A Simple Conversation Helped Me See My Own Strength for the First Time By Norhaya

I arrived at my first VODW class carrying a mix of feelings all at once, nervous, excited, happy, and curious, the kind of emotional jumble that comes with stepping into something entirely new. I had joined simply wanting to learn more, without necessarily knowing what that learning would come to mean for me over the following year and a half.

Across ESOL, IT, Mediacom, Mind and Wellness, and Financial Literacy, I built practical skills that I can honestly call useful in my everyday life. But it was not only the technical lessons that shaped my experience. During my sessions, I felt reconnected with myself, noticed my stress easing, built real confidence, and felt, perhaps most importantly, a sense of belonging, the feeling of finally being somewhere I was seen and valued for who I am.

One moment in particular has stayed with me ever since, a simple conversation with my teacher that helped me see things from a completely different perspective.

It is a small thing on paper, a single conversation, yet it clearly left a lasting mark, the kind of moment that quietly shifts how a person understands herself and her own potential. The classes made me more confident, more self aware, and more willing to challenge myself, qualities that ripple outward into every part of a person's life.

My graduation experience carried its own pleasant surprise. I had not expected that even newer members would be included and receive a certificate for each class completed, a small gesture from VODW that speaks to a much larger philosophy, that every step of learning deserves to be recognised, no matter how far along someone is in her journey.

My thanks to my teachers, to Unite the Union, to English for Action, and to VODW are warm and genuine, gratitude for creating a welcoming space and for the support that made my growth possible.

Looking forward, I hope to keep learning and growing myself, while also encouraging other domestic workers to join and discover the same benefits I found.

My story reflects something VODW holds close to its mission, that confidence and community are not separate from the fight for rights, they are the foundation of it. A domestic worker who feels she belongs, who has been listened to and encouraged, is a domestic worker far better equipped to raise her voice when it matters, whether that is speaking up about unfair treatment at work or joining the wider campaign for rights like the freedom to change employer without restriction and the path to settlement and citizenship. My journey began with a single curious step into a classroom. It has already carried me much further than that.