Early Childhood Development (ECD) is a challenge faced by many countries in Asia. Across the region, local priorities, challenges, and models can be very different, with varying outcomes. The Regional ECD Research project will map the current ECD landscape for children aged 0-6 in Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and China. In particular, the study will examine existing parenting and early learning models, identify common measurement tools to evaluate their effectiveness, and provide targeted recommendations to improve outcomes in the region. The study will focus on the World Bank’s 25 Key Interventions essential to child growth and development and on 5…

Less than 2% of global philanthropy goes towards addressing climate change, with even less going towards Asia. Recent IPCC reports [2021 / 2022] point to an extremely urgent need for climate action to curb emissions, and adapt to devastating impacts already being felt in vulnerable parts of the world. It is clear that more collective action is needed across the region to address this shared threat. The complexity of addressing climate change requires working together. The APC Climate Collective, which was launched in early 2022, gathers members to enable them to find focus areas for climate action in Asia. The…

A study in 2016 by the Singapore Institute for Mental Health reported that 1 in 7 persons in Singapore has experienced a mental health issue in their lifetime. Coupled with Singapore’s ageing population, society faces a myriad of mental health-related issues such as dementia. Recent reports and movements have also highlighted the rise in teenage suicides and depression.  In 2020, APC members began to explore mental health issues in Singapore, organising several roundtables and workshops together with Caregivers Alliance, the Singapore Institute for Mental Health, and the Centre for Evidence and Implementation. Since then, members have regrouped to form the…

Migrant workers can face an array of challenges in the migration process, including navigating through multiple layers of stakeholders and high recruitment fees. A recent 2021 study on migrant workers of Singapore reported that the median recruitment fee paid by Bangladeshi workers to be SGD 6,000 (three times higher than those paid by Indian workers). Given that the majority of Bangladeshi migrant workers need to borrow money to finance their recruitment fees, Bangladeshi migrant workers are often arriving in Singapore with huge financial burdens even before they start work. This is a systemic issue that requires a systemic response. In…

Although the World Bank has indicated Malaysia is on track to achieve high-income nation status in the next two to six years, vulnerable communities remain sidelined from this advancement. These communities include daily wage earners, contract workers, indigenous peoples, and others among local and refugee communities. According to the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, poverty in these communities has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the lack of a comprehensive social protection system. In 2021, building on a dialogue session with the UNHCR organised by APC on the surge of refugees emerging in the region from the…