On 2nd September, Better.sg and Open Government Products (OGP) brought together a community of tech enthusiasts and professionals for an evening dedicated to building for good. The session, co-hosted by Alwyn from OGP and Xin Yi from Better.sg, provided a welcoming space to explore how technology can contribute to social impact.
A core focus of the Build for Good initiative is empowering citizens through mentorship. The evening’s speakers highlighted the success of last year’s pilot collaboration with Better.sg, where 11 dedicated mentors guided teams in developing impactful solutions. This mentorship led to concrete projects like Heart Beat, a platform for seniors to check in with caregivers, and Ohm Sweet Ohm, a web app to help households reduce energy costs.
The latest Build for Good Community Evening spotlighted two projects that have gone from ideation to making a tangible difference in people’s lives: CareCompass and Schemes.sg.
CareCompass is a personal navigator for first-time dementia caregivers, designed to ease the overwhelming journey of finding reliable information. The app provides a single source for everything from subsidies and appointments to managing aggression, tackling the primary cause of caregiver burnout.
Pilot tests showed CareCompass saved 100% of users’ time and reduced stress for 89% of them, demonstrating how technology can bring clarity and support to those who need it most.
Schemes.sg consolidates Singapore’s complex and fragmented social assistance landscape into a single, searchable platform. This centralised repository helps residents easily find the financial, healthcare, or education aid they need.
Described as a “hard problem” due to disjointed data, the project team is building the platform as a public good, crowdsourcing information from both government agencies and the public. The next step for Schemes.sg is to expand its scope to include schemes for SMEs and hawkers.
The community evening was a testament to the power of collaboration and shared purpose. It was a great night for everyone who believes in tech as a force for good. If you’re hungry for more tech-for-good inspiration, follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn, or better yet—join our community! 🚀
