DBS Foundation partners MSF, New Hope to teach displaced individuals digital skills

“WHAT are PayLah! and e-wallet?”

“What are Wi-Fi and phishing?”

These were some of the questions that volunteers from the DBS fielded on Saturday (May 6) at the Let’s Go Digital event.

About 70 participants from the Partners Engaging and Empowering Rough Sleepers (Peers) Network – a project by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) to help displaced families and individuals – took part in the programme to raise their digital literacy game.

The pilot project was a collaboration among DBS Foundation, MSF and New Hope Community Services. Its aim was to facilitate digital inclusion for Peers Network beneficiaries, who may require assistance to access banking apps such as DBS PayLah! and citizen e-services, which include Singpass.

Monica Datta, head of DBS Foundation’s Community Impact Chapter, said: “The digital divide still persists in Singapore, especially in the areas of digital skills and the usage of technology. Therefore, we believe it is key that we intensify efforts to build a digitally inclusive society, such that no one is left behind.”

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She added that the success of the pilot programme would be assessed on “the participants becoming more digitally literate, and being able to use these applications with confidence”.

The event was conducted carnival-style to engage the attendees. It featured five programmes that involved guided learning and hands-on activities for beneficiaries to grasp everyday banking skills via DBS PayLah!, and how to access government e-services.

For participant Deno Kong, his favourite part of the programme was a simulation on paying for food with the DBS PayLah! app.

The 55-year-old said: “That was when I learnt about the e-wallet. I can now buy my food using this. I also learnt that I can top up my EZ-Link Card using the app. This saves me the trip of going to the control station every time.”

Each beneficiary was also given S$28 in PayLah! credit, which could be used for cashless payments at the onsite cafe.

“This helps them to put what they have learnt into action,” said volunteer Reagan Foo.

Having volunteered for a year with DBS, the vice-president of DBS Foundation said that one of the most common questions he is asked is how to create a password.

“Surprisingly, that is one of the most common issues the beneficiaries have. I try to find things they resonate and are familiar with, and incorporate (them) into the password.”

He added that the experiences he gained by volunteering has helped him in his work, too. “Community outreach is a big part of my work, and I try to prioritise inclusivity and the beneficiaries’ needs in any programmes and events that we organise.”

Fellow volunteer Karen Lim agreed, adding that she has met plenty of colleagues from other departments after participating in these events.

The client manager at the bank’s global transaction services division said: “I appreciate that the bank’s volunteer initiatives are more targeted. We also learn how to handle different groups of people. For example, if one of the beneficiaries is more adept at digitalisation than the others, I get him or her to show the (others) the steps. This is also to reinforce his or her knowledge.”

She added: “Such activities also allow us to see the disparity in society, and are reminders for us to do our part to give back and help make things better.”

For Elisa Linda Tan and other beneficiaries who are more advanced in their digital skills, Saturday’s event gave them an opportunity to find out more from the volunteers about topics such as phishing.

“I was taught about different types of scams, and told not to click on the phishing link and to delete or report suspicious messages,” the 60-year-old said. “I also learnt that there’s an auto-debit function in PayLah! – so I don’t have to keep topping up manually every time I want to pay for my meal at hawker centres.”

She added that the programme was especially beneficial for the elderly as it addressed some misconceptions.

“The older people hear from others that digital banking is not safe, (and they believe it) as it is a concept they are not familiar with. For example, they are unsure if payment was made for an item, as they may not know how to check their transaction history. So such courses do give them reassurance.”

Lilian Ong, director of social work at New Hope Community Services, said teaching and guiding the beneficiaries about these everyday apps would give them access to the same benefits most Singaporeans already enjoy through the use of such apps. 

“Such basic digital skills are also increasingly becoming a prerequisite to performing well in the workplace, hence it is imperative to learn them.”

When asked about future Let’s Go Digital events, Datta from DBS Foundation said: “Today’s pilot is just the beginning – we hope to scale these digital literacy efforts to more beneficiaries under the Peers Network over time, and (we’ll) keep learning and iterating the programme along the way to ensure that it best supports the beneficiaries’ needs.”

Collaboration between agencies in different fields will also be the way forward.

“We see collective action as being key to solving many of the social and environmental issues that we face today. There’s a lot of potential that can be achieved through such private-public collaborations,” Datta said.

She cited DBS Foundation’s partnership with the Infocomm Media Development Authority as an example. Last November, the foundation announced that it would contribute S$500,000 to the Digital for Life fund to support digital-inclusion projects and step up volunteer participation to drive digital literacy training. Together with the government’s dollar-for-dollar matching, the contribution totalled S$1 million.

An MSF spokesperson said: “Working together towards our shared vision of creating an inclusive and caring society is a whole-of-society effort. Everyone can play their part – individuals, families, corporates, community partners and the government – as we combine our resources and strengths to better support those in need.”