Global NGO Save the Children Launches First Regional Corporate Engagement Centre in Singapore

The first regional Save the Children Corporate Engagement Centre was launched yesterday in Singapore with the goal of partnering with multinational and local companies to build strategic, shared-value partnerships. Working with new and existing partners, the Corporate Engagement Centre, supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), will collaborate with businesses to identify opportunities to make both social and business impact in Asia and globally.

Save the Children has worked across Asia for decades and has experience working with governments, civil society and the private sector in order to reach the most vulnerable and deprived children and their families. While good progress has been made in recent years, globally almost six million children each year still die because they don’t have access to basic healthcare. Many more do not receive a basic education and every year tens of millions of children in Asia are affected by natural disasters - the most disaster prone region in the world.

The Corporate Engagement Centre will harness the power of the private sector and find solutions to some of these challenges, making even more positive change for children. It will provide an opportunity for companies to leverage Save the Children’s networks, experience of working with communities and knowledge around building impactful partnerhips to advance and co-create bespoke product and business model innovations, marketing initiatives, employee engagement and Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.

Last night’s launch was attended by over 100 representatives from Singapore’s business community and featured a panel discussion on the value of building strategic partnerships in Asia. Panel representatives included Kelvin Wong from the EDB and Jo LeCouilliard from GlaxoSmithKline.

“GSK has a global partnership with Save the Children that is focused on healthcare capacity building, developing new child friendly medicines and providing vulnerable children better access to vaccines and food. We believe that the opening of Save the Children’s regional Corporate Engagement Centre in Singapore will further strengthen this collaboration. In Asia, we’re keen to harness the talents of our employees to help implement Save the Children’s initiatives across the region. This is mutually beneficially as our employees become more engaged as they participate in Save the Children’s activities and Save the Children gains valuable support in delivering their programmes in Asia.” said Jo LeCouilliard, SVP and GM Asia Pacific, GSK Pharmaceuticals.

Caroline Whatley, Head of the Save the Children Corporate Engagement Centre said: “Save the Children is ambitious in wanting to save more children’s lives, and to give more children the chance to fulfil their potential, but we know we can’t do this alone. The Corporate Engagement Centre will enable us to collaborate with a wide range of businesses, harnessing their skills and expertise to build partnerships that can make a real difference to the lives of some of most vulnerable children across Asia and globally. It will pioneer how the private sector and NGOs can work together in the region to accelerate change for children.”

“We are pleased that Save the Children has launched its first regional Corporate Engagement Centre in Singapore, and look forward to the synergies that can be created through the cross-sector collaborations driven out of the Corporate Engagement Centre. Not only will this serve to address social issues in Asia, it can also support companies in delivering positive impact and creating new areas of business or economic value for companies.” said Assistant Managing Director, Mr Kelvin Wong, EDB.

By sharing knowledge, expertise and resources, Save the Children can achieve transformational outcomes for children aswell as helping businesses to achieve their objectives. The Corporate Engagement Centre will seek to ensure that through partnership innovative solutions are developed to help address some of the world’s growing challenges.

To find out more please contact Angeline Martyn +65 9668 3160

Or email: corporate.singapore@savethechildren.org

About Save the Children

Save the Children operates in 120 countries globally.

We save children’s lives. We fight for children’s rights and we help them fulfil their potential.

Our mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.