Riddled by financial difficulties back home in Indonesia, Amyliana came to Singapore 13 years ago in search for a better life – especially to support her parents, who are both rice and corn farmers.

Amyliana was initially very sad being so far away from her family, and was fearful about being in a foreign place all by herself. As English was not her first language, she also struggled to share these feelings in her heart.

Through working for various expatriate families, she slowly acclimatised to life in Singapore, and improved her English language skills.

With that, she decided to explore learning something new once again.

Due to her love for fashion, she registered for ACMI’s Crochet and Dressmaking Skills Development courses.

These classes helped spark a newfound passion and allowed her to gain many useful skills, such as learning how to use  a sewing machine, and how to tailor her own clothes. To date, she has made a few crochet bags, as well as dresses from scratch. She even knows how to repair her own clothes, helping her save on tailoring costs.

Apart from the hard skills, every class is also an opportunity for Amyliana to spend her off days with a community of like-minded individuals who support and understand her. She always has a very fun time in class, chatting with her friends and even going out with them for meals afterwards.

“ACMI has helped me to learn new skills, and make more friends with people from other countries like Philippines and Myanmar,” she said.

She hopes to continue honing her skills in sewing and dressmaking, so she can eventually open her own clothing store in Indonesia.

At ACMI, we believe in enriching the lives of migrants and helping them achieve their fullest potential by recognising their talents and giving them opportunities to upskill.

Help migrants like Amyliana through our #25for25 fundraising campaign on Giving.sg! A small monthly contribution goes a long way in empowering our migrants in need.

To donate regularly on Giving.sg,  click here!