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RAS awards the Happy Toilets @ Preschools Projects (HTPP) Grant to 10 preschools

10 preschools under the Happy Toilets @ Preschools Programme were awarded the HTPP grant, which was opened for application from 19th November (World Toilet Day) last year to 31th March this year. From April to December this year, all awarded preschools are required to embark on at least one of the four projects namely decoration, inspection, exhibition and appreciation (showing kindness to cleaning and kitchen staff). Appreciation is a compulsory project and a minimum of $50 must be set aside to purchase grocery vouchers to be presented to the cleaning and kitchen staff.

More than half of the awarded preschools had been participating in our preschool programme for more than three years and all awarded preschools had opted for at least two projects apart from the compulsory appreciation project. The 10 awarded preschools in alphabetical order were as follows:

· Agape Little Uni @ CCK 789

· Agape Little Uni @ Upper Serangoon Crescent

· Cherie Hearts @ Charlton

· Cherie Hearts Kidz Campus @ Pasir Ris Elias Mall

· PCF Sparkletots Preschool @ Kg Chai Chee Blk 135

· PCF Sparkletots Preschool @ Limbang Blk 567

· PCF Sparkletots Preschool @ Pasir Ris Central Blk 412

· PCF Sparkletots Preschool @ Pioneer Blk 661B

· PCF Sparkletots Preschool @ Yew Tee Blk 690D

· YWCA Bukit Gombak Child Development Centre

RAS gears up for full digitalisation of its operations

With the impending COVID-19 pandemic, wet or hardcopy signing has posed a challenge for small organisations including RAS. As a Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) with limited financial resources, RAS has to ensure the feasibility of its path to full digitalisation. In April, RAS successfully applied to TechSoup Singapore to qualify for its product donation program – an initiative which delivers donated and discounted technology products to qualifying NPOs through a simple online application process. NPOs pay a small administrative fee to cover handling costs and can access products from Microsoft, Symantec, SAP, etc.

With the kind support from TechSoup Singapore, RAS successfully adopted digital signing with DocuSign, one of the eight leading digital signing application providers on a new “Sign with SingPass” feature to electronically sign contracts, agreements and other legal documentation. RAS was entitled to perpetual subscription with DocuSign without the need to pay any monthly or yearly subscription fees. With the adoption of digital signing, all our documents such as payment approvals, meeting minutes, agreements and audited financial statements can be digitally signed. In June, RAS also continued to receive pro-bono support from Oracle NetSuite to implement its invoicing and customer management functions. RAS received support from Oracle NetSuite to implement its first phase of financial accounting from July to September last year.

RAS adheres to updated requirements for Safe Management Measures at the workplace

With active digitisation of its operations since 2017, RAS was able to strictly adhere to all Ministry of Manpower (MOM) requirements for Safe Management Measures at the workplace during the current COVID-19 pandemic. All its operations had not been disrupted including its preschool and school education programmes which also had to be replaced with virtual live talks and workshops. While smaller organisations were impacted by the lack of expertise and financial resources to digitise their operations, RAS was least affected despite lacking the same expertise and resources due to kind support from Oracle NetSuite and TechSoup Singapore.

RAS was also able to effectively leverage on free-to-use technology such as Microsoft Teams for its training, talks and workshops. With working remotely from home as default or allowing only one employee to be at the office, this helps to lower transmission risks by reducing the levels of interaction between employees. Flexible work hours are allowed for employees who need to return to the office to ensure that they travel to/from work at off-peak timings to reduce their exposure to infection risk while taking public transport. Cleaning and disinfecting agents such as hand sanitisers, wipes and disinfectants are also provided in the office. Masks are also provided to employees performing Happy Toilet assessments. RAS will continue to closely monitor any updated MOM requirements and ensure its compliance of providing a safe working environment for its employees.