MSC Empowers Lower Income Women in Singapore Through Digital Literacy and Charity Flea Market

Headquartered in Singapore, the MSC Asia Regional Office (MSC ARO) is dedicated to fostering sustainable and inclusive growth in the community. With a strong emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion both within and beyond the organisation, the world’s largest container shipping company is empowering women up to the bottom 20% of Singapore’s social economic group.

Through collaborative efforts with charity organization Daughters Of Tomorrow (DOT), MSC ARO is enabling women from underprivileged background in achieving financial independence and social mobility for their families by facilitating livelihood opportunities.

Digital Literacy Skills to Enable Employment Opportunities
Comprised predominantly of mothers from low-income families (of which half of them are single mothers), DOT's beneficiaries confront numerous internal and external challenges that hinder their job prospects and efforts to break out of poverty.

Recognizing the significance of digital literacy in today's job market, 16 dedicated MSC ARO employees volunteered their Monday nights from May to June 2024 to conduct a 5-week digital literacy course. This initiative aims to equip lower-income woman with essential computer skills, empowering them to pursue sustainable employment opportunities and achieve financial independence. By enhancing their qualifications and job readiness, while closing the community’s digital divide, this effort contributes to fostering a more equitable society.

"With the support of MSC, a trisector partnership is made possible to further the impact of non-profit work. The contribution of skills-based volunteering in our recent run of Basic IT Literacy workshops is vital to the success of impact driven work of Non-Profit Organisations, especially for small and medium organisations like Daughters Of Tomorrow. Together, we are able to improve employability and narrow the social gap for the clients from lower-income families,” said Kaylee Kua, DOT Managing Director.

Charity Flea Market to Raise Funds and Reduce Waste
As part of its ongoing commitment to empower women in the community, MSC ARO also organized a Charity Flea Market on 6 March 2024 to fundraise for DOT. In a collective effort to do good and minimize waste, employees generously contributed brand-new or gently used items, which were purchased with empathy at the market. All proceeds from the event went to DOT to continue its Job Readiness Programme for lower income women to return to the workforce and attain financial stability. Aligned with the spirit of International Women’s Day 2024, which centered on the global theme of “Inspire Inclusion,” the flea market furthered this ethos.

28 Years of Impact in Singapore
YJ Tan, MSC ARO Managing Director said, “At MSC ARO, it is important for us to meaningfully contribute and support the communities that we operate in. In fact, it’s a great privilege to translate our care for those in need into tangibles initiatives that uplift their lives, especially in the area of women empowerment, a cause close to MSC’s heart.”

MSC’s presence in the world’s largest transshipment hub spans the last 28 years since it initiated its first service from Singapore to Europe in 1996, and established both ARO and its Singapore office the same year. Over the decades, MSC ARO has been engaging in various initiatives to contribute to the community, including childminding services in collaboration with Singapore Red Cross, and food drives in support of The Food Bank Singapore.

Visit here for more information about MSC’s presence in Singapore.