Dare to Dream
Current initiative November 2025
Watch this space.
Past event September 2025
Our recent financial literacy workshop was a resounding success, brought together over 40 participants at the Kranji Recreational center—including several domestic workers—to learn practical skills in managing money.
Supported by more than 15 volunteers from the ICAI chapter, including professional financial planners, the session covered key topics such as budgeting, saving, investing, and scam protection. Participants were introduced to common investment products, with demonstrations on balancing risk and reward, understanding terms and conditions, and setting up auto-save plans to build personalized systematic investment strategies.
The event was inaugurated by the Indian Ambassador, who expressed strong support for this meaningful initiative. We also raised SGD 2,400 to fund prizes and refreshments, ensuring a vibrant and engaging learning experience.
Highlights included a lively quiz competition, where participants showcased their knowledge and enthusiasm, and a certificate distribution ceremony led by the HIA Chief.
This workshop not only equipped participants with essential financial tools but also celebrated their commitment to building stronger financial futures.
Past event May 2025
D2D Batch 2 was designed with a slightly different focus. Conducted over 4 Sunday's in May, it was structured as a series of thematic workshops. The aim is to deepen financial literacy by covering core aspects of financial management: budgeting, saving, investing, and risk awareness. Participants are introduced to the power of compounding, the value of early investments, and the need for prudent financial planning. We also explore various investment avenues and compare risk-return profiles to help workers make informed decisions. Simple digital tools and platforms were introduced with focus on remittance and savings products specifically geared toward migrant workers. We also address financial scams and stress the importance of cautious, intentional spending.
Past initiative 2024:
Our first cohort, D2D Batch 1, ran from September to December 2024. It was a hands-on, transformative journey. Participants completed the financial literacy course and then moved on to develop concrete, actionable business plans. Each individual received one-on-one mentorship from ICAI professionals to refine their ideas. The program culminated in a Shark Tank-style pitch session, where participants presented their business plans as presentations to a panel of judges! Winning ideas received seed funding – prizes made possible by the SGD 4,000 we raised through the Giving.sg platform (https://www.giving.sg/donate/campaign/project-dare-to-dream--empowering-migrant-workers-with-financial-literacy-and-entrepreneurial-skill).
Chinniah Pandi’s winning business idea was titled – Revolutionizing Dairy: Organic Milk & More; a plan to invest in 2 acres of land and 10 cows, and create infrastructure like sheds and delivery bikes, to deliver fresh organic milk every morning to wealthier residents of towns near his village in Tamilnadu, India. Simple but profitable.
Dairy was clearly a popular business, Islam Rahmatul’s winning idea was to convert fresh milk to produce value-added products, such as yoghurt, ghee and paneer, in his home village in Khalishpur, Bangladesh. Value-addition in a different form.
Soliman, who won the 3rd prize wanted to start a poultry farm of 500 chickens in Hasannogar Village in Bangladesh, to produce eggs and chicken. He expected to be fully profitable from month 15 onwards, having recovered all costs!
While these ideas might seem simplistic, just the process of thinking about a business, gathering relevant numbers, assessing the viability, developing a presentation, working with a mentor and then presenting to an audience, was I believe transformative for participants. They were all winners. D2D Batch 1 was more than just a training course – it was inspiring for me and empowered the workers to believe in their potential and gave them a launchpad for real change.
Success Stories from Our 2024 Batch
Some success stories from our 2024 batch: by August 2025, one participant had launched an organic ghee business, another a chicken farm , and a third his small-scale spice business. Their journeys showcase the ambition, creativity, and impact our program inspires.
Organic ghee
Spices business
Chicken farm
