Shalmar, my journey with ElShaddai Centre
I am Shalmar from Myanmar. My journey with ElShaddai Centre started when I was enrolled in Year 6 at Prime.
Prior to joining ElShaddai Centre, I was studying at a Refugee School which offers education up to level 6. At that school, it required me to study in the Malay language. During that time, my mom felt that it would be beneficial for me to attend school as our future is very uncertain. Later, I came to know about ElShaddai Centre through my cousin who lives near the ElShaddai Prime Learning Centre.
When I was in Year 6 at the Refugee school, my mom had already started to worry about my further education since that school does not offer secondary education. While I was preparing for the UPSR examination, my mom tried to ask people at the nearby schools if they knew of any secondary schools that would accept refugee students. Then someone told my mom about a lady who was working at the ElShaddai Prime as a teacher. My mom called her and found out that ElShaddai Centre had opened a secondary school Learning Centre. We visited the school and explored if I could register there.
We registered for Level 7 for me to continue my education, but we didn’t receive a response. After waiting for 2 weeks, we went to the main office and found out that I was admitted to Year 6 instead. Therefore, I re-learned everything in English during that year since I had learned the material in Malay before. After studying at ElShaddai Centre for 2 years, I found out from the Excel Headteacher that there was a mishap during the registration process that had caused some undue delay but was sorted out on time for me to continue my education.
With the assistance of the ElShaddai Centre, I completed the IGCSE examination and achieved the highest grade in my batch. After graduation, I was invited to assist the communication team in the ECB office. I was delighted to do so because I understand the difficulties the refugees face in finding employment, even when they have a certain level of education. With the support of ElShaddai Centre, I am currently pursuing a Diploma in Information Technology, Level 4. Working together with my colleagues in the Communications Department, I help to create social media content to promote the ElShaddai Centre.
I’ve been with ElShaddai Centre for about 6-7 years, although the time spent is largely my school years rather than working alongside them. All these while, I received a lot of support from ElShaddai Centre. During the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown, my parents couldn’t work so we had no income. ElShaddai Centre supported us in our daily lives. There was an agonizing time when my mom was detained by the immigration. However, with the help of a social worker and Mr. Andrew’s intervention, she was released. Without the help of ElShaddai Centre, my mom could have faced many harrowing difficulties.
I am truly grateful for all the support I have received over the past 6-7 years and am deeply grateful for the support, opportunities, and the warmth of the community I have found here. Thank you ElShaddai Centre for making a difference in my life and the lives of many others. I hope that ElShaddai Centre will continue to grow and bring even more benefits to many others in need.
