The New Year is such a time of hope, promises, optimism and resolutions. Most of the time our New Year's resolution will fade away first week of the year and soon we will forget what we wanted to change in our lives.

Many of us don't realize but we are afraid of change. We are so terrified that if we change something we wouldn't like it or worse - we will fail. Instead of promising senseless promises to ourselves we should think about changing our lives for better. Change small things. And every change needs time. Baby steps. We can't expect results or satisfaction in one day, week, sometimes even a month. Change needs time. And time is the best solution for all things happening in our lives.

We need to grant ourselves a long thinking of what and if we really want to change anything before we make any decision. Open your mind and heart and think what you could change and others will benefit out of it as well.

One idea of change is volunteering. But it is also the hardest. Giving our own free time for no material valuation is hard. We always think how much other "stuff" we have to sort out instead of giving time to volunteer.

Volunteering is the best way how to make ourselves better and feel better about ourselves. It is the first step. Baby step.

From all of us here at Expatgiving ... Happy New Year, and thank you for being our friends.  May your 2014 be filled with love, peace, joy and all good things!


Katarina Vicianova

Whether you are about to catch a flight in Changi, doing the
weekly shopping at the supermarket or going for a stroll in Orchard Road while keeping an eye at the toy stores (without your kids noticing it!), it is very  obvious that Christmas is back in town!

Singapore is well known for being the perfect place to go shopping, and especially during the holiday season. However, one must not forget that Christmas is also a time for giving, sharing and (ideally) helping the less fortunate. Now, you are probably starting to experience a 
subtle feeling of guilt. The truth is that many of us have thought about volunteering at Christmas, but few have actually done it. But, not to worry, this is your chance to redeem yourself by engaging in one of the many volunteer activities that take place in Singapore during this time of the year.

A good start is probably checking out the latest ads advertised on our website. There you will have direct access to vacancies such as ‘The Christmas Kettle Appeal’, a unique fund-raising project that enables The Salvation Army to continue its work with the needy and underprivileged. Milaap is also looking for volunteers starting December 15th, should you fancy to do some work as a writer or editor and contribute to a tangible change for communities in rural India.

But remember, volunteers are needed all-year-round! For 2014 we have one main wish: to be able to attract all the talented people living in Singapore who have a bit of time to spare helping those who need it most. Are you one of them? Contact us!

Feliz Navidad!
Victoria Orellana

Today is a special day for us, we have been waiting for this day for more than 3 months and thought that ‘International Volunteer Day’ would be the perfect day to launch our Expatgiving blog.

The idea to start Expatgiving was born while volunteering in Singapore. Several non-profits told us about their difficulties in reaching the expat community. We were aware of the fact that there are many men and women – like us – who want to volunteer and use their skills to benefit the community.  Expatgiving was born as a platform that non-profits can use to tap into the expat world, and where expats can find plenty of volunteer positions in Singapore and across the region.

If you want to volunteer in Singapore, feel free to sign up. We would also love to know about your interests and availability so we can contact the corresponding organizations and make the match!

Volunteering is fun! You meet new people, share your skills and give your time for a good cause.

In this blog we will write about non-profits and volunteers issues and we will also share news about what’s happening in Expatgiving.

Thank you for reading and please stay tuned as we will be posting more interesting content very soon!

Irene Ibarra, Founder & MD