Student Stories

Hailing from a small village in Myanmar, Seng Ra started working in Singapore to support her family. However, her experience in Singapore was challenging and after working for several years, her friend introduced her to Aidha. She started studying at Aidha in 2013 and graduated two years later. After saving enough money to move back to Myanmar, she was able to realise her dream of setting up her own cosmetics and clothing store. Now, she is a successful business owner and some of her Burmese friends, who also studied at Aidha, visit her store frequently.

When Marilyn Orit left home in 2007, she was well prepared for a long road ahead. From Maasin City, Philippines, she travelled to Hong Kong where she started working with the Orchard family. Several years later, she followed them to Singapore. Ever since the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan, which struck her home province in the Philippines and wiped out sanitation and water services, Marilyn had the idea to set up a portable water station. Marilyn’s parents and sister drank polluted water after the typhoon and ended up in the hospital. On the 28th of September 2016, Marilyn’s water station opened to its first customers. Besides it being a great personal accomplishment, the water station is undoubtedly one of the most valuable services for the entire community.

From Central Java, Indonesia, Sri Liyana started working as a domestic helper since 2004. Her current employer is from the United States and she has been with them since 2008. She enrolled at Aidha in 2013 with the help of her employer. She credits Aidha for her newfound confidence and said, “I learn how to be sociable and build my confidence to speak in front of people, I can share story about my experience being far away from my family because some of my classmates also have the same problem.” She started a grocery store back home and it is managed by her mother now. After saving enough money, she started her second business – a chicken farm. Her chicken farm is so successful that she is supplying chicken to the nearby markets!

Many years ago, at the age of 21, Nilushika Jayaweera (Nilu) had to make the difficult decision to leave her family behind to work as a domestic helper in Singapore to provide for them. In 2010, her employer introduced her to Aidha. Nilu feels that Aidha opened her eyes to the prospect of becoming an entrepreneur. After graduating, she successfully set up an online business selling Samahan tea, which is unique to Sri Lanka. She also became the first Foreign Domestic Worker to speak at TedEx Woman in Singapore and has even started her own NGO back home called “Emerging Home Lanka”, where she supports female micro-business entrepreneurs. She re-branded her online tea business to Nilu Tea, creating much buzz in the Aidha community. She managed to strike a deal with Redmart to stock her products. Hopefully in the future, Nilu Tea will be a household name in Singapore!

Jocelyn Mompal (Joy), a mother of three from Iloilo City, Philippines, enrolled at Aidha in 2007. Since attending Aidha, Joy has blossomed into an entrepreneur and a great leader. She is currently the Deputy Campus Manager (DCM), where she and other alumni help to run the logistics behind Aidha’s campus on Sundays. Since graduating in 2009, she has set up several businesses back home, including a home-based internet café and a small room-rental business. Joy’s daughter, inspired by her mother’s courage and determination to break out of the poverty cycle, opened her own provision shop. Her daughter is now able to save money on a regular basis, making Joy living proof that Aidha’s achievements reach far beyond the students themselves.

Marilyn C. Magbuo arrived in Singapore in 2009 from Batangas, Philippines. Whilst studying at Aidha, Marilyn C. Magbuo started an Internet café in her hometown. She had three desktop computers and fast internet connection for surfing, gaming and printing services. However, after much thought and saving, she decided to open another business to bring in more income for her family. Her employer taught Marilyn her signature apple pie recipe, and from there, she had a strong desire to open up her own bakery. In January 2012, construction began on the plot of land she bought with her savings. Just two months later, they had the official opening of “Mayen’s Bakery”. Her business has been growing ever since. “We sell around 7 different kinds of bread. My regular customers include the ministore in our village, the school canteen (since we live close to a school), and now, we even have people asking us to deliver bread to their homes,” she proudly shares. “In fact, most of the time, we finish all the bread we make. There are no leftovers!”

Yuliani came to Singapore to work as a domestic helper, to give her two children the chance of an education. At Aidha, she learnt to take her first steps towards building a better future for herself and her family. She is now the proud owner of a plot of farmland (2500 square mentres), from which she runs a chilli business. “Because of Aidha, I know how to save and how to manage my money. Now I have my own business, I can send my kids for education and achieve my dreams! […] I think it was very sad that I was not educated, because education is very important. I want people to know my story – I wanted a change in my life, so I did not give up.”

Rhea worked in a local government accounting department before coming to work in Singapore nine years ago, as a domestic helper. A mother of 3 children, she sought a better income to support her family back home. Keen to invest in something to give herself a sustainable income for her return home, she signed up with Aidha, hoping to learn more about managing money and running a business. Using the skills and confidence she gained at Aidha, she now has her own, thriving fish farm and has plans for expansion and diversification in the future.

Kai En opened her first business, a grocery store, when she was 19. Struggling to raise capital to help it grow, she came to Singapore to work as a domestic helper. With Aidha’s help, Kai En’s English is improving and she’s learning about business management, leadership, IT and communication. Her dream is to start a fashion line in her home country.