#SGPAYSITFORWARD, headed by Ninja Van and NOC, to put 100,000 care packs together for vulnerable communities

We are three weeks into the circuit breaker period and for most Singaporeans, we are getting used to our ‘new’ daily routine.

But for the vulnerable communities in Singapore, it has not been easy at all. With that in mind, Ninja Van’s CEO Lai Chang Wen and Sylvia Chan of Night Owl Cinematics came together to create the movement #SGPAYSITFORWARD and put together 100,00 care packs.

The ground-up initiative was launched on Wednesday (22 Apr). These care packs will help vulnerable communities to ensure they are well-equipped to safeguard themselves against COVID-19 and allow them to focus on other aspects of their lives during this period.

Together with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and the National Youth Council (NYC) and help from SG Youth Action Plan (SG YAP) panel members, Carousell and Young NTUC, 100,000 rightful recipients – including migrant workers, low-income families, senior citizens and people with special needs – have been identified.

The care packs are priced at $25 each. Some items included in it are disinfectant solution, antibacterial wipes and hand wash, surgical masks and hand sanitiser. The items were contributed by companies like Colversoft, Guardian, NTUC FairPrice, Radha Exports, Lazada, Supersteam and Unilever at cost price.

Packaging and delivery services will be absorbed by Ninja Van, while media companies involved with content creation for the initiative are doing it for free.

All you need to do is to go onto the initiative’s website to pay for the care packs, sit back and relax at home.

The whole initiative was put together in about a week.

Sylvia, who is also a SG YAP member, said that NOC had been working with Guardian when Chang Wen approached her with the idea. She called it “a match made in heaven” as NOC was already working with Guardian to put together a care pack.

“With Ninja Van in the picture, we were able to expand the idea and maximise the impact,” said Sylvia, 32. She added that most of the companies on board were those that she and NOC had worked with previously.

Chang Wen added that what sparked the idea was hearing stories of individuals and companies being affected by the virus.

“I felt compelled to pay it forward and look into how I could possibly help,” he said.

“Given that Ninja Van already touches almost every block in Singapore on a daily basis when we are delivering ecommerce goods, I thought perhaps I can solve the ‘movement’ problem with our fleet and send a care pack to households who need it the most.”

Chang Wen added that the entire initiative was able to come together because the different companies worked together and amplified their efforts. For example, Ninja Van is focused primarily on building the website, as well as the procurement and logistics part – something which they are familiar with. On the other hand, the creatives are left to NOC and Goodstuph, another company that’s involved with #SGPAYSITFORWARD.

“In a span of one week, hundreds of people from different companies were on board doing hard work for free. We got everyone to focus on their respective fortes and trusted them to do their best!” Sylvia chimed in.

She added: “We are not your typical frontliners. We are marketers, editors, logistics people, designers, developers, inventory managers, packers and drivers. But it is not going to stop us from doing what we can and what we should be doing in these challenging times.”

The initiative will run until the 100,000 care packs, which are now getting assembled in Ninja Van’s warehouse, are sold out.

If you want to do your part for the community and your fellow Singaporeans by paying for a care pack, you can do so here.