Daughter's Of Tomorrow Establishes Partnership With Charles & Keith

Daughters Of Tomorrow partners with Charles & Keith with Befriender Programme

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

12 February 2025 - Daughters of Tomorrow (DOT), a non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering underprivileged women, is partnering with Charles & Keith, a leading Singaporean fashion brand. Through this collaboration, 100 volunteers have signed up for the Befriender programme, providing support to women aiming to rejoin the workforce in the fashion industry.

DOT’s Befriender Support Programme aims to connect women in need with mentors who will provide emotional support, career guidance, and other resources to enable women into rejoining the workforce. With Charles & Keith's commitment to corporate social responsibility, this partnership with DOT strengthens their efforts in fostering women’s empowerment in Singapore. 

“We are excited to announce our partnership with Charles & Keith and are thrilled to welcome them into the Befriender Programme. Their dedication to supporting women in need aligns with our mission, and marks a significant step towards building a stronger community of women uplifting one another.”

The women from the Charles & Keith team who have signed up for the Befriender Support Programme will undergo the Befriender Training sessions, before being matched with beneficiaries. Through their mentorship, these Befrienders will play a crucial role in helping these women overcome challenges rejoining the workforce, whilst building confidence.

Following the success of DOT’s corporate partnerships, DOT calls on more corporations from all industries to step forward and be part of the Befriender Support initiative, emphasising the importance of creating more opportunities and providing support for women in need in Singapore.

For more information about the Befriender Support Programme, visit https://tutiandrea17.wixsite.com/befrienderbydot.

About Daughters Of Tomorrow

Daughters Of Tomorrow (DOT) is a non-profit organisation that aims to empower underprivileged women into sustained employment. DOT utilities partnerships with various corporations workforce-related agencies by connecting Befriender volunteers and utilising community resources to enable each woman into gaining full independence.

DOT’s beneficiaries are women aged 20 to 60 from low-income families surviving on S$200 to S$650 per capita per month, many of whom face difficulties due to circumstances affecting their job prospects and ability to break out of their situation. Since 2014, DOT has made a large positive impact on the lives of more than 1000 women through the Befriender Support Programme.

About Charles & Keith

Founded in 1996, Charles & Keith is a globally-recognised Singaporean fashion brand known for its trendy innovative designs in footwear, bags, and accessories. With their commitment to corporate social responsibility, the company has supported various community initiatives such as the Impact Programme with Plastic Bank, Save The Children, and the Re-Purpose Programme with ThredUp. Through partnering with DOT, the brand continues to leave a meaningful impact for women in Singapore to thrive.

Media Contact

Daughters Of Tomorrow

Brendan Seah

Marketing Communications Manager

Email: pr@daughtersoftomorrow.org

Telephone: +65 9100 6540

From Homeless Teenager, to Creative Director and Befriender

Andrea and another Befriender at a social outing.

Going through struggles that were beyond her control

At 18, Andrea was kicked out of her home due to relationship complications with her stepfather.

In the middle of a full-time degree programme, the only income she had was from a part-time job at Sentosa. From the difficulties of her circumstances, her mental health deteriorated quickly, and Andrea eventually dropped out of university.

Feeling abandoned and isolated, Andrea was close to giving up, but her determination to turn an unfortunate situation around trumped all the difficulties that she faced. Within 5 years, she managed to find a full-time job, and went back to university part-time and graduated with a bachelor’s degree.

Today, she has founded her own creative agency ‘17.35mm’, serving as its creative director, and managing a team of 20.

Realising that there must be plenty of women that are going through similar situations, Andrea decided to become the pillar of support that she didn’t have.

Being a Befriender felt like a calling 

After chancing upon the Daughters Of Tomorrow Instagram page, Andrea scrolled onto a post about the Befriender Support programme. After realising that women from all walks of life are struggling to rejoin the workforce, she realised that this might be her calling.

“I felt alone for many years - the only person I had was myself. Even though I’m proud of how far I’ve come, I wish I had a good support system. Being a Befriender allows me to offer the support that I lacked to other women.”

Within minutes, Andrea landed on the sign-up page on the Befriender Support website, and within a couple of months, she officially became a Befriender.

The importance of uplifting other women

Now, Andrea has been a Befriender for over 2 years, attending social events with other Befrienders, and forging lasting friendships with her beneficiaries. She’s become a key member of the Daughters Of Tomorrow community and has even had the team from her creative agency participate in volunteering events, with some even signing up as Befrienders themselves.

Andrea (far right) and her members of her team.

“We all have a personal responsibility to ourselves, but more importantly, we need to understand the responsibility we all have towards our community.”

With many women struggling to rejoin the workforce in Singapore, the importance of supporting and uplifting other women is an important mission that all women should not only be aware of, but participate in. Making the difficult yet noble choice of being a mother should not stop us from achieving our dreams.

Why you should be a Befriender

Every woman should have a right to a sense of independence. Sometimes, all we need is a little push, a listening ear, or advice.

Just like Andrea, you can harness the power of uplifting Singaporean women.

Sign up to be a Befriender here.