REACH - 111. Support Vulnerable through digitalisation (SK)
04 July 2020 (3pm - 10pm)

REACH
[2:59 pm, 04/07/2020] +: Dear contributors,
⏰ We will be opening chats today from 3pm to 10pm today. ⏰
📢 Topic 📢
The Beyond COVID-19 Taskforce will help social service agencies digitalise and be more innovative in order to help citizens emerge stronger during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
How can the community  support these efforts to help vulnerable citizens?
On Friday (July 3), the National Council of Social Service formed the Beyond COVID-19 Taskforce. The task force intends to help social service agencies digitalise and be more innovative during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
As emphasised by Social and Family Development Minister Desmond Lee: "the sector faces new challenges and will need to transform and coordinate better so that together, we can better serve the vulnerable".
NCSS also added that the task force will propose ways for the social service sector to "emerge stronger in the next normal" and provide feedback which can inform national policies.
👉 https://str.sg/JmzR
---

[6:48 pm, 04/07/2020] ☸️  Danny 心:
There must be 3 Holistic approach to tackle the issue of the vulnerables :-
- Tackle Immediate Physiological Needs
- Support for Self-Sustainability
- Uplift to break out of Poverty


[7:02 pm, 04/07/2020] ☸️  Danny 心:
*1. Tackle Immediate Physiological Needs*
- Vulnerables could be due to poverty, disability, family problems, illness and others.

- Each type of vulnerability will require different approach to address their needs.

- But all vulnerabilities will require to tackle the immediate physiological needs such as :-
a. monthly bills to pay
b. housing and roof over the head
c. food to put on the table
d. medical bills to pay
e. school feeds to pay etc.

- So the immediate physiological needs will be required to be address urgently so that such vulnerable household will not feel despair and helpless.

- Programmes and scheme such as Comcare, financial assistance etc that are administer by MSF will come in handy - to keep vulnerable household afloat first.
(Digitalisation will come-in in 2nd stage)


[7:33 pm, 04/07/2020] ☸️  Danny 心:
*2. Support for Self-Sustainability*
- Self-sustainability will be the best welfare for the vulnerable households or individuals.

- Because it is better to provide the vulnerable "fishing rod" to fish -- than giving the vulnerable the "fish".

- It give them pride, dignity and the satisfaction to be able to find a job that provide them the income to feed themselves and the family.

- Hence there is a need to deep to invite organisations, social enterprises and other like-minded organisations to provide jobs for the vulnerables and the disabled.

- I have come across organisations that set aside a department specially catered for the vulnerables and the disabled eg. UOB and other social enterprises that train and employ the vulnerables and disable in the F&B and other sectors.

- With covid-19 that make social distancing necessary,  it will present a challenge to the vulnerables and disable  to be physically present where they can also work-from-home if given the right digital resources for some vulnerables and disabled.

- But such vulnerables and disabed are fighting to keep themselves afloat with basic and physiological needs --- thus owning digital devices such as laptops, computers or smartphones become a challenge. And being trained to use such gadgets will also pose another challenge.

- Thus government support  together with the organisation employing them will be needed to provide such vulnerables and disabled the digital assets and trained them to use it.

- Schools can loan digital assets to students of vulnerable families.

- Government can provide grants to be able to subscribe to affordable broadband plan with Telcos to vulnerable families.

- Organisation can provide digital assets to disabled and vulnerable workers and trained them to work at home.

[7:49 pm, 04/07/2020] ☸️  Danny 心:
*3. Uplift to break out of Poverty*
- Breadwinners in vulnerable families with decent jobs will keep the vulnerable household afloat.

- But I feel that it is not good enough. To break out of povery, there is a need to look closely at the members of vulnerable household - to see how to uplift more members of the housefhold by giving them education, skill trainings that will help them to secure high-pay, high value jobs --- so that it will help them to break out of Poverty.

- Good scheme such as school pay special attention to students from vulnerable household with good potential to do well academically - by providing special help for such students to excel, provide scholarship, bursaries etc will greatly motivate and help such students to excel.

 - Other schemes like CDC providing tuitions, and other training schemes to help vulnerable students to do well academically.

- Vulnerable workers who are willing to train for high-value jobs should be giving training grants and programs to allow vulnerable workers to continually upgrade themselves and secure higher-value jobs with higher income.

- Through digitalisation, vulnerable students and workers can access to online courses and training to secure certification and skillsets that will help to upskill, and uplift themselves.

- If such uplifting efforts are successful, vulnerable families can break out of poverty and will no longer be classifed as "vulnerables" --- but instead enjoy the same fruition through economic growth of successful Singaporeans.