Sparks of Inclusion

This was where the DBS Foundation project found its footing, away from lecture halls and meeting rooms, in the everyday spaces of low-income families. Conversations unfolded at kitchen tables and in living rooms filled with quiet resilience. Among worn slippers and the scent of home-cooked meals, students listened to stories rarely told. 

For the 39 students in the SMU-X course Social Sciences Practicum, this course bridged theory and lived reality. Stepping beyond the university, they engaged closely with two groups often overlooked in the financial system: low-income families and persons with disabilities. 

The realities were stark: About 8.8% of resident households have monthly incomes below S$2,000, struggling to cover essentials amid rising costs.¹
Nearly 1 in 20 Singaporeans live with some form of disability, yet many still face barriers to employment and banking access.² The students witnessed how exclusion played out in tight spaces, stretched budgets, and unseen daily struggles. 

As DBS Bank's impact arm, DBS Foundation is committed to uplifting the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable communities. In line with its dual focus of providing essential needs and fostering inclusion, DBS Foundation drives community programmes for those with less and supports the growth of like-minded, innovative social enterprises through grant funding, mentorship, capacity-building and more. This collaboration with SMU offered a chance to better understand financial exclusion and explore how the banking sector can build solutions with underserved communities. 

"There was chaos, tension, even conflict. But that's when real learning happened. Some clashed. Some struggled. All grew."

— Nathan Peng

Partnering with DBS Foundation, students gained access to five rental housing neighbourhoods and an extended network of social enterprises, community organisations, and public sector partners. This allowed them to engage deeply with residents and frontline voices, uncovering personal stories
of resilience and complexity. Through these interactions, students sought to understand and challenge prevailing myths around poverty and financial exclusion.

“They are very much like us,” reflected student Gabriel Tan, who later joined the Ministry of Social and Family Development. “This experience changed everything for me. I realised people are not statistics. They are doing their best, just like we are.”

Karen Ngui, Head, DBS Foundation and DBS Group Strategic Marketing and Communications, captured it simply: “As a purpose-driven bank, we are committed to Doing Well By Doing Good and leveraging our business to create long-term value for our customers and the community. This includes ensuring no one is left behind as society progresses. Be it food, shelter or financial literacy, the DBS Foundation works closely with like-minded partners in the impact ecosystem to provide vulnerable segments with the support, skills and opportunities required to build towards better circumstances over time. With ageing societies becoming an increasingly pressing concern today, we’re also deepening efforts to redefine ageing and help shape a future where everyone, regardless of age or circumstances, can live and age well with dignity, purpose and joy.” 

Accessibility, as the students would soon learn, is not just about technology or inclusion policies – it is about trust, context, and respect. 

The course, led by Assistant Professor Nathan Peng from the SMU School of Social Sciences, encouraged students to step into leadership roles for personal growth and ownership. Students like Shauna Teo led the multimedia team and condensed over 70GB of footage into a five-minute documentary, while Shreya Narayanan, as Chief Editor, balanced writing, ethics, and emotion under a tight production schedule. 

“Every cut felt like a decision about whose voice gets heard,” reflected Shauna. “That’s not something you learn in a tutorial. That’s something you feel.”

Nathan, new to SMU-X at the time, saw the course evolve quickly. “It was nothing like a traditional class,” he recalled. “There was chaos, tension, even conflict. But that’s when real learning happened. Some clashed. Some struggled. All grew.” 

Students produced a research report reflecting on their findings, a personal reflection video, and a visual piece for public dissemination. These assignments became artefacts of learning, serving as powerful additions to their portfolios and a catalyst for job interviews and future opportunities.

Monica Datta, Lead (Fostering Inclusion), DBS Foundation, saw the value immediately. “Real impact doesn’t happen overnight; it’s a journey built on perseverance, purpose, and time. Whether it's driving advocacy to shift perspectives, or just sharing someone's story - each of us has a role to play, and every small action has the potential to spark meaningful change.”

Student Park Ji-Eun had moments where she almost gave up, unsure if she could bridge language and emotion. But she kept going. “It was challenging. But we did it. And that meant everything,” she said.

Shreya recalled meeting a mother who had lost a child, but still found comfort in caring for her cats. That encounter stayed with her – not just because it was heartbreaking, but because it was authentic. “This made everything real,” she remarked. “I realised how much we sanitise suffering in policy conversations.”

From quiet fieldnotes to powerful storytelling, students found their voices. DBS Foundation gained deeper insight into these families' stories. And the course itself became a model for how pedagogy, partnership, and purpose can come together. In many ways, it embodied the spirit of DBS Foundation’s manifesto: ‘From a Spark within, to Impact Beyond.’

The impact lives on. Students from this project who have graduated now apply its lessons in ministries and NGOs. DBS Foundation continues to create positive impact and uplift those with less. SMU-X is further affirmed in the value of learning beyond the classroom.