At Singapore American School there are many organizations that raise funds to help children in poverty, particularly those in this region of the world.
The largest project is dedicated to supporting a grassroots organization in Cambodia called Tabitha. Students from KG to grade 12, along with parents, teachers, and staff are involved. Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in Asia.. Our school sends out two or three big house-building groups each year – with high school students included, and supports the sale of cottage industry items made by women to produce family income. Donors can also purchase a well to assure clean water, or a pig for a family to raise and breed for income. It’s a wonderful organization run by a commited woman, Janne Riskes. Have a look at their website: http://www.tabithasingapore.com/
Wish For Kids collects and processes clothing and school materials for students in a school in rural Philippines. Once a year, they fly there and spend a long weekend - 3 or 4 days - delivering the items, and also interacting with the kids for several days. Thus, they come face-to-face with the poverty and begin to understand their own very privileged existence.
Bintan Club sells pizzas once a week at lunch as well as runs other fundraisers and donates the proceeds to the academic infrastructure (textbooks, equipment, electricity) at schools on the Indonesian island of Bintan in Indonesia. They also collect used but functioning computers, and ship them to Bintan, where they have outfitted all the high schools and middle schools, as well as some elementary schools. Our high school students go visit the schools two or three times per year.
Peace Initiative holds an annual concert featuring the best bands in Singapore, who play for free. They usually make around SGD $15,000, which they donate to various organizations in India and around Southeast Asia. Often the projects are related to women's health and employment, schools and children's welfare.
There are a couple of other clubs set up by students to aid schools or kids in schools in various places. One recipient school is in Xiamen, China; another in Chad, Africa.
Following the tsunami, the Pakistani earthquake, and Hurricaine Katrina, high school students initiated, coordinated and publicized relief drives throughout the school that raised SGD$110,000 (tsunami) and over $25,000 (earthquake) and Hurricaine Katrina. Committees containing several students decided where to donate the money - always to grassroots organizations, and almost always to those primarily serving women and children.