HTX teams up with charity Engineering Good to promote digital inclusion through cycling event

SINGAPORE – Staff of a Home Team agency have raised about $26,000 to date as part of an annual cycling event, with the funds to go to a charity that has been giving lower-income families refurbished laptops.

Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam and Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling joined about 50 Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) staff on Thursday (July 14) on a cycling trip from East Coast Park to Bedok Jetty and back.

Each HTX participant’s 11km journey adds to the distance of about 32,500km chalked up by more than 440 staff since HTX’s Annual Cycle 2022 started on July 8. The event ends on July 17.

This is the second edition of the event and is aimed at raising awareness and funds for Engineering Good, which also provides free repairs of digital devices for lower-income families. The first was in 2021 and held virtually due to Covid-19 restrictions.

HTX chief executive Chan Tsan said: “During the circuit breaker, we saw more lessons going online. It is important to be technologically connected as having access to the Internet makes a world of difference.”

The agency said it partnered with Engineering Good as it was a “natural fit”, with both companies specialising in science and technology.

The charity has provided about 6,300 refurbished laptops to low-income households since April 2020. They also have pop-up repair clinics where low-income families can have their faulty digital devices fixed for free.

“We hope to help disadvantaged communities because laptops are expensive and we want them to be connected digitally without having to share a digital device among three or four siblings,” said Engineering Good spokesman Sylvia Koh-Gratton.

She added: “It is becoming more necessary to have access to technology. Disadvantaged communities should have the ability to participate in this digitally enabled world.”

HTX hopes to raise at least $50,000 by the end of the event for Engineering Good’s refurbished laptop giving and repair clinic programmes.

Those who wish to donate can do so by clicking here.