This story was printed from TODAYonline 
Thursday • April 24, 2008
Ng Jing Yng
jingyng@mediacorp.com.sg
FINDING a job has always been difficult for Ms Ng Swee Kuen, 48, who is blind in her left eye.
For the past 15 years, she has earned her daily bread from doing production-related tasks, such as packing boxes, under the sheltered employment scheme at the Singapore Association Visually Handicapped (SAVH).
Ms Ng and other workers under the scheme, which has been in place since 1963, receive up to $60 per day but they do not get other benefits, such as CPF contributions and medical subsidies.
This is set to change under a new partnership between the SAVH and Bizlink Centre, which has also been providing sheltered employment to the disadvantaged, especially disabled workers, since 1986.
The partnership will see Bizlink Centre train SAVH members to improve their skills in order to make them more employable and receive better terms of employment.
With Bizlink and SAVH having a combined supply of 124 members, the two partners hope the bigger workforce will enable them to secure more job contracts from commercial companies and government agencies.
According to SAVH president Tan Guan Heng, the cooperation between the two voluntary welfare organisations, is timely given that VWOs are faced with challenges such as reduced funding from traditional sources.
"By sharing our facilities and resources, the Bizlink-SAVH workshop for disabled people can remain viable and relevant at a time when VWOs are phasing out their sheltered workshops," said Mr Tan at the launch of the partnership yesterday. The sheltered workshop scheme sources for jobs that can be done at centres run by the welfare organisations.
Ms Josephine Teo, the MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, said the Bizlink-SAVH partnership could serve as a role model for other VWOs.
In a reference to the recent spate of scandals relating to the charity sector, Ms Teo said that the VWOs need to put in place stringent measures to ensure that their operations are well managed. "VWOs rely on the goodness of people and donors to sustain their operations. Therefore, they need to be accountable to their donors," said Ms Teo.