OUR SPECIALTY:
Food at economical prices. Vegetarian mixed rice and noodles go at as low as $2. On top of that, there is a free flow of tonic soups. The popular blueberry cheese tart goes at $1.50 too.
THE INNOVATION:
Providing employment for mild intellectually disabled youths. Employment earns them useful skills like baking, customer service, basic kitchen help and housekeeping as well as help them gain social acceptance from the public and self confidence in themselves. Lastly, employment also allows them to be financially independent.
BRIEF BACKGROUND:
The Happy Arts Enterprise Ltd was set up in 2004 by Metta Welfare Association, a Buddhist organisation dedicated to the promotion of humanitarian causes, to provide vocational training in a commercial setting for youths aged 19 to 21 with mild intellectual disability.

Other than the cafe, catering services is also provided. Happy Arts Deli serves a wide variety of vegetarian dishes, pastries and cakes including orders for birthdays. Lunch vouchers are available for purchase and the deli can be booked for all kinds of functions.

“Every trip to Happy Arts is a great  experience. The trainees are always very helpful and friendly.”
- by Ms Tan Eng Chun, a regular patron of Happy Arts Deli.

Contact details:

Tel: 6580 4611 / 65804634
Fax: 6580 4693
Email: germaine@metta.org.sg

Address:

Metta Building Level 1
No. 32 Simei St 1
Singapore (529950)
Opening hours: 7 am to 9 am

For more information:

http://www.metta.org.sg/deli.htm

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1. Annalakshmi
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3. Eighteen Chefs

OUR SPECIALTY

Fairtrade coffees by the cup or to go. Also, vegetarian food like the somewhat famous Tempeh Burger, which has its own Facebook page. The popular soya patty burger comes with a small side salad and is priced at an affordable $11.90 without GST, just like the other items on the menu.

THE INNOVATION

Most social enterprises usually have a predominant social cause but as a vegetarian and environmentalist himself, owner Woon Tien Wei chooses to focus on green issues though he would not refuse to publicise or support social causes when he is asked to.

A cafe by the day and social activist by the night, Food #03 has hosted and provided support for several social causes and projects in the form of publicity on both its website and by word of mouth, as well as physical space on the second level of the cafe at no costs. One ongoing project is the Soup Kitchen Project which serves vegetarian food to anyone, poor and hungry or not, for free at the cafe every Monday.

Besides being an eco-friendly cafe hidden deep within exotic Little India, the place is also a breeding ground for ideas to happen and groups to gather. Environmental and social groups such as Green Drinks Singapore, Social Enterprise SG and Food not Bombs frequent the cafe for their regular meetings.

BRIEF BACKGROUND

The vegetarian cafe of a social enterprise is the brainchild of Woon Tien Wei, 30, an artist who decided to name the cafe after his last art project, Food #02 last year. Post Museum next door is opened by his wife, Jennifer, and social projects are often jointly organised, if not supported, by the two.

On top of serving eco-friendly and socially conscious food and supporting social causes and groups, the cafe also collects plastic bags and takeaway containers, which will be re-used, and leftover food is given away to friends and the less fortunate around the area. For example, the Really, Really Free Market organised at Post Museum promotes an alternative economy to the current on where wasteful spending is prominent, by encouraging people to bring down things that they do not want anymore and which are in good condition, as well as “shop” for things that might be trash to others but treasure for you.

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1. Cafe with a Green Heart
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OUR SPECIALTY

From a selection of six sauces and 13 ingredients, you can choose from a total of 78 combinations and types of cheese baked rice. On crabby wednesdays, also available is Cheese Baked Chilli Crab with Mantou croutons ($20) even raved about by known local blogger at ieatishootipost.

THE INNOVATION

Owner Benny Se Teo, an ex-offender, takes in ex-offenders like himself during their last few months of their jail sentence to train them in necessary skills so that they can have a new start in life. Through employment, he hopes to ease their integration back to the society smoothly.

But honestly, not because of Benny’s experience at Fifteen, a social enteprise set by famous TV personality and chef Jamie Oliver, or Benny’s story and cause for the socially disadvantaged, but because the food is truly good, people return for more. This makes Eighteen Chefs a truly successful model of a social enterprise.

BRIEF BACKGROUND

Owner Benny went in and out of prison four times for heroin addiction since the age of 14. After a near-death experience, he turned over a new leaf and started learning how to cook. From then, he got a month-long internship at Fifteen before setting up Eighteen Chefs with two of his church friends.

The number eighteen is a slang for an active local gang and also the number of chefs Benny hopes to have in his restaurants one day. Eighteen Chefs has since set up a second branch – 54-seat restaurant at Eastpoint Mall equally committed to training ex-offenders as chefs and keeping there away from crime.

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Homebaked cakes, muffins, cookies and fruit tarts from $2 onwards.

THE INNOVATION:

The bakery provides training and resources for needy jobseekers especially single mothers to make cakes and other pastries at a kitchen within Bukit Panjang Community Club, which will be later sold at various town centres as well as pushcarts at places like Ikea. Beneficiaries earn an income on commission basis by selling the Community Kitchen pastries.

BRIEF BACKGROUND:

With $140,000 seed funding from the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS)’s ComCare Enterprise Fund (CEF), the pastry business was set up in 2006 and aims to create jobs for women from disadvantaged families, especially from the Malay community, which then allow them to help themselves. The idea was suggested by Dr Teo Ho Pin, MP for Bukit Panjang and Mayor of Northwest CDC, and was tested on a smaller scale at the Al-Iman Mosque a year before the bigger and official set up at Bukit Panjang.

The Community Kitchen also offers catering services. Its clients include MCYS, the Town Council, North West CDC and other non-governmental bodies.

“Seeing the ladies give it their all makes me seriously consider expanding this project for the community at large. With more funds, we can extend a helping hand to more needy people.”
- Mr George Chia, Project Coordinator of the Community Kitchen

Contact details:

Tel: 9662 9095
Email: paiman@muis.gov.sg

Address:

8 Pending Road
Singapore (678295)

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1. Happy Arts Deli
2. Adoption@TOUCH
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OUR SPECIALTY:

Homemade decorative scented candles and soaps from $10. Candle-making, soap-making and jewellery-making workshops are conducted from $45 onwards too.

THE INNOVATIVE IDEA:

Unskilled single mothers – divorcees, widows and unwed mothers – are equipped with handicraft skills in candle-making, soap-making or jewellery-making which allows them the flexibility to work from home so that they may still take care of their children.

BRIEF BACKGROUND:

A single mother herself, founder Angella Cheng set up ChaCha Cottage to help women like herself. She wants to help women rebuild their lives and confidence by providing the opportunity and assistance in the form of a job. Set up in 2005, the project has since expanded to include women who are breadwinners of their families in situations like their husbands are out of work due to illness.

“I finally see some hope in my life now, and my children have become more cheerful as well.”
- Ms Chong Wen Li, beneficiary of ChaCha Cottage, as interviewed in Lian He Zao Bao. 

Contact Details:

Tel: 64681155
Fax: 64681155

Address:

545 Orchard Road
#15-02
Singapore (238882)

For more information:

www.chachacottage.org.sg

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OUR SPECIALTY:

Tuition programmes in General Paper, English and Literature that emphasize critical thinking and knowledge application. School of Thought also publishes Broader Perspectives, a current affairs magazine tailored to youth.

THE INNOVATION:

School of Thought believes in going beyond teaching to impart to students a keen interest in current affairs, help them form worldviews that are balanced and informed, as well as to inspire them to take initiative in their education and their lives. Part of their profits go into supporting an in-house Financial Aid Scheme that students may apply for if their families are experiencing severe financial difficulties and cannot afford tuition.

BRIEF BACKGROUND:

School of Thought was first begun in 2002 with a group of four socially conscious educators troubled by the indifference many young people showed towards the world and Life in general. Since then, they have been constantly refining their core ‘A’ level General Paper tuition programmes to help students think more critically and broadly about both national and global affairs – without sacrificing good grades on the exam paper.

You can get also great comfort food just below the school at Food for Thought, a quirky little indie diner born with 5 meaningful missions: support clean water, feed good food, help end poverty, educate the people and encourage kind acts. Enjoy the cozy ambience and homemade food there.

“Knowledge. Empathy. Initiative.”
- School of Thought tagline.

Contact Details:

Tel: +65 63348773
Email: esther@school-of-thought.com

Address:

No. 420 North Bridge Road
# 06-27/29/30
Singapore 188727

For more information:

http://www.school-of-thought.com/

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