Learning to Believe in Herself Opened the Door to a New Life By Jenelyn Espraguera
I did not join VODW looking only for classes. I joined looking for change, and for something else that so many domestic workers spend years without: a sense of family. When I first heard about VODW, what drew me in was not a syllabus but a feeling, that here was a place that would help me change my life and treat me like I belonged, not simply like a worker passing through.
I came in curious rather than certain, unsure exactly what learning IT and ESOL would look like for someone in my position. What I found surprised me. In my IT classes, I discovered a side of myself I had never had the chance to explore, learning to edit using tools like Canva, navigating computers and digital platforms with a growing sense of ease. Along the way, something else was happening too. I became more resilient during my sessions, and that resilience did not stay confined to the classroom.
What stayed with me most was the simple, steady process of learning to edit, to listen, and to learn, three things that sound small on their own but together describe a woman slowly building her own capability from the ground up. I will admit not every lesson felt immediately useful to my everyday life, and that honesty matters too. Growth is rarely a straight line, and part of what VODW offers is room to say plainly what worked and what did not, without fear of judgement.
Still, when I look back on how far I have come, my own words carry real weight. VODW helped change me, helped me learn to stand on my own two feet and trust the process even when I could not see exactly where it was leading. That is no small transformation for a domestic worker navigating life in a new country, often without the legal certainty that others take for granted. On the day I graduated, I felt excited and confident, walking away not just with a certificate but with an award recognising my effort along the way.
My hope for the future is honest and deeply personal: I hope my next set of papers brings me the freedom to work legally and securely in the UK. That hope sits at the very heart of why VODW exists and why it keeps pushing for the right to renew the ODW visa, the right to change employer without restriction, and ultimately the right to settlement and British citizenship.
For a domestic worker like me, those campaigns are not abstract policy points. They are the difference between living in constant uncertainty and finally being able to stand on solid ground, trusting the process not just in the classroom but in life. To the teachers who guided me, I offer simple, heartfelt thanks. It is the kind of gratitude that comes from someone who arrived curious and left transformed, still learning, still hoping, and now, unmistakably, standing taller than before.
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