Member Spotlight: Daughters Of Tomorrow

Daughters of Tomorrow (DOT) is an IPC charity empowering underprivileged women into sustained employment, thus enabling their families towards social mobility. It complements existing training and workforce-related agencies by connecting volunteers and community resources to enable each woman on an individual level. DOT’s beneficiaries are women aged 20 to 60 from low-income families (surviving on S$200 to S$500 per capita per month), most of whom reside in government-subsidised rental flats. Many face multiple internal and external stressors that affect their job prospects and their ability to break out of poverty. Since its incorporation in August 2014, DOT has positively impacted more than 500 women through their skills-training, job-bridging and support programmes.

Super Mummy Michelle’s Story

Michelle was lost. She had just left her abusive Australian husband and returned to Singapore with her 3-year-old son, Carter.  Left to her own devices with no support network, she had no idea how she would care for and support Carter. In distress but armed with determination to make a better future for herself and Carter, she turned to her social worker who referred her to DOT.

The DOT Confidence Curriculum (DCC) helped Michelle adjust to her new reality. DCC is an 8-week program that helps women to regain their confidence with a positive mindset while forming strong friendships with one another as they face the challenges of going back to work. DCC is conducted with the help of amazing volunteer trainers and dedicated childminders, enabling mothers like Michelle to access the programs and focus on their learning journey with the assurance that their children are being cared for in a safe and loving environment.

During DCC, Michelle met DOT Befriender Sue Saunders. DOT Befrienders provide one-on-one support to each lady, providing a listening ear to better understand her situation and connect her to relevant resources and opportunities to get her job-ready. Sue’s genuine concern enabled Michelle to open up to sharing her unique needs and constraints and with Sue’s positive encouragement and practical suggestions, Michelle was able to discover her inner strength and handled her legal, immigration, housing and relationship issues head-on.

Sue has helped me “in many ways.. From emotional, to finding a job, legal talk updates, a shoulder to cry on, confidante, someone I can count on, a friend and sisterhood. ❤” shares a DOT lady.

Michelle was matched with one of DOT’s Food and Beverage employer partners and eased back into work in a part-time role. Realizing her potential, the employer offered her a full-time position. However, Michelle was hesitant to take up that offer as there were no childcare centres willing to accept Carter on a social visit pass. DOT was able to connect Michelle to Stella, a Community childminder who lived nearby. The Community Childminding Network (CCN) fosters a network of home-based childminders for mothers by mothers, offering affordable care for kids so that their mothers can attend work. Michelle was able to leave Carter in Stella’s care before work each morning and fetch him after work in the evenings.

Michelle’s journey inspires us all to have the strength to overcome hardships and difficulties in life. She continues to give back to the DOT community by sharing her story with other women who have fallen onto hard times. She has recently been promoted to a managerial role with the support of CCN. Michelle remains in close contact with Sue and they became good friends. We’re so glad to have been able to support Michelle throughout her back-to-work journey! If you’d like to help  mothers like Michelle get back on their feet, volunteer with us to support other mothers in accessing training and employment to build a better future for themselves and their children.

Ways to Join DOT and get involved: