Dr. Mei Lin Tan
Founder & Executive Director
Paediatrician turned social entrepreneur. 25+ years in community health across South and Southeast Asia. Regional social-impact award finalist, 2023.
Our Story
16 years of grassroots work across Asia. One unwavering belief — that every human being deserves dignity, opportunity and hope.
Mission, Vision, Values
Our Mission
To uplift Asia's most marginalised communities by delivering sustainable, community-led programmes in education, healthcare, clean water and economic empowerment — with radical transparency and zero compromise on ground impact.
Our Vision
An Asia where every child can learn, every family has clean water, and every woman has the agency to lead the life she chooses — wherever she was born.
Our Values
- Community First — solutions shaped by the people they serve.
- Radical Transparency — every dollar publicly accounted for.
- Dignity — aid without judgment or condescension.
- Sustainability — build capacity, not dependency.
Since 2010
How HopeBridge Began
HopeBridge was founded in 2010 by Dr. Mei Lin Tan, a Singapore paediatrician who spent her holidays volunteering in rural clinics across Cambodia and Indonesia — and kept seeing the same preventable crises of malnutrition, school dropout and contaminated water repeat from one generation to the next.
She began with a single learning centre near Siem Reap with 12 children and two volunteer teachers. Within three years the model had proven its impact, attracted its first corporate funding and crossed its first border.
Today HopeBridge operates in six countries, employs 140 full-time staff, and is supported by 850 active volunteers and 45 corporate partners. Our annual report is published openly and audited by an independent firm every year.
-
140
Full-time Staff
-
6
Countries Active
-
100%
Audited Annually
2010
Founded · first centre near Siem Reap
Milestones
Our Journey
-
2010
Founded in Singapore, first centre in Cambodia
Dr. Mei Lin Tan opens the first HopeBridge Learning Centre near Siem Reap with 12 children and two volunteer teachers.
-
2013
Clean Water Programme Launched
First community well commissioned in Gunungkidul, Indonesia. The programme reaches 12 villages in its first year.
-
2015
Healthcare Camps Begin
Partnerships with six hospitals enable quarterly free health camps in Vietnam and the Philippines, reaching 4,000 patients in the first year.
-
2018
Women's Empowerment Wing Established
Rise Together launches in Mymensingh, Bangladesh — skills training, micro-finance linkage & legal literacy for rural women.
-
2021
Regional NGO Excellence Award
Named one of Asia's Top 50 High-Impact NGOs. Operations expand to Nepal, bringing HopeBridge to six countries.
-
2026
120,000 Lives Milestone
HopeBridge passes 120,000 people reached across six countries — and launches its S$150,000 School Kit Drive.
Annual Report
Our Impact at a Glance
Results from our independently audited 2025 annual report.
5,000+
Children in school
across 18 learning centres
85,000+
Patients served
at free health camps since 2015
200+
Communities with clean water
80+ wells, 320 household filters
6,000+
Women trained
in eight vocational trades
Leadership
The People Behind the Mission
Budi Santoso
Chief Operating Officer
Former provincial development planner. Expert in rural development policy and government partnerships. Leads field operations across six countries.
Dr. Linh Nguyen
Director — Health Programmes
Physician with a Master of Public Health. Designed the CareReach camp model now running in three countries. 14 years in community medicine.
Daniel Lim
CFO & Compliance Head
CPA with 18 years' experience. Oversees charity-governance compliance and our transparent annual audits across all six countries.
Dr. Siti Rahmawati
Head — Partnerships
Built the network of nine partner hospitals and 45 corporate partners that now funds 60% of HopeBridge's annual programmes.
Sanjay Gurung
Head — WASH Programmes
Civil engineer turned development worker. Designed 80+ water projects across Nepal, Indonesia and Cambodia.
Registered, Accredited & Audited
-
Registered Charity
Singapore · UEN 201012345K
-
IPC Status
Tax-deductible donations
-
Audited Annually
Independent external audit
-
Local Governance
Registered partners in 6 countries
Join the Movement
Whether you give S$30 or volunteer a Saturday — every contribution adds a brick to the bridge.