About MINDS
Social Enterprise
The MINDS Social Enterprise is run as part of the MINDS Employment Development Centres where vocational training is provided to adults with intellectual disabilities.
MINDS started a range of social enterprise projects to provide alternative work engagement opportunities for our adult trainees. Some of the projects began as therapy programmes which encourage the development of fine motor skills; others provide a realistic vocational training environment.
Since 2000, we have formalised several in-house cottage industries, transforming them into platforms of meaningful work engagement. We are also greatly encouraged by the positive development in our trainees' skills set and well-being. All net revenue earned from the sale of our products and services go towards paying a monthly allowance for our clients' work, as well as their lunch expenses while undergoing training.
We welcome you to browse through our products and services. Please feel free to drop us an enquiry on any areas relating to the projects we run.
About MINDS
Founded in 1962, MINDS is one of the largest and oldest Voluntary Welfare Organisation (VWO) in Singapore serving some 2,400 persons with intellectual disability. We began with a classroom for just 26 children in Towner Road, pioneered by a group of philanthropists who believed in providing equal opportunities for children with special needs.
Today, we run a full spectrum of services including Special Education Schools, Day Activity Centres, Employment Development Centres, a Multi-purpose Residential Services facility, Home-based Care services and a Caregivers Support Services Centre to suit the diverse needs of our beneficiaries and their families.
For more information on our organisation, visit our main page here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is MINDS Social Enterprise?
MINDS Social Enterprise is a unit run by MINDS that aims to empower adults with intellectual disabilities through vocational training and work engagement opportunities. We run business activities that provide goods and services by our trainees, and the profits earned will go to these trainees as monthly allowance.
Is this charity?
Charity is the act of giving something without getting anything in return. In our case, we are not running a donation, but rather providing goods and services to customers like a regular business unit. The purchases made by customers go a long way in empowering our trainees as they create work engagement opportunities and provide a monthly allowance for them.
We hope that customers purchase our products because of their quality, and not out of sympathy. We take all feedback on our products and services seriously and welcome you to share them with us. Contact us here for any feedback or enquiries.
Can I employ your beneficiaries?
Yes, of course! There are a few ways to go about doing this.
If you are an established company that requires additional manpower to perform some simple tasks, do contact us so we can discuss further on how we can collaborate.
Are your food items halal certified?
We are not Halal certified. However, we use only halal certified ingredients. No pork, lard, or any non-halal certified food items are handled in our kitchens.
If I place an order now, how soon can you deliver?
The lead time is different for different products.
For Bakers items, the lead time is 1 month as all products are freshly baked.
For craft items, please write to us to inquire in detail about the specific product.
What is your return/exchange policy?
If you're not entirely satisfied with your purchase, let us know and we will work with you to make it right. Please note that most handmade products come with slight variations and imperfections - no 2 pieces are identical and each piece is a personal gift. Our beneficiaries work hard to produce top quality products and they take pride in their work. If you have any feedback/suggestions on how we could improve on our goods & services, please let us know.
