Launched at the end of 2014, the Aidha Alumni Development Programme (ADP) is designed to provide continued support to Aidha graduates. We catch up with two of our ADP alumni to find out how their business plans are progressing.
Written by: Kate Sheperd
Wiwik Sunariyah’s student life in Indonesia was not exactly the carefree days people usually imagine a student’s life to be. Her family was struggling with a heavy financial burden. When there isn’t enough food on your plate, school fees, books and uniforms are not the top priority. As the eldest of six siblings, Wiwik felt a great responsibility to make a change. One day, she swallowed her fears and set off to Singapore in search of better luck.
Written By: Vittoria O.
In 2006, Irawati left Jakarta with a clear goal in mind — to provide her family with financial security and to secure a better future for herself. Several obstacles stood between her and her success — her poor English, fear of failing at her new job and unbearable homesickness.
Written By: Vittoria O
Next month, a brand-new hostel will open in the city of Semarang, Central Java. With well-lit and modern rooms, this centre is for students, industry workers and commuters from nearby areas, offering them a place to relax and feel at home. The mind and heart behind this promising business is Radliyah, a brave and determined woman who dreamed about opening a hostel and turned that dream into reality after she enrolled in Aidha.
“And the third prize at the second annual Migrant Worker Poetry Competition goes to…Sharasyamsi!”
Congratulations to Aidha student Sharasyamsi for doing us proud! This is the first time that the poetry competition allowed women to participate, and a whopping 65% of the entries came from women. Four Aidha students made the shortlist, with Sharasyamsi winning third prize with her poem “Engkau”, or “You”.
As we begin a new year at Aidha, it’s the perfect time to reflect on some of the programmes which began in 2015 and which will help to shape the lives of our students for years to come.. These include the Alumni Development Programme (ADP), piloted in January 2015, and the Basic English Classes, which began in October 2015.
by: Sandhya Sriram
Training for a full marathon is not for the faint-hearted, so it may come as a surprise that four runners currently in training for the December 6th Standard Chartered Marathon in Singapore are associated with Aidha. Despite their full-time work schedules, these athletes manage to train for long-distance running. What inspires them to do it? Meet our super-disciplined runners: Aidha alumni Janelyn (Jannah), Mel, and Delia; and Amy, a 2015 M1 batch member.
By: Aarati Rajwade and Miin Hwang
by Aditi Saxena and Ting Claravall
Last May, we featured the story of Aidha graduate and trainee, Tri Utami, who was departing Singapore for good to begin a new chapter of her life. Tri had been planning to open an English Learning Group and a few weeks ago, we checked back with her to see how things were coming along…
By: Vittoria Offeddu and Ting Claravall
As we get closer to this year’s graduation ceremonies, the Aidha team caught up with the three winners of last year’s Best Business Plan Awards to hear more about their journey’s since graduating from Aidha… Read More
by Ting Claravall
Aidha is fortunate to enjoy strong support in the expat community for our work with low-income women. Many in this community are happy to send their foreign domestic helpers on their Sunday day off to benefit from Aidha’s programmes. .. . Or even to become volunteers themselves.
But there are some who believe so deeply in the Aidha mission that they end up doing both.
Such is the case with Australian employer Sarah Druce and Norma Casinova, her domestic helper of five years. We sat down with this employer-employee team to learn more about what powers their commitment to Aidha – and to each other.
