At a time when our society faces increasingly complex and evolving challenges – from a superageing population to growing family fragmentation and rising mental health needs – Methodist Welfare Services (MWS) remains steadfast in our mission to uplift communities and empower fuller lives.

This commitment was laid out in our White Paper, Social Empowerment towards a Flourishing Singapore, released in July 2024 in response to the national Forward Singapore movement. The Paper outlined three strategic thrusts that have guided our key initiatives over the past financial year and will continue to steer our efforts towards 2030.

More than a pledge to communities in need of healthcare and social support, it reflects our resolve to innovate, collaborate, and lead at the forefront of a dynamic and rapidly changing landscape. I would like to take this opportunity to share the progress we have made along these three thrusts.

DRIVING IMPACT THROUGH TRANSFORMATION

1. Strengthening our Reach in Existing Areas

In March 2025, we opened our third Nursing Home, located in Eunos. Strategically co-located with the MWS Senior Care Centre and SingHealth Polyclinic at Eunos, it enables this Eastern community to access a seamless continuum of support – from long-term residential healthcare to rehabilitation, palliative care, and a range of specialised primary health services – all within one connected network.

On the family services front, we took a bold step towards integration and collaboration. MWS centres offering parenting support and marriage preparation, as well as family counselling and divorce support were relocated to join our existing Family Service Centre (FSC) at Hougang Avenue 8. More than a physical move, MWS is piloting a Family Services Hub – the first of its kind among social service agencies – designed on the policy of ‘no wrong door’ for individuals and families seeking help. At the time of writing, plans are also underway for a new FSC in Sengkang West, expanding our presence in Hougang, Sengkang, and Serangoon so that families can receive coordinated, communitybased support through a single MWS point of contact.

In FY2024/25, we also re-envisioned the MWS Family Development Programme – our debt clearance and asset-building programme that has supported hundreds of families in achieving financial stability since we pioneered it in 2010. Funded entirely through donations and sustained by a dedicated network of volunteer befrienders, the programme has long provided both practical and emotional lifelines to those facing the weight of chronic debt. The reforms will sharpen our focus, strengthen our structure, and direct even more resources to those in greatest and most urgent need.

Each of these moves stems from a single, unifying intent: to extend our reach to where the need is greatest, close the gaps that leave people marginalised, and build systems of care that empower individuals and families to live with dignity, stability, and fullness of life.

2. Building New Capabilities to Address New Needs

Recognising the strong interplay between health and social factors, MWS is well-positioned to leverage our strengths in both domains to deliver an integrated health and social care system that meets the needs of an ageing population and enhances overall well-being. On the social side, our Family Services Group provides casework, counselling, and preventive care family services, and operates MWS Christalite Methodist Home – a welfare home that integrates social and healthcare support for elderly residents. On the healthcare front, we will build on our expertise in allied health, palliative and home-based hospice care. Together, these strengths will enable us to design new, integrated capabilities that address needs across the health–social spectrum. Anchored by strong leadership, well-integrated processes and clinical practices, as well as evidence-informed approaches, we are prepared to pilot new services that extend beyond traditional social or healthcare settings.

In another exciting new move, MWS will be making our first foray into special education (SPED) in 2026. Building on a strategic partnership first announced in 2023, MWS and Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) will establish ACS (Academy) – Singapore’s fifth SPED school for students on the autism spectrum with no intellectual impairment, who are able to access the National Curriculum. Leveraging our strengths in social services and healthcare, MWS will offer a holistic suite of support that empowers each student to realise their fullest potential.

3. Creating an Ecosystem

In a significant step towards realising the third goal set out in the White Paper, MWS soft-launched The Healing Nation in February 2025 in a nationwide push to redefine community care in Singapore.

The initiative is transformative on three levels:

• It is a Methodist-led national mission to mobilise the community to give back to Singapore.
• Through this, MWS aims to build an ecosystem by developing volunteer engagement capabilities that support sustained community participation.
• It kickstarts MWS’ journey to drive systemic change in community care through innovation.

Through The Healing Nation, MWS is calling on the Methodist community and Singaporeans – individuals, businesses, and community groups – to mobilise 1.4 million hours of volunteer service. In addition, MWS is committing to raise $1.4 million to fund critical social and healthcare services beyond our own programmes, to empower fellow organisations’ aspirations in meeting the community’s needs. Much work remains and we will update in due course.

THE ROAD AHEAD

Looking ahead, we will implement the MWS 2030 Transformation Plan across our Healthcare Services and Family Services Groups as we continue to strengthen capabilities in serving children & youth, families & individuals, and seniors across the breadth of needs. With clearer strategic targets and deeper internal capabilities, I am confident we will deliver immeasurable impact.

Building on what we have set up with The Healing Nation, MWS will continue to play a strategic role in enabling resource-sharing and spotlighting good practices – both for the Methodist community as well as the sector. In time, The Healing Nation will offer a way for the community care sector to move from operating in silos to becoming a self-sustaining, collaborative ecosystem – powered by a culture for deeper collaboration, resource-sharing, and mutual support. 

APPRECIATION

It has been a privilege to serve with the MWS Board of Governance. I am especially grateful to those who will be stepping down from the Board at the close of this term – our Vice Chairperson Lam Wei Choong, Yow Chi Mun, Terence Wee, and Chew Kim Ling – for their service, insight, and generosity of spirit.

To the MWS Centre Governance Committees and Sub-committees, partner churches, donors, volunteers and community partners, I want to thank them for their belief in us, their counsel and their partnership, which made our work possible and amplified our impact.

I also wish to express my sincere appreciation to CEO Calvin Ngo and his senior management team, whose steady leadership and quiet resilience have carried MWS in this past year. Their faithfulness behind the scenes is what makes excellence in service possible on the ground.

Above all, we thank God who continues to sustain and guide our steps. To Him be the glory.