People’s Association launches social enterprise project

The People’s Association has launched its first social enterprise project.

Known as BlisSE, the cafe provides training and work opportunities with flexible working hours to the disadvantaged, including single mothers, persons with disabilities and elderly from low-income families.

The cafe is funded by the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s (MSF) ComCare Enterprise Fund.

President Tony Tan Keng Yam was among the cafe’s first customers and was given a demonstration of the staff’s skills and a slice of their enterprising spirit.

He said: “If a social enterprise is viable, if it serves a social purpose, if it contributes to helping people who need help in a way which is meaningful and sustainable, then the MSF will be prepared to provide the assistance that is necessary.”

The cafe seeks to improve the social and environmental well-being of the community, while being economically sustainable at the same time.

It works closely with several beneficiaries to offer them employment, by imparting them with skills through a structured training process.

Some of the beneficiaries include the Institute of Mental Health, Mountbatten Vocational School and the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS).

The cafe also implements environmentally-sustainable practices, such as using fair-trade products and buying from local farmers and fisheries to reduce its carbon footprint.

Source: CNA