Anita, Alex and Annabel Nicholson Memorial Fund

1.         Fundraising

Singapore and the jurisdictions we target to support have been under COVID related restrictions for almost all of 2021.  These have included blanket travel restrictions and quarantines and restrictions on events.  Gradually as we start to see an ease to some of these restrictions, we remain hopeful that some events may take place in 2022. 

Covid restrictions within Singapore are still in place but this has not dampened the enthusiasm of the supporters of the Nicholson Memorial Fund and Atlas Asia who have continued to raise money through ‘socially distanced’ events. 

A group of supporters from the insurance community are organising an ‘April Challenge’ here in Singapore under the heading “Breaking Through in 2022” and will be fundraising for Atlas Asia.  There will be corporate teams in a virtual competition across four different activities: cycling, running, walking and swimming - so something for everyone!  Details currently being finalised.

2.         Projects

Many of the projects we have targeted have struggled to continue under Covid and lock downs.  With the introduction of the easing of restrictions in many areas, projects are slowly beginning to open, it has been great to see the children out on the Rugby pitch again.  The need has clearly not have reduced, but neither has our determination to find and support the poorest and most disadvantaged children in Asia.

Kampuchea Balop

We are currently approaching our third and final year of funding with Kampuchea Balopp.  We are excited to be looking at our partnership renewal to guarantee the longevity of our relationship.  They continue to do a great job of  engaging and supporting children with significant disadvantages in Cambodia and have managed to get new initiatives off the ground despite the COVID pandemic. 

We have also connected KB with education NGO See Beyond Borders with a view to them developing a plan to expand the KB project into the Battambang region of Cambodia.

Jungle Crows/Khelo Rugby

We are continuing to support Jungle Crows/Khelo rugby and are looking to build on the past relationship with them and support the growth of the fantastic work they do in Kolkota and other parts of India. 

Alongside the traditional funding, we in the process of finalising an educational pilot project with Jungle Crows.  This will be a digital platform teaching the children English.   The Pilot will run in two different areas initially working with 60 children, 15 aged 10-12 and 15 aged 13-14 in each area. 

If the Pilot proves to be a success, we will look on expanding this within Jungle Crows/Khelo Rugby and consider whether it can be replicated elsewhere.  Confirmed details of the pilot will be in future updates.  

Cebu Dragons Rugby Club

We have been in discussion with a Cebu Dragons Rugby and Football Club in the Philippines for some time with a view to supporting the expansion of their community outreach work.  The club has an outreach programme for underprivileged children in local communities, including children from the local orphanage and a school for children with special educational needs.  These discussions have been put on hold due to Covid lockdowns over the past 18 months.

In the wave of their recent Typoon disaster hitting Cebu, the project leader reached out for help with emergency food aid and related support for the community outreach families supported by the Rugby Club. 

Cebu Dragons Rugby and Football Club were able to source food aid parcels at circa US$25 per parcel.  This included Rice, water, canned food, salt, sugar, disposable masks, spray alcohol.  $3500 SDG has been granted for the first batch.  It is anticipated that a further grant will be made shortly.  We are also trying to find partners to assist with reconstruction work for those club families who have lost their homes. 

Sri Lanka Project

We are also beginning to revive the plans for a project in Sri Lanka, in partnership with Jungle Crows.   More details will follow in the next update.

Mixed Ability Rugby Singapore

Finally, in the anticipation of easing of Covid restrictions we have made measures to link up with local contacts to discuss the best ways of moving forward with the Mixed Ability Rugby programme here in Singapore.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the many people that offered support for our events and projects whether that has been in participating physically or supporting financially or both.  We are extremely grateful.  With your support we can strive to help to some of the poorest children in Asia, giving them the chance to thrive.