OUR SPECIALTY:

One of Gift and Take’s (GAT) best sellers is its patchwork animal soft toys. They come as magnets, keychains, paperweights and cuddly soft toys. GAT also designs and customises gifts for corporate events. These high quality handicrafts and soft toys are made by skilful artisans who have been marginalised, ranging from an intricate silk shawl hand-woven by disadvantaged groups in Cambodia to hand-drawn memorabilia by youths with special needs.

THE INNOVATION:

GAT believes in creating a source of livelihood for the disadvantaged through the sale of handicrafts and acts as a channel for buyers to purchase the products. Abroad, GAT has a rigorous social audit process to ensure that beneficiaries are not ‘sweat shops’ or unfairly treated; profits are also ploughed back in skills training and equipment such as sewing machines. Locally, GAT has job attachment programmes created specially for youths with special needs who cannot easily fit into society.

“We think it’s important for our interns to gain confidence and skills and be able to integrate into the workforce when they are ready,” says one of GAT’s partners who is also a social worker and counsellor. She pays special attention to develop positive work attitudes and skills in interns so that they may rise above personal challenges and become independent. In GAT’s words: “To teach them to fish, instead of giving them the fish. It’s the dignity that we hope to help them regain.”

BRIEF BACKGROUND:

Gift And Take Pte Ltd was set up by Lance Ng in August 2006. The social enterprise works with several marginalised or disadvantaged individuals and communities to produce and sell handmade gifts. GAT’s products are well-received locally and can be found at various landmarks and locations in Singapore such as the PaTH Market at VivoCity, the Singapore Flyer gift Shop, the Singapore Art Museum and most other museums.

Partners and recipients come from Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore. They include the intellectually and physically challenged, disadvantaged women, landmine victims, the impoverished and individuals with special needs.

Now, by building on their rich lessons, GAT plans to share their experience as a social enterprise with modules taught through workshops and seminars. Companies, institutions, schools and other organisations can contact GAT to invite them to give talks on running social enterprises as part of their enrichment programmes or to showcase its meaningful products.