Expat partner Jutta Scheidner has joined a range of volunteering activities in Singapore that have helped her to meet people, learn about the local culture and contribute to the community.
Ready to mingle
“I joined AWA (American Women’s Association) to be social. There are women from all over the world, so it’s a very international group. It seemed like a great way to meet people, after I moved back to Singapore in 2022,” says Jutta, a long-term expat who has lived in Hong Kong, Switzerland, the US and China. “When I heard of some interesting volunteering activities, my attitude was sign me up!”
It’s story time
“One of my volunteering roles has been with kidsRead, a programme run by the National Library Board of Singapore. A group from AWA goes to a school once a week to read stories to kids who come from low-income families. These kids wouldn’t own many books and most probably don’t get to read a story with their parents before bedtime. So the general idea is to promote a love of reading. All of the AWA volunteers have to attend one training session, so they are aware of the basics. The kids were very shy with us at first but they became more animated after we got to know them. I really enjoyed going every week in 2023 and I will continue to go when the programme starts up again in 2024,” says Jutta.
Feed the hungry
“AWA also supports the Food from the Heart programme, which puts food on the tables of the less-fortunate members of society. One of the most interesting volunteering experiences I had was at the end of Ramadan. We packed goodie bags for the people who attended the Ramadan event at a community centre and on the day of the event we were invited to join the fast breaking meal,” says Jutta, who has also taken a voluntary admin role with AWA. “Joining the AWA has been a brilliant way for me to connect with others and contribute to the community, so I’m very happy to help. I would definitely recommend joining the association to anyone who is moving to Singapore. Using my own initiative, I have also discovered other volunteering opportunities. Recently I joined the Changi Service Ambassadors volunteering programme, which basically involves helping passengers in the transit area at Changi International Airport, giving them directions or supporting info, which sounds like something I will really enjoy.”
Photo: Jutta (left) with fellow volunteers celebrating a successful year
All Global Connection’s corporate clients are leading multinationals. Due to some of their policies, we no longer use their name in public articles. However, expat partners signed in to our private Media & Network can see the multinational’s name.
