DBS Foundation and SG Enable on Tuesday (Nov 21) announced a partnership to strengthen support and skills training for persons with disabilities (PWDs).

The organisations will develop a customised learning road map, which is to be launched in 2024. It will support people of different disability profiles, including those with autism, intellectual and physical disabilities.

This partnership is the first of its kind; DBS Foundation is the first corporate to partner the disability sector to upskill PWDs on a national scale. The initiative will cover a wide range of topics spanning basic financial concepts from budgeting and insurance to digital banking and scam awareness.

SG Enable chief executive Ku Geok Boon said: “This initiative will bridge the gaps, as well as empower as many PWDs and their caregivers as we can with the knowledge and skills they need to live well and take action to secure their long-term financial well-being.”

“Through SG Enable’s Enabling Academy, we also rally partners from different sectors to provide responsive and quality lifelong learning opportunities for PWDs and their networks of support. This partnership with DBS Foundation sees corporate resources and social needs coming together for maximum impact,” she added.

The programme aims to reach some 6,500 PWDs and caregivers over three years starting in 2024, in alignment with the government’s Enabling Masterplan 2030.

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DBS Foundation will contribute S$1 million for this initiative. It will also provide subject-matter expertise in financial and digital literacy skills, as well as mobilise employee volunteers to equip PWDs with these skills.

To kick off the collaboration, the bank and SG Enable piloted a small group workshop at the Enabling Village on Tuesday, with DBS volunteers guiding the attendees through key financial literacy concepts. 

The launch event was graced by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and his wife, Jane Ittogi. 

DBS’ head of group strategic marketing and communications, Karen Ngui, who is also a board member at DBS Foundation, said: “As we navigate this increasingly fast-changing world together, it is imperative that we ramp up support for segments of society that may need it more, to help ensure that no one is left behind.”