Staff volunteer from Deutsche Bank Singapore with the young clients from SPD

Since 2010, employees of Deutsche Bank Singapore branch have been donating part of their salaries, ranging from one to 20 days, to selected charities under their Donate One Day fundraising initiative.

One of the beneficiaries of the Donate One Day programme in 2011, SPD received close to $53,000 in donations then to help fund our transport service that year. This year, SPD has once again been selected as one of the four charities to benefit from the bank’s latest fundraising initiative.

We are honoured to be chosen once again as a beneficiary of this year’s campaign. Part of the contribution will go towards the SPD School Integration Support Service to help students with disabilities ease into mainstream education.

Students with disabilities in mainstream schools face apprehensions and challenges integrating into the school environment, which can discourage them from attending school. Their apprehensions include concerns about physical accessibility, acceptance among teachers and peers, and the ability to cope with school work and exams. The SPD School Integration Support Service, introduced to help ease students with disabilities into the school environment, currently supports 150 students in mainstream schools.

“This year, our corporate citizenship activities are focused on our new Born to Be youth engagement programme where the aim is to provide children and young people with access to basic necessities (clean water, food, a secure living environment) and to education. SPD’s School Integration Support Service is one of our Born to Be programmes in Singapore. Children with disabilities have the right to education and we hope our support will level the playing field for them,” said Annie Yeo, Head of Corporate Citizenship, Asia, Deutsche Bank.

The SPD School Integration Support Service team conducts talks on disability topics to help teachers and students understand and support students with disabilities. The team also provides environmental assessments to ensure accessibility, help acquire necessary assistive technology for the students and provide counselling to them and their caregivers.

Activities and workshops are organised to further facilitate the child’s integration in school. These workshops are targeted at teachers, classmates and peers which include wheelchair training as well as informative talks on the nature of the student’s disability and its impact on his learning in school. Courses are also conducted for students with disabilities to boost their self-confidence.

“What I like about this programme is that it will make an impact on the wider group of the general student population. This integration programme will help shape a new generation of Singaporeans who we hope will embrace inclusion in all areas of community living,” said Rajan Raju, Head Asset Management Coverage, Intermediaries, Asia ex Japan, Deutsche Bank, and one of SPD’s charity champions at the Bank.

We are grateful to be part of the Deutsche Bank Donate One Day 2014 initiative. Their support will go a long way in helping students with disabilities fulfil their educational aspirations.