A Bridge of Learning Across Borders

As an international hub in the Asia-Pacific, Singapore brings together people from diverse backgrounds. Set in such a city, the young volunteers of the Foundation's Singapore branch conceived an ambitious idea: a cross-border education-aid program supporting outstanding students from impoverished families in surrounding less-developed regions.

The program helps qualified students access education opportunities once beyond their reach, whether by coming to Singapore to study or by receiving systematic remote education support.

What makes this program valuable is that it is not simply a scholarship. Volunteers know that for students far from home, with language barriers and differing cultures, companionship, guidance, and a sense of belonging beyond academics are equally important.

Each supported student is paired with a volunteer mentor offering all-round care in coursework, language adaptation, choosing a major, daily life, and emotional adjustment, so even in a foreign land they feel respected, supported, and remembered.

Aming, a student from a family in difficulty, completed practical vocational-skills training with the program's funding and one-on-one guidance, then found a stable job. Having found his footing, he reached out to the Foundation to join the volunteer ranks and pass on the help he once received.

To date, this Bridge of Learning has tangibly helped more than twenty students from different countries and regions change the direction of their lives.