Announcement: giving.sg is undergoing scheduled maintenance downtime until 28 Feb 2026. For enquiries, please contact [email protected].
Announcement: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. At leo non in lobortis faucibus aenean aliquam morbi. In neque orci aliquam consequat massa. Vitae aliquam scelerisque erat faucibus. Volutpat sem mattis velit sagittis vel
For Yu Peihan, Senior Manager, Knowledge & Insights at NVPC, volunteering isn’t just a part time gig – it’s deeply intertwined with who she is. Her passion lies in two causes that have shaped much of her personal and professional life: animal welfare, especially cats, and environmental protection.
Her connection to these causes runs deep. Peihan has always been moved by the plight of the voiceless and powerless, and few things upset her more than witnessing abuse or neglect. Whether it’s the destruction of natural habitats or the mistreatment of animals, such injustices strike a deeply emotional chord. “I’ve never been good at processing suffering or loss,” she shares, “and it’s even harder when those affected can’t speak up for themselves.”
Her early interest in the environment was sparked by watching David Attenborough’s documentaries as a child. These films awakened a sense of wonder, and with it, a sense of responsibility. Encouraged to explore her curiosities from a young age, she often found herself asking difficult questions – “Why must the gazelle die?,” “Why are the trees being cut down?” Over time, her concern for animals grew more grounded in her environment. Living in a neighbourhood with many community cats, she began to see them as representatives of the broader environmental and animal welfare issues she cared about.
Peihan currently serves on the Board of the Cat Welfare Society (CWS), where she has been an active volunteer since 2021. She joined the organisation at a pivotal time, when it was ramping up efforts to advocate for the legalisation of pet cat ownership in HDB flats. Drawing on her background in research, Peihan helped design a system to collect public sentiment and behavioural data. “At the time, CWS needed a formal approach to this kind of research,” she recalls. “So I offered my skills to help build it.”
Together with fellow volunteers, Peihan developed and conducted a survey on responsible pet ownership, spending weekends knocking on doors across HDB estates. The resulting data became a cornerstone of CWS’s advocacy strategy. Their findings were used to make policy recommendations and shared widely on social media to raise public awareness. In late 2024, pet cat ownership in HDB flats was officially legalised.
That milestone, however, did not mark the end of Peihan’s volunteer journey. “Advocacy never really ends,” she notes. Since then, her work with CWS has shifted to other pressing issues such as increasing sterilisation rates among community cats and supporting compliance with the new Cat Management Framework. This includes public education efforts as well as direct financial support to cat caregivers in underserved communities. Her role on the Board also involves reviewing programmes, budgets, and providing guidance on organisational governance.
One of the most meaningful parts of her volunteering experience has been the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life. “I’ve had conversations with individuals I’d never have crossed paths with otherwise,” Peihan reflects. “Some of them go to extraordinary lengths to care for their cats – it’s incredibly touching.” These interactions have not only deepened her empathy but also broadened her understanding of how animals and humans coexist in shared spaces.
Her work as a volunteer aligns closely with her values and her role at the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), where initiatives such as six days of volunteering leave support staff engagement in the community.
When asked about how one can start their volunteering journey, her advice is to look inward first. “Think about what makes you angry – what injustice really gets to you – and do something about it. Don’t just complain. Take action.”
Ready to make a difference? Check out volunteering opportunities on giving.sg.