The Singapore International Foundation (SIF), a non-profit organisation, was formed in 1991 to strengthen mutual understanding, ties and trust between global communities. Our programmes seek to bring Singaporeans and our friends from overseas communities together, to connect and collaborate for positive change. When people from different parts of the world work together, including volunteers from Singapore, the sharing of ideas, skills and experiences enables collaborations for good.
Our Better World (OBW) is SIF’s digital storytelling platform. We tell compelling stories of people doing good all over Asia to inspire action and power movements for change. Our stories aim to raise awareness of social purpose organisations which work tirelessly and oftentimes unnoticed and inspire audiences who care about social causes to act.
OBW’s story began in 2011, when smartphones and social media were transforming the ways we communicate. Pivotal events like the Arab Spring forever changed how digital networks could be harnessed to power movements for change.
This inspiration led us at SIF to utilise digital media and technology as a force for good, aligning with our mission to connect and collaborate for change. So in 2012, OBW was launched to harness the power of digital platforms, inspiring action and facilitating change by telling compelling stories of people doing good across Asia.
We had three fundamental goals:
Realising this vision required collaboration across various sectors. From securing funding and support from stakeholders to engaging experts from multiple industries—storytelling, marketing, community outreach, data, and tech—who possessed the required quality, skills, and passion to make a difference. Most importantly, we needed to build trust and relationships with our story-subjects, some of whom had been exploited by media in the past where the dignity of marginalised communities was sacrificed for sensationalistic stories.
We continued to face many challenges over the years. From overcoming cultural differences to standing out in the cluttered digital content landscape that competes for attention, to finding ways to continue creating content while under lockdown during the pandemic. However, during this time, OBW has grown in people, purpose, and promise.
From an initial team of five, we now number 19 strong, with an online following exceeding 785,000 supporters.
From our first Singapore narrative, we have now shared over 350 stories spanning 11 Asian countries. These stories are told through multiple content formats, across eight thematic series, on nine diverse causes, amassing over 229 million views, supported by hundreds of supplementary content such as blogs, user-generated content and social media posts. We have employed innovative approaches like data analytics, as well as remote filming and local talent hiring to minimise our carbon footprint, while leveraging on emerging digital technologies, as well as in-person events, to reach out to existing and new audiences.
From the first person inspired to action by our stories, we now celebrate over 1.27 million actions taken through our work, supporting more than 500 story subjects. These stories prioritise not only the dignity of our featured individuals but also their strength, resilience, and redemption.
While we continue to leverage the digital space for good, our hearts will always be about people. We craft compelling stories with empathy, humility, and compassion to amplify the voices of those who need to be heard, to touch the hearts of others, challenge perspectives, change minds and inspire positive impact to create a better world.
The impact of our approach is tangible. Since our inception in 2012, we have shared 352 stories across 11 countries, dismantling stigmas, raising awareness, and initiating essential conversations and actions across a spectrum of causes, including women’s empowerment, mental health, refugees, disability, wildlife, and more. This has resulted in over 229.2 million online views and 14 international awards for storytelling.
Our community has grown to over 785,300 strong, with survey results revealing that 97% of our respondents became more aware of people doing good in Asia, 74% felt inspired to contribute to social causes, and 64% took concrete steps towards positive change, which is our ultimate goal. We have moved passive viewers to become active agents of change, with over 1.27 million actions towards making a positive impact and creating a better world for everyone.
