LOW-INCOME CHINESE SINGAPOREAN CLIENTS' PERSPECTIVES REGARDING CHINESE DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE COUNCIL'S PROGRAMS' EFFECTIVENESS

Abstract

Ethnic self-help groups (SHGs) are an important feature in Singapore’s social service landscape. Established in the 1980s and 1990s, their programs’ relevance are currently ripe for reassessment given that much has since changed in the lives of their beneficiaries and the social service landscape in Singapore. This thesis sought to uncover the perspectives of the Chinese Development Assistance Council’s (CDAC) beneficiaries regarding their present and future needs and the effectiveness of CDAC’s programs in meeting said needs. CDAC’s role in Singapore’s social service landscape from the respondents’ perspectives was also explored, with the Social Ecological Model used as an analytical framework. This was done through a qualitative approach to discern the deeper meanings behind respondents’ experiences, and confidentiality was maintained to ensure the independence of findings uncovered. Through bilingual semi-structured interviews with 12 participants, it was found that CDAC programs have been sufficiently meeting the respondents’ current immediate needs and are received well by respondents due to the warm service delivery. Yet, respondents also reflected that more could be done to address their long-term needs and concerns, especially in relation to educational and employment woes. Thus, I postulate that given the increasing number of organizations focused on assisting low-income individuals with basic and essential needs, CDAC could do more to support the attainment of their long-term needs by enhancing the current educational and employment measures as well as supporting beneficiaries’ asset development, be it physical assets or human and social capital. The findings from this paper contribute to the development of localized knowledge regarding the needs of and programs targeted at low-income individuals, and provide suggestions for service delivery for both CDAC and other social service organizations in Singapore.