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Raffles Hotel - Lotus Arts de Vivre
Hosted by the Chinese Women’s Association & Women’s Business Connection |
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Chinese Women’s Association (CWA) is the oldest local women’s voluntary welfare association having been
established in 1915 with a group of 23 young energetic educated women, who in the first year of its existence,
raised $6000 to buy a fighter plane for the British War Effort. In the past 94 years, CWA has raised many sums
of money for various civic and charitable causes. Since 1978 its main project has been the management of
the Henderson Senior Citizens’ Home, Singapore’s first sheltered housing, which has been funded for the past
31 years solely by the efforts of the CWA members, who fundraise by organizing high profile social events.
As Singapore has the world’s fastest ageing population, the CWA and Henderson Home hold activities and
seminars to inform on ageing positively.
Women’s Business Connection (WBC) was initiated as WOW – Women for Women. Its aims were directed
to upgrading women’s skills and balancing roles. In 1985, the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) conducted
a study of 3,000 women in business and professionals in the region. From this study, the need to run specially
designed training programmes for women managers was identified. The study also showed that women need
to network in order to support them in the development of their careers, and their professional positioning vis-
à-vis their male counterparts. This led to a meeting of minds and hearts of senior women in business, professions
and academia in Manila, Philippines in 1987. As a result, the Women for Women Foundation Asia was created.
Each country in ASEAN, including Singapore formed its own Women for Women Association (WOW).
With the view of expanding its horizons, WOW Singapore was transformed into Women’s Business Connection
in December 2001, with a wider scope of objectives, mission and vision. Their mission is to connect leading
businesswomen across the world and to facilitate business opportunities for the well being of individuals,
organizations and society.
Lotus Arts de Vivre at the Historic Raffles Hotel Singapore
Lotus Arts de Vivre specializes in exclusively designed fine jewelry, accessories and Home Decoration products, blending East Asian Art with modern function and sensitivity. Contrary to mass produced merchandise, Lotus Arts de Vivre is synonymous with handcrafted work of the highest quality, using beautiful natural materials married with centuries-old artistic techniques to produce one-of-a-kind objets d’art that exceed the boundaries of conventional design. Delegates will be treated to a visit to this exclusive and unique collection of luxury.
Raffles Hotel first opened on 1st December 1887 in a large old bungalow which then faced the sea. The hotel’s fame as “the finest hotel east of Suez” continued to spread well into the 20th century. Its fortunes were bolstered by tourists in search of “All the Fables of the Exotic East” – as described by Somerset Maugham. In 1987 Raffles Hotel was declared a National Monument. Two years later in 1989, its doors were closed for the first time in its long history for a much-needed restoration that was inspired by the hotel’s glamorous early days circa 1915. Raffles re-opened its doors on September 16, 1991. On September 16 2007, the hotel celebrated its 120th anniversary with Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, who turned 84 on the same day.
