Singapore, 22 July 2014 -  SingTel is donating S$1.1 million to SG Enable to establish and operate the Enabling Innovation Centre (EIC). The donation by SingTel is the single largest contribution by a corporate donor to date.

Located at 141 Redhill Road, the EIC will be part of an integrated community space that will provide one-stop access to services and encourage greater inclusion of persons with disabilities.

The EIC will house a Contact Centre, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Skills Training Facilities and a Social Innovation Hub for the development of assistive technology to help persons with disabilities lead more independent lives and enhance their employability.

SingTel will provide its expertise and volunteer resources to support training programmes for the Contact Centre and conduct ICT literacy courses. SingTel's venture capital arm, SingTel Innov8, will also advise SG Enable on how to encourage the development of innovative technologies for persons with disabilities. 

Mr Yuen Kuan Moon, Chairman of the SingTel Touching Lives Fund (STLF) and CEO Consumer Singapore at SingTel, said: "We are honoured to be the strategic partner of the set-up of the EIC. This is a natural extension of SingTel's long term support for children and youths with special needs, as well as vulnerable segments of the community. With our core capabilities and resources, we will impart useful skills and knowledge to drive sustainable improvements in their lives."

Ms Ku Geok Boon, CEO, SG Enable, said: "We are happy that SingTel has come on board as a key partner in the Integrated Community Space. We look forward to the EIC where persons with disabilities and the community can come together to spark new ideas and innovative solutions that make a real difference in their daily lives. We are also pleased to be naming this facility the SingTel Enabling Innovation Centre, in recognition of this strategic and value-added commitment by SingTel."

Mr Phillip Tan, Chairman of the Care & Share Movement Steering Committee and Chairman of Community Chest, said: "Community Chest has been actively raising funds to retrofit and optimise the community space at Redhill to serve a range of needs from training and employment opportunities to leisure facilities. Under the Care & Share Movement led by Community Chest, we are pleased to have facilitated the successful partnership between SG Enable and SingTel. The collaboration will bring about more services for persons with disabilities, encourage more integration and greater inclusion within the community. As part of the SG50 calendar of events in the lead-up to the celebration of Singapore's 50th year of independence in 2015, we hope that more corporate partners will be like SingTel, in generously sharing their time, expertise and money to help the less fortunate."

The EIC is due to be completed in the second half of 2015.

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