“Dream big, start small and act now, as what Dare to Dream by Uplifters taught us.”

“I wish I had been told about Dare to Dream before moving abroad. If I already knew the importance of planning when to go home, I would probably not have spent 21 years abroad.”

Amy Ramirez is one of our Diamond Team Leaders who has supported more than ten sessions of our free online course on money management, personal growth and mental well-being Dare to Dream. A single mom from the Philippines, she decided to work abroad to provide a good future for her son.

“I realized after getting married that my husband was financially dependent on his mother and will never change. It was a difficult decision as it led to a broken marriage and separation from my family. Working as a domestic worker comes with a lot of challenges. Homesickness was very difficult. To cope, I ask God for guidance, strength and protection and practice self-affirmations. Some people think there is no place for a domestic worker to be happy because they feel it is a lowly job, discriminating against us and not showing us any respect. But I am also thankful because I have become a better person. I have beautiful memories with the families I have worked for in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Kuwait and now Singapore. Each has its own cultures and traditions that taught me values like instilling discipline in children and showing love to your family. I even got to develop my skills in food preparation and presentation.

Completing the online courses at Uplifters made me realize the value of money management and managing myself and my future. I learned how to make a financial plan through good budgeting and saving. It gave me the confidence to handle my money well. I continue to impart these lessons to my family and my 26-year-old son, a marine engineer.

As a Team Leader, I am grateful for the opportunity to share my experiences and help more women achieve their goals. It is a noble deed for me. I am happy when I see the interest of students to learn more. I enjoy interacting with them and learning from their different experiences. Their attentive participation in our class chat inspires me. I urge fellow domestic workers to dream big, start small and act now, as what Dare to Dream by Uplifters taught us. Keep learning and practicing what you have learned and you will see the fruits of your hard work.”