with a digital comic series that garnered more than 165,000 impressions and 17,500 engagements in three months.

Shamima Rafi, Community Engagement Manager from Secretariat, highlighted that AWARE had a fantastic fundraising year in 2022, raising a total of $2,850,969. It was our first year implementing both online and in-person (i.e. the AWARE Ball) fundraising campaigns, successfully segmenting donors to maximise engagement. The Ball made its triumphant return, attracting an overwhelming demand for seats (with 600 attendees). A new community engagement department, S.P.A.C.E, was launched at the event, with the support of over 100 sponsors and partners.

Following the departmental presentations, the AGM also passed two important resolutions via voting by a show of hands. These were: i) proposed Constitutional changes, which included revisions that would enable AWARE to hold virtual and hybrid Annual General Meetings, and ii) provisions to allow AWARE to spin off Catalyse as a separate company. Hybrid meetings enable AWARE to adapt to the post-COVID era, enhancing accessibility and attendance. As for Catalyse, by spinning off as an independent entity, it can effectively pursue international clients and enhance AWARE’s cash flow diversification, in line with Commissioner of Charities’ (COC) recommendations. A volley of questions and comments from members about these resolutions made for a very robust discussion before voting. 

As the meeting adjourned for tea, President Soh Chin thanked the staff and volunteers of AWARE for their dedication and hardwork, and the members for participating at the AGM.