A newly chartered Rotary Passport Club – the first of its kind in Singapore – is seeking to make volunteering more flexible and inclusive for people who want to serve but may not fit easily into a traditional club structure.
On Sept 30, around 50 guests gathered at the NUSS Kent Ridge Guild House for the installation of the board of the newly formed Rotary Club of Singapore IMPACT Passport and to welcome its 23 members.
The club is also the first Passport Club in Rotary District 3310, which covers Singapore, Brunei, and parts of Malaysia.
The new club is the brainchild of its founder and charter president, Dr Sujata Tiwari – an entrepreneur, suicide-prevention interventionist, writer, human-rights advocate, consultant and life coach.
She describes her founding philosophy as the “Power of One”: “One person can notice what others overlook. One person can decide to act. One person can bring another person along, and eventually one becomes 23, and 23 people can begin to create an impact far beyond themselves,” she said, referring to the club’s current membership.
Passport Clubs offer a more flexible model of Rotary membership. Instead of being centred on regular meetings at a single club, members are encouraged to take part in meetings, service projects and activities organised by other Rotary clubs, allowing them to remain involved despite work, family or travel commitments.
Immediate Past District Governor of Rotary District 3310 Dr Shahul Hameed, as the guest of honour, said the passport was an apt symbol for the club: “A passport is not valuable because of the pages inside it; its value comes from where it takes us, who we meet and what we do when we arrive.”
He also described Dr Sujata as a visionary with an “ability to see possibilities in people”. Recalling the story of Rudy, an Indonesian whose family had struggled financially, Dr Shahul shared how a Rotary-supported programme provided the boy with a school uniform, shoes and books year after year – and, above all, the knowledge that someone believed his future mattered.
“I met Rudy again when he was 21 years old. He was studying to be a doctor in a local Indonesian university. He also returned to volunteer to help others in his community,” he said.
In a similar spirit, the new club announced two inaugural service projects.
The first aims to build sturdy, typhoon-resistant huts for villagers in the Philippines using locally available materials. It is spearheaded by foundation chair Chee Hok Mun with assistance from Finnish engineer Marko Mikael.
The project received a S$5,000 donation from Ms Pearl Chang, a retired university professor of English language and teacher trainer from Taiwan, who also became the club’s 20th charter member.
The second project is a collaboration with Caring for Life, led by the club’s Youth Service chair, Alex Yeo. It comprises a guided youth peer-support programme and a digital-resilience programme for young people in transition, aimed at helping them develop a healthier relationship with social media and artificial intelligence.
Among the club’s charter members are Dr Sujata’s husband, Mr Hemant Tiwari, and their son, Mr Vivek Tiwari.
For Mr Hemant, returning to the Rotary community after 30 years through a club founded by his wife carries special meaning.
Mr Hemant and Dr Sujata began their Rotarian journey together at a Rotary club in Chennai in the 1990s, but it was Dr Sujata who continued her involvement with Rotary as the family moved to Mumbai and then Thailand.
Their son Vivek, author of The Book of Whimsical Musings, said: “Given how long my mother has been with Rotary Club, I think now was the right time for her to start a new charter in her vision.”
President-elect Goh Ai Yat is expected to eventually take over the club’s leadership from Dr Sujata, who is now focused on maximising the impact her “23 gems of excellence” can create.
“The real measure of this club will be what happens after the flowers are gone, the photographs have been taken, and all of us have gone home,” Dr Sujata said. “It will be measured by the lives we touch, the relationships we build, the young people we encourage and the communities we serve.”
