If you had a million dollars
For most people living in more developed countries, the problems to be solved and addressed are the ones that present themselves most immediately, in everyday life. In Singapore and nations with similar demographic composition, this may involve problems associated with aged care, education, or taxation. In much of South East Asia however, the issues tend to revolve around far more basic needs — water, access to credit, or healthcare among others. It is critical that in our mission to affect systemic change, we work to bring this difference in context to light and position impact investing within the broader regional diaspora, beyond what is immediately apparent.

DBS Future Leaders Programme
On August 16th, Angels of Impact Co-Founder, Audrey Tan was invited to speak at the Future Leaders Programme, a DBS community building initiative. She spoke on ‘Circular Investment to eradicate poverty by uniting women as agents of change’. Other speakers addressed the issue of poverty eradication from their own respective angles, from their positions as heads of various foundations and sustainability representatives from large corporations in Singapore.
This event encouraged a dialogue on how best to do this to create the largest, most systemic impact. This event was also aimed at introducing the concept of the UN Sustainable Development Goals to these patrons. Another speaker addressed the definition of ‘impact investment’ itself, and how private individuals can best invest in initiatives to further the prerogative of the UNSGDs through financial instruments.
Angels of Impact was designed to target three of the Sustainable Development Goals laid out by the UN (UNSGDs), to be achieved by the year 2030.
- No poverty
- Gender equality
- Responsible consumption and production
‘No Poverty’ is the first listed by the UN in a list of 17.
This event run by DBS championed the UNSGDs and gave attendees an opportunity to understand what each goal stands for and aimed to inspire them to choose which to support individually.
Why ‘No Poverty’ is listed as the Number 1 UNSGD
Over 800 million people still live on less than $1.25 per day and this severe economic deprivation makes them highly susceptible to denial of basic amenities (UNDP, 2018). Ending poverty inevitably means addressing many of these needs comprehensively and sustainably. This is inextricably linked to issues around gender inequality as 70% of those living under the poverty line are women.
Participants were invited to learn about impact funding and questions were posed as to where capital could potentially be deployed so as to be aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
As it was the first time hearing about the UNSDGs for the participants in the room, this knowledge asymmetry was an important learning to impart. Participants found this contextual knowledge equal parts valuable and interesting as it served to frame discussions around deployment of capital.
Conversations were sparked regarding effective corporate-led social impact strategies amongst young future leaders. The attendees were encouraged to think along the lines of partnerships as suggested by UNSDG Number 17 — Partnerships for the Goals. Participants suggested the synergistic effect of corporates coming together to collaborate on the SDGs.

Our mission
At Angels of Impact, we believe that an understanding of the relationship between poverty and other global challenges is critical to investing in any social impact program. Be it hunger, poor sanitation, or climate change that we seek to address, these challenges require a holistic lens as to how we co-create solutions in service of the poor, for access to dignified livelihoods and opportunities. We see ending poverty as synonymous with equipping women social entrepreneurs with the access they need, be it to capital for their businesses, access to markets or information.
The speakers also encouraged the attendees to witness firsthand, the realities of fieldwork before deciding which SDGs to pursue. The attendees were pushed to engage with vulnerable environments and to think about what they care most about and where they or their organization could help most meaningfully. The panelists also encouraged attendees to lead by example and ensure sustainability and fair practices in their businesses.
We strive to address the goals of no poverty, gender equality, and responsible consumption and production through women-led social enterprises — businesses that exist to benefit those in their supply chains and the customers — a multiplier effect, reaping many times the benefit that could be otherwise obtained with a single donation to a charity.
If you are searching for a way to address one or more of these goals, or just want to see what we do and how others like you are involved, hop on over our website:
www.angelsofimpact.com
or reach out at contact@angelsofimpact.com
