[7 July 2009]
Shirin Fozdar Trust Fund entrusted to the Wee Kim Wee Centre at Singapore Management University for the continued advancement of women in Singapore
Shirin Fozdar Trust Fund will support a S$5,000 Award and Grant, and an annual Conference and Lecture
Singapore, 7 July 2009 (Tuesday) – The Singapore Management University (SMU) is honoured to receive today, the custodianship of the Shirin Fozdar Trust Fund. Valued at S$175,000 as a donation to SMU, the Fund supports the establishment of the Shirin Fozdar Award and Grant, and a series of annual conferences and lectures.
The gifts seek to continue the mission of the Fund in enhancing and facilitating the advancement of women in Singapore “so that they may collectively and individually contribute fully to nation, community and family”. The Fund receives a 1:1 matching by the government and will be administered by the Wee Kim Wee Centre at SMU (WKW Centre at SMU) with Ms Claire Chiang, Mr Jamshed Fozdar, Ms Audrey Chin and Dr Kirpal Singh as advisors. The Fund advisors will continue to raise funds to support ongoing and new projects by striking strategic alliances with different groups in the community committed to develop women's full potential.
The late Mrs Shirin Fozdar was a pioneer of women's rights. One of the founders of the Singapore Council of Women in 1952, and a key figure in establishing the Muslim Syariah Court and the Women's Charter in 1961, she was well known in Singapore and internationally for her work in the emancipation of women. She was described by President S R Nathan as 'an institution'. Mrs Shirin Fozdar died on 2 February 1992 in Singapore at the age of 87.
The Shirin Fozdar Trust Fund was initiated by the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) to commemorate her and her contribution to the advancement of women's rights. It was officially launched in May l993 by the then President of Singapore, the late Dr Wee Kim Wee, and Mrs Wee Kim Wee, when Claire Chiang was President of Aware and Dr Kanwaljit Soin, its Vice-President. The Fund was first chaired by Lena Lim, and then by Claire Chiang. Members over the years included Lee Siok Tin, Constance Singam, Jamshed Fozdar, Audrey Chin and Tisa Ng. HSBC Trustee (Singapore) Limited was trustee of the Fund.
The Fund has been disbursed for projects and programmes in 5 main areas: providing financial assistance for sustenance, enhancing employability, empowerment, supporting women and families in distress, and the development of services and infrastructure of social service agencies. It has contributed to help run facilities, such as training centres, crisis centres, homes and shelters, and set up skills training and welfare programmes for needy women. To-date, the fund has contributed more than S$800,000 to support over 40 projects for some 30 social service organisations (see Annex 2).
The WKW Centre at SMU was set up in 2000 in honour of the late Dr Wee Kim Wee. It hosts and supports lectures, conferences and publications to advance learning and thinking about cross cultural issues and their impact on the business environment. The Centre has hosted talks and lectures by CEOs, Ambassadors, business leaders and social experts on wide-ranging issues. Most recently in February 2009, the Centre organised the successful major conference ‘Equal Opportunities for Women in the Asia Pacific', in partnership with the New York University Stern School of Business and the World Bank Group Gender Action Plan.
“It is a fitting home-coming to entrust the Fund to the Wee Kim Wee Centre at the Singapore Management University . The Fund was launched by the late Dr Wee Kim Wee himself. Both the Fund and Centre are also aligned in their common aim to promote deeper understanding of women's issues and further the development of under-privileged women in society. I am heartened that, with SMU's strong culture of social responsibility and community service, we will continue to see worthy projects initiated by young people to enable the well-being of women from all sectors of society,” said Ms Claire Chiang, Senior Vice President, Banyan Tree Holdings Ltd, and Chairperson, Shirin Fozdar Trust Fund management committee.
“My late mother was relentless in her pursuit of the equality of women and improving their lives and family cohesion. For her achievements, she was also an inspiration to many people seeking social justice for everyone and all communities. We are delighted that the gift will help to remind people of my late mother's efforts and will contribute to SMU's standing as a reputed higher education and research institution with a strong social conscience,” said Mr Jamshed Fozdar, eldest child of Mrs Shirin Fozdar and Shirin Fozdar Trust Fund management committee member.
“The donation from the Shirin Fozdar Trust Fund will enable the Wee Kim Wee Centre at SMU to further our programmes for promoting the understanding of women and gender issues. We are grateful for the invaluable gift. The Award and Grant honouring the late Mrs Shirin Fozdar will provide great impetus for our students to continue her fight for the improvement of the lives of under-privileged women out there,” said Dr Kirpal Singh, Associate Professor of English Literature, and Director, Wee Kim Wee Centre at SMU.
“SMU has actively sought opportunities and collaborations that will enable our undergraduates to develop their potential as business leaders. As part of our commitment to broaden their horizons, we want to expose them to think about issues and challenges facing societies today, and support them in their efforts to improve the lives of communities they live among. The donation from the Shirin Fozdar Trust Fund is a special gift that recognises the potential of our students to learn more and do more to further the late Mrs Shirin Fozdar's cause, and we are very honoured to receive it,” said Professor Howard Hunter, President, SMU.
Broadly, the Award, Grant, Conference and Lecture, seek to further the objectives of the Shirin Fozdar Trust Fund in areas such as providing educational, training and capacity building opportunities in fields that are beneficial to women, particularly those who are disadvantaged, the study of gender issues and national development and also fund research and projects relevant to the advancement of women.
The Shirin Fozdar Award, valued at $1,000, will be presented annually to one individual SMU student or student group with the best or most innovative idea for a community service project that benefits, or is relevant to, the advancement of women in Singapore or overseas. This could be in areas which explore issues such as educational, skills training and social enterprises development for women. The Award seeks to encourage our students to think more deeply about the issues surrounding these groups of people and how they can support them. The Shirin Fozdar Grant, valued at $4,000, will be given to the award recipient to implement the project. One Award and one Grant will be given out by SMU each academic year, starting with the 2009/2010 academic year.
The Conference and Lecture aim to enhance awareness of women's issues and the challenges faced by women in a growing globalised world. The events will invite prominent speakers from Singapore or overseas, and may also commission research papers in specific areas.
Annex 1 – About the late Mrs Shirin Fozdar
Annex 2 – About the Shirin Fozdar Trust Fund
About Wee Kim Wee Centre at Singapore Management University
The Wee Kim Wee Centre is tasked to promote deeper understanding on the impact of cultural diversity on the business environment. The late Dr Wee Kim Wee, after whom the Wee Kim Wee Centre in Singapore Management University is named, had a heart for people and for lifelong learning. The Centre hosts and supports lectures, conferences, publications and aim to advance learning and thinking about cross cultural issues. www.business.smu.edu.sg/wkwc/
