19 May, 2022 – Focus on the Family Singapore will commemorate its 20th anniversary with a special celebratory dinner themed “Bigger, Deeper and Stronger for Families” on Thursday, 19 May, at Hilton Orchard Singapore. 

Deputy Prime Minister & Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, Mr Heng Swee Keat will grace the event as the Guest of Honour. He will be accompanied by his wife. 

Some 650 partners and supporters of Focus Singapore will be attending the event. The charity hopes to raise $1,000,000 in table sponsorships and pledges to fund its family-centric programmes and campaigns for the year. 

In 2021, Focus Singapore impacted the lives of some 40,000 people with its family-building programmes and campaigns. Looking ahead, the charity organisation aims to go bigger on sexuality education by partnering parents, educators and organisations, deeper in parent-child connections to build mental resilience, and stronger on marriage narratives, preparation programmes and mentoring communities.   

Bigger on sexuality education 

A 2020 survey conducted by Focus Singapore found that a staggering 79% of youths and young adults believe that parents have the primary responsibility to teach them about sex and sexuality. However, only 15% cite parents as their main source of information.  

Sexuality education needs to start at home as values about relationships and marriage have to come from parents themselves. With the growing awareness of the need for parental involvement in guiding youths in the area of sexuality, Focus Singapore plans to augment its current resources on its website with videos and conversation starters to equip parents with the skills to do so.  

Deeper parent-child connections   

Over the past two years, Focus has had to pivot its Family Life Education programmes and events from in-person to online format. To journey with parents in supporting their tweens through the transition to adolescence, Focus has redesigned its signature parent-child event, Date with Dad, into a parent-and-tween experiential programme titled The Select: Mission 1114.  

240 parents and tweens attended the inaugural run of The Select in December 2021, and tried their hand at solving puzzles and cracking codes together, while deepening their relationship through letter-writing and intentional conversations. 

Ms Yvonne Kong-Ho, who attended The Select with her son, said, “It was such a timely bonding experience for us as it was just after my son completed his PSLE and received his results. The most memorable part for me was when we wrote letters to each other. I also gave him a leather belt as a gift and told him, ‘This belt represents my support for you, and you’re never alone.’” 

Stronger marriages 

In a bid to strengthen its programme offerings aimed at nurturing stronger marriages, Focus Singapore will be organising a date night event in August 2022. Targeting younger married couples, Best Date Ever will offer couples a unique experience to reconnect and rediscover the joys or marriage, building their collective resilience to withstand the stressors of life. 

Mrs Joanna Koh-Hoe, CEO of Focus Singapore, said, “It is significant that we mark our twentieth anniversary in a year that Singapore has designated as the Year of Celebrating Families. We’re excited that with the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, 650 friends of the Family can now join us in this celebration!” 

“Today’s increasingly volatile and digitally immersed world unfortunately places new and more complex challenges on everyday families. Taking an upstream approach to build on the foundation of strong family values and healthy relationships will ensure our nation continues to thrive for many generations to come.” 

Partnership Dinner: Raising Family Champions 

Focus on the Family Singapore’s 20th Anniversary Celebration is held in appreciation of corporate and community partners that have supported the organisation’s work in helping families thrive. Through the celebratory dinner, the organisation also hopes to share the impact through stories of families equipped and restored over the past 20 years, and enable more stakeholders and partners to catch the vision of building stronger families and resilient children in the years to come.  

Chairman of Focus on the Family Singapore Mr Tony Soh said, “While championing upstream work with families hasn’t been without its challenges, we are thankful to count so many passionate believers of Family among our supporters today. With their partnership and encouragement, we will continue to build on the good work of the past 20 years, and forge ahead to realise our vision of thriving, vibrant and resilient families in Singapore.” 

At the fundraiser, Focus on the Family Singapore will also present its annual Family Champion Awards to commend corporations, communities and individuals who have been exemplary in promoting the interests of families.  

Six recipients will be recognised this year — Far East Organization, People’s Association, Mr Tan Chin Hwee, Dr Stephen Riady, Noel Gifts International Ltd, and Church of our Saviour. 

Focus on the Family Singapore hopes that this recognition will raise greater awareness of the need for family-friendly policies and a culture that celebrates and champions families in Singapore.   

Read our Stewardship Report for 2021 here.