Read about the inspiring contributions of the recipients of the AWARE Soul Sisters' AWARDS.
People are drawn to AWARE for various reasons. Least often is because they want to do some male-bashing. More often to find a space where women can talk and feel safe without being judged. A few good women have done more than their fair share to ensure that AWARE is meaningful for the vast majority of women.

On AWARE's 20th anniversary, we would like to recognize these women for their passion, dedication, consistency, loyalty and for being there always, come rain or shine, personal disappointments, ill-health, bad hair days. For joining many small dots for AWARE to give it a name, a brand, and for inspiring others by never saying I had enough of AWARE - Here are AWARE's Soul-Sisters' Award Winners

Ms. HEDWIG ANUAR. She joined AWARE in 1985. She was admired for her courage in being open about her divorce at a time when many women were reticent because of the stigma attached. She also dedicated herself to reaching out to the lower income women and empowering them with English language lessons. Today AWARE is known to be the island's best stocked women's library and that is Hedwig's doing as she turns up every week to maintain the library. Hedwig has enough energy left over to attend AWARE's events and is always ready with a broad warm smile even when we run away with some of the books!

Hedwig Anuar - An AWARE Woman Who Gave Us The Word - A Library

Dr. MYRNA BLAKE. She joined Aware in Jan 1989 as she wanted policy changes to improve things for women. Myrna is a total believer that AWARE should be all about research and advocacy. And yet she has ensured that there is professionalism in our direct services and that our code as volunteers and staff is to treat all people in need with dignity. Myrna is a small-sized package with a merry laugh to brighten any day.

Dr Myrna Blake - An AWARE Woman Who Taught Us What IT IS To Be Professional

Ms. CLAIRE CHIANG. She is a believer in being with the ground. She saw a need and set up the Helpline in 1991. Starting with a small group of volunteers and no professional staff, she put the systems in place that today we have a helpline that has 72 volunteers on record who serve an average of 2, 800 women a year. Our direct services have also expanded to include face-to-face counseling sessions, a Befrienders' Service and a Legal Aid Clinic.

Ms Claire Chiang - An AWARE Woman Who Gave Us A Lifeline

Ms. LENA LIM. She is one of our longest serving helpliner. Always there and always with a smile, this individual has taught us to grow older gracefully and still be an advocate. She is still passionate as she was when she helped to found AWARE and spends her retirement, writing letters to the media and keeping an eye on issues that affect women. Twenty years of AWARE, and she is still here.

Founder-President, Ms Lena Lim - An AWARE Woman Who is Our Most Devoted Helpliner

Ms. HALIJAH MOHAMMAD. She joined AWARE in January 1991 and spends her leisure hours studying the law to look for improvements! She has devoted many hours poring over boring(from our perspective) legal jargon to suggest changes and still has enough energy left over to volunteer at the legal aid clinic, to pick up complex cases and to give talks on legal matters for AWARE. And not even a bruised eye from an outraged ex-spouse of a former AWARE employee whose case she was representing, has stopped her.

Ms Halijah Mohammad - An AWARE Woman Who Just Does What It Takes

Ms. CONSTANCE SINGAM. She joined AWARE in Jan 1996 and has grown with AWARE to become one of its leading feminists. She was AWARE's president twice and also on a few Ex-Cos. Always contributing she has always been there to help new ex-co members and to guide them through issues. At a personal level she is an inspiration - re-inventing herself and standing up for her beliefs when others might prefer to sit down or take a back seat.

Ms Constance Singam - An AWARE Woman Whose Passion Inspires

Ms. ZAIBUN SIRAJ. She was upset by the graduate Mums policy. Incensed she took action and made the calls to bring a group of women together for a forum. And the rest became history as AWARE was born. Always the firebrand she makes discussions come alive. What irks her most is the objectifying of women in the media.

Ms Zaibun Siraj - An AWARE Woman Who Cannot be Kept Down

Dr. KANWALJIT SOIN. She is an expert at making coherent arguments and is well-known for being persuasive. Always impressive as she recites statistics, laws and quotations that can propel an argument to the next level, she was the woman who put AWARE on the map in Parliament. Fiery and passionate she also showed us how to take defeat in style and emerge a winner.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin - An AWARE Woman Who Did Us Proud and Whom We Are Proud Of

Ms. MARGARET THOMAS. Behind every successful woman there is a queenmaker and luckily for AWARE she is one who works in the media. She initiated a Who's Who list of top women in 1996 in the Business Times and has created many other opportunities too for women to shine. With a mediative stance she has moved on women's agenda in her own quiet way.

Ms Margaret Thomas - An AWARE Woman Who Speaks Volumes with Few Words

Dr. VIVIENNE WEE. She is still engaged on many causes, an activist extraordinaire. She has moved out of Singapore to work on a bigger stage. But not before she put in place for both the young at the University here and the adults, a strong sense of what are women's rights and the framework and foundation of AWARE in terms of feminism, advocacy, and research. That was done in 1985 with the founder members - the pathway for women to become change agents with AWARE.

Dr. Vivienne Wee - An AWARE Woman Who Gave Us Our Advocacy Roots