Hi Everyone, Mabuhay! Selamat Siang! Salut! What a great way to start the week! My name is Sujata, and I am a member of the Uplifters Board, together with Janice (our Chair), Romain, and Alex. On behalf of them, let me say how happy we are to be here together with you to celebrate your achievements and the impressive impact you all have made this year, despite it being a very tough year.
I want to take a minute to bring it back to why are we here today. We are united by the mission of Uplifters to enable migrant domestic workers to transform their lives, thanks to the combined power of online education and community support to make migration successful.
So why am I here today? I am here because I am humbled and honoured to have the opportunity to work with Marie and Uplifters. This mission of providing access to education resonates very personally with me. I believe that access to education is the first step in opening access to opportunities. I have personally benefitted from access to education.
The other aspect of Uplifters that resonates with me personally is the approach. I have worked in leadership positions for a good part of my career. I’ve always known this, but you bring this concept to life that leadership is not a title or a position, it is a choice, and you Team Leaders and Mentors have made that choice. You have chosen to be leaders in your community. You have chosen to mentor, lead, coach and support your peers to be successful in their educational journey. You make Uplifters truly a community-led enablement program.
Despite the pandemic, you, the Mentors, Team Leaders, Volunteers and Staff have uplifted the lives of many migrant domestic workers. This is really displaying a can-do attitude. Being positive in the face of challenges.
To all of the volunteers and staff, thank you for making lives richer by your service. You share your time and expertise and foster interactions at a grassroots level. We thank current and past volunteers for all your contributions. Regardless of how many hours you choose to give, we want you to know that you make a difference and your volunteered time is acknowledged, valued and cherished.
The personal success stories and the work that you do that Marie shares with us, we are thankful that the Uplifters team enables successful learning and that you live the values of enablement, positivity and warmth.
I’m based out of Hong Kong but consider both Hong Kong and Singapore as my home. I look forward to future opportunities to meet you all in person, in either in my home cities…..or Dubai!
Maraming Selamat, Terima Kasih, Merci beaucoup, Thank you from our hearts.
