World Scientific Series on Singapores 50 Years of Nation-Building
Published
50 Years of Social Issues in Singapore
edited by David Chan
Our Lives to Live: Putting a Womans Face to Change in Singapore
edited by Kanwaljit Soin and Margaret Thomas
50 Years of SingaporeEurope Relations: Celebrating Singapores Connections with Europe
edited by Yeo Lay Hwee and Barnard Turner
Perspectives on the Security of Singapore: The First 50 Years
edited by Barry Desker and Cheng Guan Ang
50 Years of Singapore and the United Nations
edited by Tommy Koh, Li Lin Chang and Joanna Koh
50 Years of Environment: Singapores Journey Towards Environmental Sustainability
edited by Tan Yong Soon
Food, Foodways and Foodscapes: Culture, Community and Consumption in Post-Colonial Singapore
edited by Lily Kong and Vineeta Sinha
50 Years of the Chinese Community in Singapore
edited by Pang Cheng Lian
Singapores Health Care System: What 50 Years Have Achieved
edited by Chien Earn Lee and K. Satku
SingaporeChina Relations: 50 Years
edited by Zheng Yongnian and Lye Liang Fook
Singapores Economic Development: Retrospection and Reflections
edited by Linda Y. C. Lim
50 Years of Urban Planning in Singapore
edited by Chye Kiang Heng
Singapores Real Estate: 50 Years of Transformation
edited by Ngee Huat Seek, Tien Foo Sing and Shi Ming Yu
The Singapore Research Story
edited by Hang Chang Chieh, Low Teck Seng and Raj Thampuran
The complete list of titles in the series can be found at
http://www.worldscientific.com/series/wss50ynb
Published by
World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
5 Toh Tuck Link, Singapore 596224
USA office: 27 Warren Street, Suite 401-402, Hackensack, NJ 07601
UK office: 57 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9HE
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Singapore and UNICEF : working for children / edited by Peggy Kek, Penny Whitworth.
pages cm. -- (World Scientific series on Singapores 50 years of nation-building)
ISBN 978-9814730808 (hardcover) -- ISBN 978-9814730815 (pbk.)
1. UNICEF. 2. Child welfare--International cooperation. 3. Child welfare--Developing countries. 4. Humanitarian assistance, Singaporean. 5. Volunteer workers in child welfare--Singapore.
I. Kek, Peggy, editor. II. Whitworth, Penny, editor.
HV703.U4766S56 2015
362.7--dc23
2015035150
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Copyright 2016 by Peggy Kek and Penny Whitworth
All rights reserved.
Disclaimer
The contents of this book reflect the views of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Children's Fund and any other organisation.
In-house Editor: Li Hongyan
Typeset by Stallion Press
Email:
Printed in Singapore
Message
I congratulate Peggy Kek and Penny Whitworth for having edited an inspiring book on the UNICEF-Singapore story. It is a story that involves many characters performing different roles in various settings around the world over several decades.
The United Nations (UN) was founded 70 years ago. A year later, UNICEF was born. The original mandate was to help the children of Europe, a continent devastated by a ruinous war. The mandate was subsequently expanded to cover the entire world. The name was also changed to the UN Childrens Fund but the acronym, UNICEF, was retained because of its brand equity.
Of the many institutions in the UN family, UNICEF is one of the best. Its focus on the well-being of children and their mothers is compelling. It is a lean organisation with highly motivated and committed staff and a global network of enthusiastic volunteers and partners.
Singapore was very poor at the end of World War II. The children suffered from malnutrition and many diseases. UNICEF was a life saver. It funded programmes to feed malnourished children with milk and cod liver oil and inoculate our children against five major diseases. UNICEF also played a seminal role in helping Singapore to develop its childcare and early education programmes.
Singapores financial contributions to UNICEF have been modest. The people of Singapore, especially the students and young Singaporeans, have contributed more generously to UNICEF than the Government. Singapore does not have a National Committee for UNICEF. Instead, what we have is a small community of capable and committed Singaporeans, mostly women, who have worked for UNICEF. Individuals such as Ng Shui-Meng, Khoo Kim Choo, Cheng Wing-Sie and Peggy Kek deserve our respect and admiration. As they pursued and continue to pursue their meaningful careers across the globe, they help to reflect a light back on our Little Red Dot, showing the world how creative, honest, hardworking and professional Singaporeans can be.
Recently the INTERPOL was persuaded to establish a new campus in Singapore, focusing on cyber crime and cyber security, to take advantage of Singapores knowledge and expertise, its strategic location and its multiculturalism.
UNICEF too has considered re-opening an office of some form here, but to-date, for various reasons the proposals have not become reality. I continue to hope that, when the time is ripe, UNICEF and Singapore will revisit the idea of setting up a presence in our country again.
Finally, I would like to commend this book to Singaporeans to read about how some of their own countrymen and UNICEF are helping to make the world a safer and better place for vulnerable children and mothers. I also recommend this book to those who are interested in the development and humanitarian aspects of the work of the UN.
Ambassador Tommy Koh
Singapore
1 October 2015
Tommy Koh is Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has served as Singapores Permanent Representative to the United Nations and chaired the UN Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
Foreword
Since 1950, when UNICEFs then Executive Director Maurice Pate first met with the Commissioner-General of Singapore to discuss ways to promote the well-being and the rights of South-East Asian children, both UNICEF and Singapore have changed enormously.
Then, Singapore had not yet achieved independence, and UNICEFs support was needed to help overcome poverty and improve the health and well-being of Singaporean children. In the many years since, we have witnessed Singapores independence and its emergence as a powerful and wealthy state. Today, Singapore has a great deal to offer its children, its neighbours and the world.
I am pleased to welcome you to Singapore and UNICEF: Working for Children an account of the long road that UNICEF and Singapore have travelled together. The book offers many insights into childrens issues in Singapore and other countries, mainly in the East Asia and Pacific region. The material its editors have gathered includes personal notes, official documents, press articles, interviews and oral anecdotes, along with images and memorabilia. The stories they illustrate are an excellent source of information about the many ways a strong partnership can be built for children.
