By : Ting Claravall, with contributions from Jackie Winstanley

Like many volunteers, Catherine Wu found herself fulfilling a lot of different roles in the three years she has been volunteering with Aidha.

“I attended the Volunteer Orientation in January 2012 and started out as a computer workshop coach. But shortly after that, I was asked to be a Leadership and Compass Club mentor.”

Catherine didn’t hesitate to say yes as she was impressed with Aidha’s professionalism and high calibre of mentors, staff and volunteers. It was clear to her that those who designed the curriculum were obviously knowledgeable both in education and the psychology of motivation. She maintains Aidha must be doing something right since it continues to attract educated, professional and skilled volunteers with diverse experiences and backgrounds.

Catherine Wu (extreme right) with Aidha staff Tia Sutresna and Marina Chiericato

She has difficulty pinpointing what her most memorable experience at Aidha is, as “every experience has been as rewarding as the previous one.” She has been a Volunteer Coordinator, helped design the current Computer Workshop training curriculum, and more recently, coached last year’s top graduates with their Business Plan Challenge speeches. She also introduced the Breathing Technique Workshop, which combines her interest in yoga with her desire to share the benefits of relaxation techniques with students. It’s opportunities like these of being able to use her strengths and skills to better students’ lives that keeps her volunteering with Aidha to this day.

“Every experience has been as rewarding as the previous one.”  

“Aidha has had an amazing journey in just eight short years. From a small seed it has since grown into a community of high-level volunteers whose time and energy is never wasted, but rather, invested in something good for themselves and others.” Catherine learned that Aidha is seen as the ‘ivy league’ equivalent of foreign domestic worker learning centres and that those who graduate from Aidha do so with a real sense of pride and achievement. “Aidha has already built a reputation of excellence. It can only remain excellent through the continued support of donors and volunteers.”

Catherine Wu (centre) together with Aidha mentors and volunteers

With the sustained dedication of talented and generous volunteers like Catherine, Aidha will surely remain an excellent centre of learning, empowerment and inspiration for both foreign domestic workers and volunteers alike.