CCo-operator

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MCI (P) 151/01/2016

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Our MissionTo promote and develop co-operatives as sustainable enterprises that address social and economic needs through the principle of self and mutual help so as to foster a more resilient society.

C O n t e n t s April June 2016

04 Small Steps for Great Impact at ACLC 2016

06 Destination Dignity

07 Oldest Singapore’s Co-op Shares 90-Year Heritage

08 Man on a Mission

09 Monique Leroux, ICA New President

10 Co-op Club Grows Organic Business

11 Educare Shapes the Future of Russian Republic’s Education

12 Making It Count with Finance & Accounting Marketing for a Good Cause

13 Students’ Service Learning Day with Seniors

14 ANGKASA Visits FairPrice

15 Study Award

Shared Marketing Services Grant

16 International Co-operative Day

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3AprJun2016 I

Small Steps... Great Impact

DeAr CO-OperAtOrs, In the May Day message, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke about the rise of Uber, Airbnb and Taobao and how these new enterprises have improved lives of consumers and made existing companies up their game. In the same way, co-operatives should disrupt the usual way of doing business and redefine our business approach so that we stay relevant in the ever-changing external environment. Like what Albert Einstein said, ‘If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got'. And to disrupt the ‘normal’ way of doing business, we need to embrace changes and this can start with taking small steps to achieve great impact over time. At this year’s Annual Co-operatives Leaders Conference (ACLC) held on 15 to 19 April in Kochi, India, Mr R S Sodhi, CEO of AMUL, shared how the co-operative led the white revolution in India to become the leading dairy producer in India. We also heard from Mr Koh Seng Choon, founder of Dignity Kitchen, who highlighted the importance of thinking outside the box to develop innovative solutions that can help the communities. When no one thought it would be possible to “build and return the dignity to the disadvantaged and disabled”, Mr Koh founded Dignity Kitchen in 2010 and made the impossible possible by starting Singapore’s first hawker training school for the disabled and disadvantaged. In 2015, it won the President's Challenge Social Enterprise of the Year award. It was a big pat on the back for Mr Koh and all the workers at Dignity Kitchen. Mr Poh Leong Sim, Director of FairPrice shared the long journey that FairPrice embarked on to become the leading supermarket. Amul, Dignity Kitchen and NTUC FairPrice did not get to where they are today without the perseverance of the co-operative leaders and the hard work and contributions of the employees.

In this issue of Co-operator, you will also read about the appointment of Mr Tan Kian Chew as the new Chairman for the Central Co-operative Fund (CCF) Committee. Mr Tan is no stranger to us as he has been active in the co-operative sector for the past 20 years. He was the former Group Chief Executive Officer of NTUC FairPrice Co-operative and is currently the Chief Executive Officer at the Singapore Labour Foundation. The International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) also marked a change in the leadership. The ICA elected Ms Monique F Leroux (Canada) as its new president, filling the vacancy resulting from Ms Pauline Green’s retirement. Ms Leroux is the Chair of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Desjardins Group, the leading co-operative financial group in Canada. We wish her all the best in her endeavours.

There is much to do and accomplish. Let’s remember this year’s ACLC theme – small steps…great impact.

SNCF ChairmanMr ChAn tee seng

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small steps for great impact at

AClC 2016

need to think out of the box”, he rallied the audience to do more for the less privileged in the society through the co-operative movement despite challenges.

“Have conviction in your beliefs and you will overcome any obstacle,” said Mr S Gulam, Chairman of Singapore Statutory Boards Employees’ Co-operative Thrift and Loan Society Limited (SSBEC T&L Society Ltd), as he pointed out how determination and self-belief brought the co-op to where it is today. Mr Gulam shared how SSBEC T&L bounced back from a crisis to become the only co-operative equipped with a high security login portal with two-factor authentication (2FA).

Co-operative leaders from all over Singapore met to explore, debate and share at the Annual Co-operative Leaders’ Conference (ACLC) organised by SNCF in Kochi, India. The event, which took place on 15 to 19 April 2016, registered more than 100 attendees from affiliated co-operatives across the NTUC, service, credit and campus sectors.

Every action that contributes to the community is never wasted, as revealed by this year’s ACLC theme, “Small Steps…Great Impact”. Speaking from the heart, guest speakers captured the attention of delegates over the few days with inspirational stories on how their game-changing attitudes had a meaningful impact on society.

The road to success is fraught with difficulties, as attested by Mr Koh Seng Choon, social entrepreneur and founder of Singapore’s first hawker training school for the disadvantaged, Dignity Kitchen. Mr Koh highlighted determination, resourcefulness and creativity as some of the main qualities needed to overcome these obstacles. In his notable quote: “There is always a solution for every problem. We just

Panelists Mr Poh Leong Sim, Mr Alex Shieh, Mr Koh Seng Choon, Mr R S Sodhi and moderator Mr Kwek Kok Kwang engaging the audience.

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Mr R S Sodhi, Managing Director of India’s largest dairy co-operative, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (Amul brand), and Mr Poh Leong Sim, Group Company Secretary and Director (Legal) of NTUC Fairprice Co-operative Ltd, also spoke of their organisations’ long and arduous struggles in climbing to the top. They highlighted the importance of cultivating selfless and upright leaders, and upholding the initial objective of co-operatives to contribute to society even as they developed.

Inspiring the crowd further, Mr Alex Shieh shared about his journey from a SNCF scholar to his current position as Deputy Director of Education Consultancy Division at Educare Co-operative. He recounted his younger school days when it was difficult to recruit members to join the school Chinese Orchestra. Through his efforts to transform students’ perception of the Chinese Orchestra, he managed to attract more members. He firmly believes that “the future of co-ops lies in how we brand and attract new members.”

Informative breakout sessions and a panel discussion taught the participants to unleash the full potential of co-operatives in Singapore via effective media publicity and the formation of strong bonds between youths and affiliates.

The necessity of recruiting young blood was emphasised by SNCF Campus & Youth Senior Manager Ronald Louis Low, Ngee Ann Polytechnic Co-operative Chairman Yoong Ee Chuan, and SASCO Integrated Eldercare Centre Senior Centre Manager T Thilaga.

Not forgetting to play and relax, the affiliates took the time to visit attraction sites such as St Francis Church, Jew Town and Lulu Mall, and boarded a boat cruise. A Bollywood-styled reception and sumptuous buffet rounded off ACLC 2016.

Truly, it was heartening to see the co-operative family spurring each other towards good works.

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Destination DignityFirst impressions of Dignity Kitchen is perhaps like any other food court, but when one looks “deeper”, there is something unique about this place – it is actually the first hawker training school for the disabled and disadvantaged in Singapore.

True to its name, Dignity Kitchen’s mission, as defined by founder Mr Koh Seng Choon, “is to return the dignity to the disadvantaged and the disabled and to do that I believe not just in ‘giving them the fish, but teaching them how to fish’ and more importantly to give them their self respect and dignity.”

Within its small compound, there are seven fully functional hawker stalls, a training hawker stall, a training classroom and an office space, creating a conducive environment for the public to interact with the students of Dignity Kitchen.

Since starting Dignity Kitchen as his first social enterprise project in October 2010, Mr Koh has expanded into other unique projects to help parents with disadvantaged children. These include Dignity Mama Stall, a second hand bookstore and Dignity Art Gallery.

Challenges faced when Dignity Kitchen first started outWhen Dignity Kitchen first started out, they had to face many challenges. Training people with disabilities was an uphill task. They started out with 12 beneficiaries. The students came from single parent families, were visually and hearing impaired or mentally challenged.

A huge challenge faced was the perception people had of the workers. People were more hesitant to buy food made by the disabled.

Another problem was a shortage of funds. For the first two years, Mr Koh had to mortgage his own office space and borrow money for rental spaces. Dignity Kitchen had to move twice incurring renovation costs. Mr Koh invested close to a million dollars in Dignity Kitchen and even had a personal debt of about $700,000. The social enterprise was in the red, losing about $1000 every day, but finally broke even in 2013.

Dignity Kitchen is the first food court in the WORLD to attain the ISO 22000 certification for food safety management system. Last year, it won the President's Challenge Social Enterprise of the Year award.

training in Dignity KitchenTraining approach is based on mixing people with different disabilities and mental capability, so that they can learn from each other and recognise the difficulties their counterparts are facing. As such, a partnership system in the hawker stalls, where a single mother is paired up with an autistic boy or a breast cancer patient is paired up with a physically disabled person. There is a standard training programme for the students but the teaching approach is customised according to each student’s learning requirements.

have you ever wondered why there are no beggars or homeless people on the streets or people with disabilities in our shopping centre…. We have 6 million people and where are these people? i went and found the answer … and that is why project Dignity was born. i just want to make a difference in the lives of some of our singaporeans.” ■ Mr Koh seng Choon, Dignity Kitchen Founder

support Dignity Kitchen

Opening hours: Mondays to Sundays, 8am to 3:30 pmBaked items, Beverages and Desserts available till 5:30pm every day except Sundays

Where: Blk 267 Serangoon Ave 3 #02-02

7AprJun2016 I

Oldest singapore’s Co-op shares

the rich history of the Singapore Government Staff Credit Co-operative Society Limited (SGSCC) was explored, relived and relished at the public forum that featured the making and findings of the Co-operative’s 90th anniversary commemorative book, Sense of Belonging: A 90-Year Heritage (1925-2015).

Held on 13 April 2016 at The Pod function room at the National Library, the lunchtime talk was a journey back in time for almost 100 attendees, including representatives from Singapore National Co-operative Federation and Registry of Co-operative Societies.

The audience had a well-informed guide, Mr Conceicao, Director of Majic Communications, to lead them down memory lane. Mr Conciecao was appointed by SGSCC to undertake the research and publication of its heritage book which chronicled the history of Singapore’s first and oldest co-operative. Anecdotes shared by SGSCC Chairman Mr John Raghavan,

in an age when there were no trade unions to fight for decent wages for the ordinary worker and no easily available credit from financial institutions for the ordinary man, there were very few ways out of financial hardship for a lowly-paid civil servant.” ■ excerpt from sense of Belonging: A 90-Year heritage (1925-2015)

We applaud the effort of sgsCC to document the journey that they have taken. We trust that the Co-operative’s future leaders and members would capture and emulate the spirit of singapore’s first co-operative and continue carrying the torch of good work for generations to come.” ■ Ms Dolly goh, Chief executive Officer, singapore national Co-operative Federation

Assistant Honorary Treasurer Mr Abdul Alim Karim and General Manager Mr Martin Nathan during the Q&A session brought history to life.

For those who are hungry for more, copies of Sense of Belonging: A 90-Year Heritage (1925-2015) are available for reference at NLB and at major National Library branches.

90-Year heritage

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A member of the Central Co-operative Fund (CCF) Committee since 1 March 2015, Mr Tan Kian Chew is the new Chairman for the Central Co-operative Fund (CCF) Committee, with effect from 1 April 2016.

He brings with him 23 years of experience in the co-operative sector, being the Group Chief Executive Officer of NTUC FairPrice Co-operative from 1997 to 2015. Under his leadership, annual sales grew from $752 million in 1997 to $3.2 billion in 2014.

Besides overseeing the business growth, development and investments of FairPrice, Mr Tan focused NTUC FairPrice on its social mission of moderating the cost of living through daily essentials. This included introducing a 2 per cent discount for senior citizens on Tuesdays and a 3 per cent discount for pioneers on Mondays,

Man on a Missionbenefitting over 170,000 seniors each week.

Indeed, most notable during Mr Tan's tenure was the role the co-operative played during the nation's times of crisis to ensure the supply of essential products, stabilising their prices and preventing profiteering. He is also credited for setting up NTUC FairPrice Foundation in 2006, which has disbursed close to $70 million, to enhance the welfare of workers, and to help the poor and needy.

Prior to joining NTUC FairPrice in 1992, he held key appointments in the civil service.

“ My association with the co-operative movement dates back to 1983. I was appointed to the board of NTUC FairPrice as Ministry of Trade and Industry’s representative. My role was to help FairPrice achieve its mission in moderating the cost of living.”“ Co-operatives in Singapore face the same challenges as many companies in Singapore do, i.e. increasing cost of doing business. Hence it is important that they improve productivity of their operations.”“ CCF will find ways to help co-operatives grow in size so as to be more productive and competitive. It is only through size that you can enjoy economy of scale, bargaining strength, and built up capabilities to help you compete better in the market place. A bigger co-operative will help you deliver greater value to the customers that we aim to serve.”“ Customer focus, professionalism and team work have been my guiding philosophies in managing business success in NTUC FairPrice. And I believe these values are relevant to all the co-operatives in Singapore.”“ In my leisure hours, I like to watch documentaries and sport channels. I also like to play badminton, once a week.”“

What are your hobbies?

What are your three most important management philosophies that you live by?

What are your future plans for CCF moving forward?

What do you think are the key challenges that co-operatives in singapore face?

how did you start with the co-operative movement?

9AprJun2016 I

A newly released biography entitled Ma vie en mouvement, translated as My Life in Motion, traces the journey of Ms Monique Leroux, one of the global co-operative movement’s most recognisable figures, and newly elected President of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA).

Her biography, written in French and authored by Ms Leroux herself, in collaboration with Benoit Gignac, journals her musical beginnings to the world of finance as the first woman to lead Desjardins Group, the sixth largest financial group in the world; and focuses on her experience in the co-operative movement.

Ms Leroux believes that her musical background, discovered from an early age, has helped her in the finance sector, explaining in her biography that, in finance, a message and intention can be found behind the numbers, just as is possible with music. She was a member of an orchestra, a teacher, an accountant and administrator, an auditor and a lecturer.

In 1988, Ms Leroux became an associate at Ernst and Young, one of the big five accounting and consulting companies at that time. It was there that she first worked with Desjardins, who became a client of Ernst and Young in 1994.

As President, Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Desjardins, Ms Leroux said she felt like a conductor of an orchestra directing a music performance. She described how at Desjardins she discovered a democratic enterprise based on co-operative values such as solidarity, common good and engagement, how she expanded the business and how she introduced innovative new concepts, such as the Desjardins Lab.

Ms Leroux left Desjardins in April 2016 after having completed the maximum of two four-year terms, and has taken her co-operative symphony further upwards, now as maestro on the podium of the global co-operative movement, in her role as President of the International Co-operative Alliance ICA. The election took place in November 2015 during the Alliance's global conference which saw a more than 100 international audience gathered in Antalya, Turkey for a week of networking and debates on co-operative affairs.

Monique leroux, iCA new president

Source: http://ica.coop

▲ ICA President Monique Leroux led the Alliance delegation for high-level meetings in Australia and New Zealand in February 2016.

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Co-op

grow it. Sell it. Learn from it.

The Global Indian International School (GIIS) (East Coast Campus) Co-op Club has been working the ground to get their own organic food business up and running.

The Secondary 3 and 4 students in the Co-op Club who are taking on the business module for the term are getting useful tips and expert guidance from the school green club on how to cultivate organic fruits and vegetables. With the harvest, the Co-op Club hopes to market the organic produce to the GIIS students, parents, teachers, school alumni members and visitors.

On 13 April 2016, the SNCF team led by CEO Dolly Goh attended the inauguration of the GIIS’s first Co-op Club and went to check out the Club’s mini farm and stall. Up for sale was the home grown organic produce including different varieties of vegetables and fruits and potted plants. To augment income, non organic food products like biscuits and chocolates were also sold at competitive prices.

By growing their own business, the Co-op Club members have the opportunity to develop new skills on selling, retailing, managing the accounts and inventory, entrepreneurship and at the same time, promoting healthy eating. Such enterprise activities equip the students with hands-on skills on how to start and run a business grounded on co-operative principles.

The visitors left the school impressed by the hard work and the ‘can do’ spirit of the teachers and students. With the support of the school principal Ms Melissa Maria and teacher-in-charge, Mr Rasheed Mundeth, GIIS’s CO-OP Club will go a long way. Small steps…great impact!

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Club grows Organic Business

11AprJun2016 I

the presence of a Singapore grown Co-operative is making waves in the Republic of Tatarstan and affecting fundamental change in the Russian Republic’s education system.

Education consultants from Educare International Consultancy (EIC), an outfit founded by Educare Co-operative Limited, have been partnering Tatarstan to reform its education system since it inked a master service agreement with the Russian Republic’s Education and Science Ministry in 2013.

In a move backed by the support of President Rustam Minnikhanov from the Republic of Tatarstan, Educare was tasked to cascade quality professional leadership development programmes to more than 38,000 teachers and education officials in Tatarstan.

“Educare was chosen due to our focus on capacity building, flexibility in creating specifically tailored programmes based on educational needs as well as being very competent in variety of teaching methods used in Singapore,” said Mr Mike Thiruman, President, Singapore Teachers’ Union (STU) and Chief Executive Officer, Educare Co-operative.

“With "Shaping Destinies" as our mission, we are able to share our expertise and a combination of Eastern and Western ideals with other countries. Singapore also shares a lot of similarities with Tatarstan and thus have many learning points from each other,” he added.

The impact of the Educare training is both sustainable and measurable with studies showing marked improvement in classroom engagement, learning environment and more. President Rustam Minnkikhanov highlighted in an interview that the development of education in Tatarstan has played a key role in attracting foreign investors.

Educare’s indispensable role in education development in the Republic of Tatarstan has indeed created quite a stir. Other regions in Russia are now knocking on its door to partner them in enhancing the quality of teaching.

educare shapes the Future of russian republic’s education

“Yes, we believe that the success of the transformation within the Republic of Tatarstan has received recognition and interest among other regions within Russia,” said Mr Alex Shieh, Educare Deputy Director of Strategic Development at EIC.

Set up in 2004 by STU, Educare Co-operative Limited founded its internationalisation arm, Educare International Consultancy, two years later to look into providing a wide range of evaluation services and educator training on a national and international scale. Since then, there is no turning back. Besides Russia, Educare’s professional development programmes have left an imprint in Libya, United Arab Emirates (Dubai), Kazakhstan, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Thailand, Bhutan and Brunei.

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Making it Count with Finance & Accounting More than 30 representatives from affiliated organisations such as Amalgamated Union of Public Employees (AUPE), Industrial & Services Co-operative Society Ltd (ISCOS), COSEM Safety & Security Services, NTUC Income, Singapore Prison Service Multi-Purpose Co-op, POLWEL and Singapore Government Staff Credit Co-op turned up for a Finance and Accounting course on 11 May 2016.

Specifically tailored to meet the requirements of co-operative professionals, the two-and-a-half-day course was organised by SNCF and conducted by Associate Professor Lee Kin Wai from Nanyang Business School of Nanyang Technological University.

Training covered three aspects: financial accounting, management accounting and current matters in these sectors that are related to co-operatives. By assessing specific case studies, participants accumulated a broader understanding of financial statement interpretation, business performance evaluation, budget proposal and risk analysis.

Thanks to the course, the management and staff in local Co-operatives are in a better position to make financial and accounting devices work for them.

the co-operative model is all about combining the passion of a social mission with the perspective of an entrepreneur.

Fuhua Secondary School prefects got a taste of this concept when they attended a basic Marketing and Social Media workshop held by SNCF on 19 May 2016. The purpose of the workshop was to hone their digital creativity and publicity skills, which they could put to good use when taking charge of future school programmes and activities. One given tip was to involve their teachers and fellow students in a donation drive and sell donated items, such as pre-loved clothes, to the residents in the school vicinity to raise funds for needy students.

Marketing for a

It proved to be a productive day as the students learned that taking small steps can translate to impacting lives in a big way.

good Cause

13AprJun2016 I

students’ service learning Day with

The SASCO Integrated Eldercare Centre was set up on 11 April 2015, offering a suite of services for the elderly such as dementia care and community rehabilitation. Depending on their needs, the elderly clients will have personalised care plans designed by the centre to improve their functional abilities.At the heart of every co-operative is the motivation to do good for the community.

seniorsCaring for the elderly took precedence for students from St Andrew’s Junior College (SAJC) on 12 April 2016. On the day dedicated toward service learning to get youths involved in volunteer work with co-operatives, some 20 students, accompanied by two teachers from SAJC, spent time at the Singapore Amalgamated Services Co-operative Organisation (SASCO) Integrated Eldercare Centre in West Coast.

The students were split into groups, so that they could have opportunities to engage with the elderly in different activities such as folding origami, playing bingo and singing. As a token of appreciation, an art piece created by the elderly at the centre was presented to SAJC. The handmade token is a new initiative from the centre to appreciate the youth volunteers.

Among the challenges faced in the service learning was the ability to communicate with the elderly. Initially, language was a barrier, as many of the youth do not speak dialects. SAJC student Shiffana enjoyed interacting freely with the elderly despite the communication problem. However, just simple acts of kindness won the day. According to another student, Jeremy Ng, the elderly was quite amused by his magic tricks. Students who were able to speak common dialect with the seniors had the benefit of hearing personal life stories from the elderly. Joelle noticed how the senior citizens opened up to them. The seniors were very participative towards the activities that the students had prepared.

A debriefing session with the social worker of SASCO Integrated Eldercare helped the youth understand better the heart and soul of community work among the elderly. Many of the youth learnt to be more patient and understanding toward the elderly. SAJC student Ong Shi Ting pointed out that, “we should learn to empathise or just give a listening ear to the elderly.” A day well spent inculcating a lifestyle of community service.

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DiD YOu KnOW thAt• NTUC FairPrice was first established in 1973 as NTUC Welcome Supermarket in Toa Payoh, to solve the rising oil and daily prices then due to inflation. Then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew opened the first supermarket at Block 192, Toa Payoh Lorong 4, and it was the first of its kind.• Guided by the philosophy to do well in order to do good for the community, NTUC FairPrice set up the FairPrice Foundation in 2008 to focus its giving efforts to provide a better life for the community. FairPrice Foundation focuses its giving on three strategic thrusts – the poor and needy, nation building and community bonding, and advancing workers' welfare.

AngKAsA Visits

Fairpricethe ties between co-operatives transcend nationality and distance. This was clearly demonstrated by the National Co-operative Organisation of Malaysia’s trip to Singapore.

On 4 May, 15 representatives from the Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan (M) Bhd (ANGKASA), led by ANGKASA board member Tuan Haji Mansor Abdul Rahman, travelled across the Causeway to learn more about the FairPrice Co-operative Ltd in Singapore and how the co-operative grew from one supermarket in 1973 to becoming Singapore's largest retailer serving some 430,000 shoppers daily in its network of over 120 outlets.

Organised by SNCF, the two-day trip saw the group heading to the FairPrice outlet at City Square Mall and Warehouse Club in Joo Koon, where they had an overview of the local co-operative giant’s operations and its vision to be Singapore's Leading World-Class Retailer with a Heart.

The guests went home appreciating the effort of the Singapore labour movement in starting FairPrice with the social mission to moderate the cost of living and stretch the dollar of the workers.

15AprJun2016 I

AngKAsA Visits