by Mai Tatoy

I’ve been a volunteer mentor at Aidha for over two years now and it’s one of the most gratifying aspects of my life here in Singapore.

It has given me the privilege to mentor women who are a lot like me.

I too come from a developing country – a foreign worker in Singapore.

Like most of my mentees, I send money home to family every month. And I share with them the journey of adventure mixed with sacrifice that characterises the choice we made to leave our motherland to ensure a brighter future for those we love.

Like them, I struggled to make ends meet. It took a while to find that balance of taking care of others and not to forget about my own needs.

What Aidha has given me is an opportunity to learn, together, how to manage our finances, make it grow, start a business, become entrepreneurs, and thrive as independent, capable and confident women!

It has also given me the priceless gift of seeing the metamorphosis of women like Jeanilyn Bermudez, in the picture above, from impoverishment to empowerment.

From wondering “Can I?” to exclaiming “I can!”

To have witnessed that transformation from follower to leader in their own right and in their own eyes, is an honour I hold close to my heart.

There is one more thing I share with my mentees: we share a hope and a determination to make a difference with our lives. I have no doubt that we are already on our way.

More about Jeanilyn here.