Our Stories

Love Beyond Work

Almost everyone who is active in the philanthropy scene in Singapore would have heard of Anita Fam, or may have worked with her.

 

Presently the President of the National Council of Social Service, Anita also sits on various Boards and Committees including the Institute of Mental Health, Lien Foundation and SG Cares Steering Committee. Some of the previous organisations and committees she has held key roles in were Singapore’s Enabling Masterplan 3 Steering Committee, National Healthcare Group Board, Singapore Hospice Council, AWWA, Assisi Hospice and St Andrew’s Autism Centre.

 

Anita’s Volunteering Philosophy

 

A familiar leader figure in the social service sector for more than 20 years, both at charity and national level, in the areas of disability, palliative care, healthcare and mental health, Anita is a full-time volunteer.

 

Anita first started volunteering in 1994, when she accepted a request from Mrs Leaena Tambyah to join the Asian Women’s Welfare Association (AWWA) Board as its legal advisor. She provided pro bono legal advice to the association until 1997.

 

When Anita stopped work as a practicing lawyer at the end of 1999 to be a full-time mother, she once again said yes to Mrs Tambyah when the latter invited her to be the Vice Chair of AWWA’s “TEACH ME” integration programme which supports physically disabled children in mainstream schools. In September 2000, she became Chair of the programme.

 

“A few years later, at a meeting, I received this long-term service award for being a volunteer. And I wondered why was I getting the award? In my mind then, a volunteer in the social service sector is someone who is hands-on, for example befriending patients in the daycare centre, bringing the elderly for health checks and giving tuition to kids,” shared Anita.

Paying it Forward

 

Anita Fam’s links with The Salvation Army started even before she was born.

 

“I was a beneficiary!” she quipped.

 

Anita knew from the young age of five that she was adopted into the Fam family. However, it was only decades later in 2015 when she finally discovered the circumstances behind the adoption. That year, following the passing of her father, her brother handed her a brown envelope. Inside the envelope were her original birth certificate and adoption petition. It was then that she learnt that her birth mother was a 19 year old single girl from Johore who arrived in Singapore to give birth to her. The address on the documents was care of The Salvation Army Singapore, showing that the Army had provided shelter and help to her birth mother and had a role in the adoption.

 

“So my birth mother had the strength of character to go through with the pregnancy and she came to Singapore to give birth to me instead of choosing to have an abortion. That really changed the trajectory of my life. The outcome could have been so different.”

 

Interestingly, the signature on the adoption petition, which had to be signed by the director of social welfare, belonged to Mrs Leaena Tambyah, the same person who began Anita’s journey as a volunteer in 1994.

 

“So all that I do now, I know what I’ve been divinely appointed to do. I do all that I do in total obedience to God,” said Anita. “It is through God’s grace that I have all that I have. Nothing that I have should be taken for granted. All that I have is not mine. I am a steward of His grace and provision. To serve is a real blessing.”

“That was a light bulb moment for me. I was sitting in the Board Room as part of a Committee, doing work I was familiar with, be it governance, drafting board resolutions or giving legal advice. I didn’t realise that was volunteering.”

 

Anita’s Start to Volunteerism

 

Given Anita’s prominence and significant contributions to the social service sector over nearly two decades, one would be surprised that she described her early years, up to a decade after her graduation from university, as a period where she was a self-absorbed person who focused mainly on her career.

 

“One day, over a decade after graduation, we had a law school reunion. One of my classmates shared that when he was in law school, he had to hold two jobs to pay for his school fees. One of his closest friends actually got him what he thought was an education bursary. Two decades later, he discovered the bursary was actually financed by his friend’s father so that he no longer had to hold two jobs. It was around that time that I realised I was oblivious to the plights of quite a few of my classmates who were really holding several jobs to be in law school, something I took for granted,” she added.

That was a light bulb moment for me. I was sitting in the Board Room as part of a Committee, doing work I was familiar with, be it governance, drafting board resolutions or giving legal advice. I didn’t realise that was volunteering.

Since then, Anita has become more aware and sensitive of the needs of people around her, and often urges others to do the same. “When you become aware of help needed around you, the next step is to be proactive. Can something be done or be done better? Offer to do it if you think that will help someone.”

Many Ways to Volunteer

She recognises that some may want to help but are hesitant to do so due to misconceptions about becoming a volunteer. “It’s not always about money or about organising events. Start small. Believe in yourself. Give of yourself, your talent and your time. When you see someone around you who needs help, spend time with that person. That’s a form of volunteering too. Find areas within your comfort zone. For the young, it can be designing a collateral or cutting a TikTok video for a charity. It can also be as simple as making a commitment to befriend someone and having a meal with that person once a month. Explore what comes more naturally and how you can bless someone with that.”

“Always live a life which is full of joy and gratitude. It really brings joy to help others,” Anita summed up.

Love Beyond Work

Almost everyone who is active in the philanthropy scene in Singapore would have heard of Anita Fam, or may have worked with her.

 

Presently the President of the National Council of Social Service, Anita also sits on various Boards and Committees including the Institute of Mental Health, Lien Foundation and SG Cares Steering Committee. Some of the previous organisations and committees she has held key roles in were Singapore’s Enabling Masterplan 3 Steering Committee, National Healthcare Group Board, Singapore Hospice Council, AWWA, Assisi Hospice and St Andrew’s Autism Centre.

 

Anita’s Volunteering Philosophy

 

A familiar leader figure in the social service sector for more than 20 years, both at charity and national level, in the areas of disability, palliative care, healthcare and mental health, Anita is a full-time volunteer.

 

Anita first started volunteering in 1994, when she accepted a request from Mrs Leaena Tambyah to join the Asian Women’s Welfare Association (AWWA) Board as its legal advisor. She provided pro bono legal advice to the association until 1997.

 

When Anita stopped work as a practicing lawyer at the end of 1999 to be a full-time mother, she once again said yes to Mrs Tambyah when the latter invited her to be the Vice Chair of AWWA’s “TEACH ME” integration programme which supports physically disabled children in mainstream schools. In September 2000, she became Chair of the programme.

 

“A few years later, at a meeting, I received this long-term service award for being a volunteer. And I wondered why was I getting the award? In my mind then, a volunteer in the social service sector is someone who is hands-on, for example befriending patients in the daycare centre, bringing the elderly for health checks and giving tuition to kids,” shared Anita.

 

“That was a light bulb moment for me. I was sitting in the Board Room as part of a Committee, doing work I was familiar with, be it governance, drafting board resolutions or giving legal advice. I didn’t realise that was volunteering.”

 

Anita’s Start to Volunteerism

 

Given Anita’s prominence and significant contributions to the social service sector over nearly two decades, one would be surprised that she described her early years, up to a decade after her graduation from university, as a period where she was a self-absorbed person who focused mainly on her career.

“One day, over a decade after graduation, we had a law school reunion. One of my classmates shared that when he was in law school, he had to hold two jobs to pay for his school fees. One of his closest friends actually got him what he thought was an education bursary. Two decades later, he discovered the bursary was actually financed by his friend’s father so that he no longer had to hold two jobs. It was around that time that I realised I was oblivious to the plights of quite a few of my classmates who were really holding several jobs to be in law school, something I took for granted,” she added.

Paying it Forward


Anita Fam’s links with The Salvation Army started even before she was born.

 

“I was a beneficiary!” she quipped.

 

Anita knew from the young age of five that she was adopted into the Fam family. However, it was only decades later in 2015 when she finally discovered the circumstances behind the adoption. That year, following the passing of her father, her brother handed her a brown envelope. Inside the envelope were her original birth certificate and adoption petition. It was then that she learnt that her birth mother was a 19 year old single girl from Johore who arrived in Singapore to give birth to her. The address on the documents was care of The Salvation Army Singapore, showing that the Army had provided shelter and help to her birth mother and had a role in the adoption.

 

“So my birth mother had the strength of character to go through with the pregnancy and she came to Singapore to give birth to me instead of choosing to have an abortion. That really changed the trajectory of my life. The outcome could have been so different.”

 

Interestingly, the signature on the adoption petition, which had to be signed by the director of social welfare, belonged to Mrs Leaena Tambyah, the same person who began Anita’s journey as a volunteer in 1994.

 

“So all that I do now, I know what I’ve been divinely appointed to do. I do all that I do in total obedience to God,” said Anita. “It is through God’s grace that I have all that I have. Nothing that I have should be taken for granted. All that I have is not mine. I am a steward of His grace and provision. To serve is a real blessing.”

That was a light bulb moment for me. I was sitting in the Board Room as part of a Committee, doing work I was familiar with, be it governance, drafting board resolutions or giving legal advice. I didn’t realise that was volunteering.

Since then, Anita has become more aware and sensitive of the needs of people around her, and often urges others to do the same. “When you become aware of help needed around you, the next step is to be proactive. Can something be done or be done better? Offer to do it if you think that will help someone.”

Many Ways to Volunteer

 

She recognises that some may want to help but are hesitant to do so due to misconceptions about becoming a volunteer. “It’s not always about money or about organising events. Start small. Believe in yourself. Give of yourself, your talent and your time. When you see someone around you who needs help, spend time with that person. That’s a form of volunteering too. Find areas within your comfort zone. For the young, it can be designing a collateral or cutting a TikTok video for a charity. It can also be as simple as making a commitment to befriend someone and having a meal with that person once a month. Explore what comes more naturally and how you can bless someone with that.”

 

“Always live a life which is full of joy and gratitude. It really brings joy to help others,” Anita summed up.