Support for Communities Affected by COVID-19

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, CapitaLand has moved swiftly to support efforts in fighting against this virus.  As we remain committed to contributing to the environmental and social well-being of the communities where we operate, CapitaLand’s dedication towards building a more caring and inclusive community remains unwavering. CapitaLand Hope Foundation has also increased our support to ensure that the affected communities receive the much-needed help. To-date, the Group has pledged more than S$9 million globally to support over 163,000 people including vulnerable elderly, underprivileged children, community care staff and healthcare workers impacted by the pandemic. More than 1,000 staff and community volunteers were also mobilised through activities such as meal deliveries in Singapore and donation of care packs at CapitaLand Hope Schools in Vietnam.

Our main areas of support include:

Find out more about our support in these countries: 

Singapore

#CareKitWithLove

As schools reopened in Phase 2, CapitaLand worked with Yellow Ribbon Project to pilot the #CareKitWithLove project to sew 1,400 mask pouches for students with special needs from Rainbow Centre, and got volunteers to conduct virtual art sessions so the students can customise their pouches.

Following that, more like-minded partners came on board to suppoer the cause. More than 300 staff and community volunteers were rallied to sew over 9,000  mask pouches children and youth with special needs as well as frontline staff from 12 special education schools and conduct design workshops for the children to design their own mask pouches. Limited edition mask pouches designed by artists with special needs and a local fashion designer were also sold on eCapitaMall, with proceeds going to Arts@Metta.

CHF donated a total of S$200,000 to President's Challenge in support of this initiative.

You can read more about this initiative here.

Gifts of Joy - The Essentials Edition

CapitaLand reached out to staff and tenants to raise over S$58,000 for Rainbow Centre, Singapore through ‘Gifts of Joy – The Essentials Edition’, with matching donations from CHF, to provide financial assistance to students and their families in response to COVID-19.

Our tenants appreciated this platform where they can contribute, and shared positive comments.

"Gifts of Joy is a privileged opportunity for Credit Agircole to highlight what is at the heart of our core values: Working every day in the interest of our customers and society. With this donation, we joined forces with CapitaLand to support this good cause, to care for those who may need a helping hand."

Jean-Pierre Michalowski
Senior Country Officer for Singapore
Credit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank

"Many in our community such as children and youth have been affected during this trying time, and we recognise that much help and support is needed to ensure that no one is left behind. Ferring is glad to be able to suppor the Gifts of Joy initiativeby rallying our staff to join in the efforts with CapitaLand to do good for the community."

Annie Chin
Cluster Director for Southeast Asia, Ferring

Read more about this initiative here.

 

CapitaLand #LoveOurSeniors Initiative

In partnership with Community Foundation of Singapore’s Sayang Sayang Fund, S$700,000 has been contributed to the Agency for Integrated Care for an emergency fund to support community care providers with personal protection equipment, disinfection of the premises if there is a confirmed case of COVID-19, as well as support for affected staff, elderly and their family members. 

The contribution will also go towards a preparedness fund to keep the vulnerable elderly engaged and safe in the community as well as appreciate the hard work and dedication of community care staff during this challenging time.

CapitaLand has also been working closely with Alzheimer's Disease Association (ADA) to improve digital access for vulnerable seniors and keep them meaningfully engaged with the community. As seniors from the ADA were unable to attend their usual social activities in the centres, we donated 40 new tablets to be loaned out to seniors, 18 refurbished laptops for their staff and centres’ use, and provided virtual engagement sessions conducted by staff volunteers. CapitaLand Hope Foundation also supported their ‘Nagomi Art Workshop Marathon’ by donating S$20 for every registration.

“The exercise movements and songs remind me of my younger days, very nice!”

Ms Lim Swee Har
ADA client 

CapitaLand #MealOnMe Initiative

In partnership with The Food Bank Singapore, ‘CapitaLand #MealOnMe’  provided more than 38,000 meals and 6,000 food bundles to the elderly, children from low-income families and community care staff with S$350,000 worth of funding.

CapitaLand malls’ F&B tenants including ABR Holdings, Creative Eateries Group, Katrina Group and The Minor Food Group also came onboard with us to do good together. 

CapitaStar members also played a part by donating 5,000 STAR$® via the CapitaStar mobile app to treat a vulnerable elderly, underprivileged child or community care staff with a meal. CapitaLand Hope Foundation matched each donation dollar-for-dollar. This campaign started running from 23 April 2020 and all 5,000 eDeals have been fully redeemed.

Find out more about this initiative here.

The Courage Fund

CapitaLand was one of the first corporate in Singapore to pledge support for the community in the fight against COVID-19 by donating S$300,000 to The Courage Fund.  Managed by Community Chest, the fundraising and engagement arm of the National Council of Social Service, it aims to support and provide relief to healthcare workers and individuals affected by the COVID-19 situation. For more information on The Courage Fund, please click here.

CapitaLand-U Care Resilience and Enablement (CAP+Ure) Fund

In March 2020, support was extended to children of National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) union workers impacted by COVID-19 through CapitaLand-U Care Resilience and Enablement (CAP+Ure) Fund. The S$500,000 fund that was rolled out end 2019 will provide for the children’s nutritional and educational needs.

Immediate Assistance to Senior Homes

CapitaLand Hope Foundation has responded swiftly to support the immediate needs of the residents and community care staff from senior homes.

Since early April 2020, we have delivered more than 300 meals to AWWA Community Home for Senior Citizens (AWWA) and Apex Harmony Lodge. Three fridges have also been donated to Apex Harmony Lodge to help them cope with operating split zones as safe distancing measures are put in place to protect the elderly. Air coolers, air purifiers and tablets will also be delivered to help the home cope with the circuit breaker measures.  In addition, the home will also be receiving 560 packs of 5kg Brilliance Fragrance 43°N Rice, a product by CapitaLand’s Sino-Singapore Jilin Food Zone. 

CapitaLand Hope Foundation worked in partnership with Agency for Integrated Care and The Ascott Limited (Ascott), CapitaLand’s lodging unity, to provide complimentary accommodation for care staff of Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home, who were displaced from their homes by their landlords amidst the COVID-19 situation.

"We were at a loss when our landlords expressed their concerns, leaving us to find alternative accommodation overnight. We appreciate our management and CapitaLand in assisting and providing us a safe haven within such short notice. In these difficult times of uncertainties, education and communication of healthcare measures are important. I hope that the community comes together in solidarity to get through this together. Thank you for providing us shelter in this difficult time."

- Staff Representative, Senior Staff Nurse Sandar Swe, Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home.

Temasek Stay Prepared Initiative

From 23 March to 27 March 2020, CapitaLand supported Temasek Foundation’s Stay Prepared initiative by rallying staff volunteers to distribute free hand sanitiser to the Singapore community at 16 CapitaLand malls.  CapitaLand staff volunteers put in about 6,000 hours towards the initiative.

In March 2020, Capitaland also supported Temasek Foundation’s Stay Prepared #StayMasked initiative by rallying more than 70 staff volunteers to assist members of the public in the collection of the MaskPlus™ Livinguard reusable masks at vending machines located at eight CapitaLand malls.

From 26 August to 26 September 2021, more than 500 CapitaLand staff volunteers came together to assist the public with the collection of surgical masks and N95 masks across 14 CapitaLand malls.

 

China

 

CapitaLand Hope Foundation set up a healthcare fund – 【为明天·为健康】公益基金 on 27 January 2020 with RMB10 million seed funding from CapitaLand Group in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Administered by the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA), the fund goes towards supporting nationwide medical and healthcare related efforts in China’s fight against COVID-19 during relief and recovery stages.

Within two weeks of setting up the healthcare fund, medical supplies were quickly dispatched to hospitals in Wuhan and subsequently across China. The first phase of the fund was disbursed to support immediate intervention such as the procurement of critical medical supplies. To date, 60,000 surgical masks, 375,000 pairs of medical gloves, 12,600 medical protective clothing, 500 barrels of disinfectant, 52 ventilators, five negative pressure ambulances, among other medical supplies have been dispatched to over 15 hospitals in Hubei, Chongqing and Guangzhou.

The swift response attracted like-minded corporate donors in Singapore to contribute to the fund, doubling the fund size to about RMB20 million.

In February 2020, the healthcare fund made a joint donation of RMB1 million with Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City Investment and Development Co. Ltd, towards COVID-19 relief efforts in Guangzhou.

In May 2020, the fund also donated disease prevention supplies, such as surgical masks, thermometers and disinfectants to 23 CapitaLand Hope Schools across 11 provinces in Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan and Inner Mongolia etc.

RMB3 million from the fund has been donated to support the construction of the Hubei Children's Medical Union Telemedicine Center. The newly upgraded center is equipped with improved medical equipment and software solutions to provide better healthcare services for patients living in the rural parts of the Province.  

An extension of the Wuhan Children's Hospital, the telemedicine center was first established in 2018, the first of its kind in the Province. Its ability to cast a wider net and provide swift and effective healthcare resources was especially useful when the country was fighting against the pandemic last year. It provided free remote consultation services, online complimentary healthcare support and also conducted numerous online medical seminars.

Read more about this here.

For the latest updates on our efforts in China, follow our 为明天 WeChat by scanning the QR code below.

India

To date, CapitaLand has committed about S$3.2 million to support India’s COVID-19 relief efforts. The Group’s latest round of aid includes:

  • More than 1,200 emergency medical supplies (ICU beds, oxygen concentrators, pulse oximeters and ventilators, etc);
  • A COVID Care Centre at International Tech Park Bangalore; and
  • An oxygen-generating plant at Stanley Government Hospital in Chennai

Since 4 April 2020, 100,000 surgical masks has also been dispatched to a relief hospital set up by Gadag Institute of Medical Sciences through the Ministry of Health in the state of Karnataka.

9,000 N95 masks and 1,000 personal protective equipment have been delivered to Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation through the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation in Chennai. 

Donations have also been made to the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to provide financial assistance to daily-wage workers affected by COVID-19 in the state

Read more about our COVID-19 relief efforts in India here.

Face masks, hand sanitisers and thermal scanners were provided to the Government Hospital K R Puram and the police department in the Whitefield neighbourhood where our International Tech Park Bangalore is situated. In addition, 500 COVID-19 tests will also be sponsored for the policemen in the Whitefield area. 

Vietnam

 

Donation of Test Kits

In support of the country’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, CapitaLand donated US$ 1 million worth of COVID-19 test kits to the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee (VFFCC), a government agency that oversees the country’s social programmes, and Vietnam Ministry of Health in April 2020. The kits, which can perform 40,000 tests, will be delivered to testing centres across Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

CapitaLand Hope Foundation has contributed to the initiative with a donation to support 7,500 tests at the National Pediatric Hospital in Hanoi.

Support for our Hope Schools

CapitaLand, through CapitaLand Hope Foundation, and The Ascott Limited have teamed up with the Vietnam Red Cross Society to donate COVID-19 care kits to more than 1,400 students at four CapitaLand Hope Primary Schools and Kindergartens in Vietnam.  Each care kit contains antimicrobial fabric masks, liquid hand soap, hand sanitiser and a packet of milk. 

More than 40 staff volunteers from CapitaLand and Ascott distributed the care kits to the students at CapitaLand Le Xa Hope Kindergarten (Hung Yen Province) and CapitaLand Tan Tay Hope Kindergarten (Long An Province) on 21 May 2020, and CapitaLand Quang Yen Primary Hope School (Phu Tho Province) and CapitaLand Thanh Phuoc Primary Hope School (Long An Province) on 22 May 2020.  The Vietnam Red Cross Society also taught the students personal hygiene tips to protect their own health.

Rest of the World

 

Malaysia

About MYR 212,000 (about S$70,000) worth of surgical masks, hand sanitisers and groceries will be distributed in Klang Valley, Kuantan, Penang and Johor. The donation will assist about 4,000 beneficiaries across 80 orphanages as well as 300 needy families and their children impacted by the movement control order in Malaysia. 

The orphanages and homes were very appreciative of this much needed support. Here is what some of them have to say.

Thank you letter from Rapha Children's Home:

 

 

RM Home wishes to express our heartfelt appreciation for the donation extended to the home and for the needy children by your company East Coast Mall (ECM) , the children of the home will always have ECM close to their hearts as the donation goes a long way to help the kids and once again we thank u and your staff for the good deed . Thanks

-RM Caring Home

 

Dear Sir, 

We take this opportunity to thank you and your group from the bottom of our hearts for your Donate us Groceries Items and Sanitizer& Face mask  to our PKYMS Home Children's. 

We hope and trust that you would remember us and our needs in the future as well.

Our Chairman, Dr. M. Rajan wishes to record a ‘word of thanks’ to you for support our PKYMS Welfare Organization.  

We wish you well in your undertakings and Endeavour. It’s because of kind hearted people such as good selves that we are able to help the underprivileged citizens of our country.

Thank you & Best Regards, 

Pertubuhan Kebajikan Yesuvin Mahligai (YM) Selangor

The Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) partnered Capitaland and 18 other companies to donate 100,000 KN95 masks and five tonnes of hand sanitisers to the Johor State Government to support Johor’s frontline healthcare workers and their ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 3 June 2020, the items were officially handed over by EDB Chairman Dr Beh Swan Gin, to Menteri Besar of Johor, YAB Datuk Haji Hasni bin Mohammad, via a virtual handover ceremony, witnessed by Chargé d’affaires of the High Commission of Malaysia, Singapore, Muhammad Radzi Jamaludin, as well as Mr Tan Yew Chin, CEO, Business Parks and Commercial, CapitaLand Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, and other representatives from the contributing companies.

 

Japan

In Japan, CapitaLand has donated 15,000 surgical masks to support vulnerable communities affected by COVID-19. Our lodging arm, The Ascott Limited, contributed 9,000 masks to 11 infant care centres in Tokyo while CapitaLand’s retail operations have donated 3,000 masks to an orphanage near Vivit Minami-Funabashi Mall and 3,000 masks to the Sumida ward office where Olinas Mall is located, to help those in need in the community.

Indonesia

CapitaLand Hope Foundation, together with Temasek Foundation and other corporations jointly donated more than 11,000 oxygen concentrators to support hospitals in Indonesia to expand their oxygen care and treatment where needed.

Since January this year, CapitaLand’s wholly owned lodging business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott) has supported the Indonesian community impacted by the pandemic, by donating food, clothes, shoes, hand sanitisers, and face masks to orphaned and abandoned children under SOS Children’s Villages Jakarta.

Ascott Waterplace Surabaya staff donated clothes and necessities to Rumah Singgah Alang-Alang and Karya Kasih Orphanage. Staff of Citadines Berawa Beach Bali donated blood to Indonesian Red Cross, and distributed 100 food packages to vulnerable elderly and underprivileged residents in Berawa.

To support Indonesia’s healthcare workers, TAUZIA Hotel Management, a member of Ascott, distributed over 550 complimentary lunch boxes
across nine cities including Bali, Batam, and Surabaya between March and April last year.

Global

In April 2020, CapitaLand Hope Foundation donated US$200,000 through Ascott’s #StayHomeWithAscott campaign to Save the Children’s food security and assistance programmes. This contribution went towards supporting about 13,000 underprivileged children impacted by COVID-19 pandemic globally.

The #StayHomeWithAscott campaign aims to rally the global community to curb the spread of COVID-19 by staying home. From 20 April to 31 May, the global community shared photos or videos of their culinary adventures or creations in their home kitchens through Instagram. With every Instagram post shared with the hashtag #StayHomeWithAscott, CapitaLand Hope Foundation donated US$10 to Save the Children, which goes towards providing food for a child over 20 days.

Selected entries from participants will be featured on Ascott’s official Instagram page @ascott_ltd. Find out more about this campaign here

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