Today we’re sharing the story of one of our Diamond Team Leaders, Yulia Endang.
She has supported more than ten sessions of our free online course on money management, personal growth and mental well-being; Dare to Dream. She is from Ciamis, Indonesia and has been working in Singapore for 15 years.

Read more about how she overcame her struggles in her interview.

“My family was struggling with financial problems and I wanted to help. My mind was set on earning a good salary so I thought taking care of a household would be easy. But I was wrong; my English was very poor and I did not have much work experience. I spent nights crying and anxious that my employer would send me back. I wish that the training center in Indonesia told us about the challenges of working abroad and trained us better.

During my first few years of working, I felt that people thought being a domestic worker was not a decent job. I felt low and had no self-confidence. I turned to prayer to comfort me when I felt homesick and kept myself busy so there would be no space to feel stressed and depressed. I spent years reflecting until I got the courage to find and proudly show the positive sides of working as a domestic worker. Uplifters’ ‘Become a Leader’ course helped me gain confidence and develop my communication skills. I took writing and photography courses. My English significantly improved. I learned to cook a variety of dishes. I even started documenting the people and places that inspire me in my YouTube channel, YuliAShares. Now I call Singapore my second home.

I had many plans for my future but did not know how to start. Dare to Dream taught me the importance of making a plan and how to set goals. It is the only money management and personal growth course I took and I am grateful that I enrolled. I learned how to communicate and discuss my plan with my family. Learning to do so helped me save money and continue studying while supporting them at the same time. Currently, I am taking an online course in digital marketing at Writerpreneur.

To fellow domestic workers, believe in yourself that you can overcome life’s difficulties. If other people can do it, we can do it too.”