CapitaLand gives S$2.3m to needy in 2021

IN OCTOBER, CapitaLand said it would reinforce its commitment to sustainability as part of its 2030 Sustainability Master Plan.

With sustainability in mind, the real estate group and its philanthropic arm, CapitaLand Hope Foundation (CHF), deepened its community support for environmental causes in 2021, on top of supporting children, uplifting seniors in need and helping groups impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

As at Nov 5 this year, CapitaLand and CHF have contributed more than S$2.3 million this year to support more than 14,350 beneficiaries.

"Caring for our communities both globally and in Singapore is part of CapitaLand's DNA and we find a sense of purpose in doing our part for the communities," said Tan Seng Chai, the executive director of CHF and chief corporate and people officer of CapitaLand Investment.

"On the community front, we will work to bring about positive and lasting change through equipping our communities with greater environmental consciousness."

CHF contributed S$500,000 to sustainability-focused Choa Chu Kang Public Library, which reopened in October with a green showcase, Green Grove, that includes an augmented-reality learning trail, a hydroponics showcase and a climate action corner. CHF also supports initiatives at the library - the biannual Green Market in November, where staff volunteers conducted the CapitaLand Environmental Educational Programme to raise environmental awareness among the young; and the annual Great Make-Over Project, scheduled for December, where participants will reinvent spaces for sustainable living.

"We aim to inculcate the importance of protecting our planet, as well as inspire the children to take collective action to combat climate change," Tan said.

Outside Singapore, CHF funded the 2021 CapitaLand Young Architect and China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City Net-Zero Carbon Building Design Competition in September, for university students in Guangzhou, China to submit designs for a greener built environment.

CapitaLand staff volunteers also helped plant new trees and build facilities at the Kadugodi Tree Park in Whitefield, Bangalore, India, in July.

Besides looking deeper into environmental causes this year, CHF supported children and seniors. Tan said another key area of focus was to improve children's access to learning. Early in October, CHF opened its first CapitaLand Hope School in Bangalore, India, where it contributed

45 million rupees (S$820,000) to provide over 400 primary-school children from low-income families with access to education. The Bangalore school is CapitaLand's 30th Hope School.

In the same month, CHF also raised over S$200,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association Singapore and the School of the Arts Endowment Fund at the Sunburst Virtual Concert 2021: The Business Times - CapitaLand Fundraising Show, an annual concert where children and youth with different abilities showcase their creativity and resilience. In August, it sponsored book project Instant Comfort: A Collective Memory, which raised about S$600,000 for two children's charities, The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund and The Business Times Budding Artists Fund.

Meanwhile, in Vietnam, CHF, together with CapitaLand's lodging business unit The Ascott, launched the Spread Love, Share Hope campaign in June, where CapitaLand Vietnam pledged 1 billion dong (S$58,000) to enhance school facilities in the Son Dong and Luc Nam districts. In November, staff will also distribute bursaries to Grade 5 students and school necessities to children from 4 CapitaLand Primary Hope Schools and Kindergartens in Vietnam.

As for seniors, CHF also continued its #LoveOurSeniors initiative since March, where staff volunteers delivered warm meals to seniors in need in Singapore. As at Nov 5, more than 210 staff volunteers have delivered over 2,310 meals and 6,960 loaves of bread to over 900 seniors. In November, it plans to provide essential care packs and simple home improvement works for seniors under this initiative.

Furthermore, As CapitaLand advocates staff volunteerism, it grants staff 3 days of volunteer service leave to join initiatives that support environmental causes, children and the seniors, such as its #GivingAsOne campaign from Sep 1 to Oct 31.

The campaign, aimed at encouraging staff, business partners and tenants to support vulnerable groups and the environment, saw CHF contributing close to S$550,000 as at Nov 5. Some 3,250 staff and community volunteers put in 13,780 volunteer hours, and penned 1,030 messages for beneficiaries through the campaign's #Pen4Hope initiative.

In addition, Tan noted that earlier this year, CapitaLand and CHF also supported communities affected by Covid-19 in the markets they operate in. The group has pledged more than S$9 million in total since the onset of the pandemic, which includes donating oxygen concentrators to Indonesia, building medical facilities in China, donating ratios, equipment and holding vaccination drives in India, and supporting mask distribution in Singapore.

For its contributions to the community in 2020, CapitaLand and CHF were recognised with the Volunteer Partner Award and the top Charity Platinum Award, respectively, at Community Chest Awards 2021.

On CHF's goals for its efforts moving forward, Tan said CHF will raise awareness on climate change among the young besides uplifting the lives of children and seniors in need. He also mentioned future plans to build 2 more Hope Schools in Bangalore and Pune in India to provide children from low-income families in the area with access to education. He said: "We will continue to step up our efforts to build an inclusive and sustainable society for future generations, and rally our staff volunteers, partners and tenants to do good together."