As Youth Outreach Officer at HYC, Sharifah Faizah runs an after-school enrichment programme, which seeks to address the social and emotional needs of underserved children. (Photo by Donn Tan Zheng Yu)
Sharifah Faizah's very first internship was in a hospital laboratory. A routine job that lacked opportunities for meaningful human interactions, it left her feeling highly disconnected. It became a turning point that made her want to explore new career pathways. After a stint at a small-medium enterprise (SME) where she was inspired by her boss’ entrepreneurial spirit, she decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in business management.
Upon graduation, Sharifah joined the corporate sector. For five years, like many young professionals, she had lofty goals of climbing the corporate ladder. That was until the humdrum of the daily grind and repetitive tasks made her reevaluate her purpose in life. Throwing caution to the wind, she defied social norms and left her job, even though she did not have a safety net. She then fully immersed herself in volunteer work.
But life tends to lead one down many paths, and now Sharifah finds herself working at HYC as a Youth Outreach Officer, a job that dovetails her corporate experience and passion for serving others. She shares more in this story.
Sharifah, how did things turn out for you after you switched lanes to major in business management?
While I did somewhat okay in polytechnic, I truly excelled in university. There was a lot of project work, and I enjoyed working with my teammates. I even went on a three-month exchange programme in Quebec, Canada. It was eye-opening.
In Canada, students would freely share their opinions or observations. I met peaceful protestors who would go to the ends of the world to make their points. It made me realise just how sheltered I was. And it was in Canada that I engaged in charitable works for the first time. I participated in a fashion show that helped raise funds for homeless youths. The funds would be used to provide hot meals for them to tide over the winter months.
After this transformative experience, how was it adjusting back to life in Singapore?
It was strange coming back to Singapore, to be honest. It was like I had stepped back in time. I had to fit into this box. There were societal pressures — to get married by a certain age and to land a stable, high-paying job. But thankfully, I found a job at Singapore Business Federation (SBF), which was not a typical nine-to-five. I organised business alliances and led delegates, and my business mission trips took me to places such as Chinaand Laos.
After about four years, I began to yearn for a change of environment. So, when the opportunity arose, I went to work in a university and handled . It was a cushy deskbound job with really good pay. The career progression was clear. The environment was amazing, and I was always inspired by the students. Yet I didn’t feel it was a good fit for me. I found myself asking, “Could this really be what life is about?”
I wanted to invest in myself and figure out my next move. Thus far, I thought success depended on your job title and your salary. That’s fine if that’s your goal, but for me I realised I needed something more than just doing the same things over and over again. One day I asked my husband, “Could I just quit my job?” He said: “Whatever your gut feelings are, they’re probably right.” At this point I was a newlywed with a new house to pay for — yet I trusted my instincts and tendered my resignation, even though I didn’t have any job offers or backup plans.
You quit without any job offer? That’s a very bold move.
Yes! But as expected, boredom crept in by the first week. To keep myself busy, I decided to look for volunteering opportunities, and I knew I wanted to work with animals. My brother and I used to pick up stray cats and convince our parents to let us keep them, so cats have always been a huge part of my life. I feel that animals are underrepresented. They are voiceless, and they need our help the most. I eventually managed to land a volunteering spot with Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) Singapore.
What did you do at RDA Singapore?
The association specialises in hippotherapy, and through the therapy, it aims to help people with disabilities (PWD) improve their balance, posture, strength and coordination. My job as a side-walker was to take care of the riders. Eventually, I took on the role of horse leader. I delved into horsemanship: how to put a saddle on the horse and lead it. The time I spent with the horses was highly therapeutic. I found myself reporting earlier than my time slot, and I would stroll through the stalls and greet all the horses.
Working with horses gave — and still gives — Sharifah immense joy. (Photo by Sharifah Faizah)
You must have developed many fond memories there.
Yes, it was during my time at RDA Singapore that I found I gravitated towards working with children. There’s this story that I always tell others. There was an eight-year-old girl who has autism spectrum disorder. She’s non-verbal and she did not express much emotion. At the start of every session, I’d introduce myself to her. On the third session, she suddenly uttered, “Sharifah”. I was shocked; her parents were too when we told them. Now, it was not a neutral word like “yes” or “no”. I was of course so flattered, and I wondered what it was I did that left such a huge impression on her.
However, after two subsequent sessions, I realised she wasn’t addressing me at all! She would say “Sharifah” whenever she saw the horse. Still, it was to me very powerful: that this young girl, who hadn’t spoken a word, picked a foreign word and associated it with the horse. The fact that the horse had so much impact on her that she decided to cross that boundary — and it must have been scary for her to make that choice — there must be something magical about horses. That was my “aha” moment.
That’s an amazing story. Eventually, you went to work at Equal Ark before cofounding social enterprise HERD Singapore with four others. Tell us more about your pride and joy.
The years spent in Equal Ark further cemented my belief in the magic of horses. Together with the friends I made there, we experienced first-hand how children, families and elderly folks are forever changed due to their interactions with the horses. There was simply no going back after witnessing that. That’s why we decided to just take the plunge and set up HERD Singapore after we left the charity organisation. And so, on the weekends, we get to continue our mission of providing equine-assisted intervention to help enhance the psychosocial well-being of adults and children.
Sharifah with her HERD team (Photo by Sharifah Faizah)
Speaking of new job opportunities, you started working at HYC around the same time. How did the opportunity fall into your lap?
It was through Claire, my friend whom I met while working at Equal Ark. In 2022, HYC was approached by a primary school to launch an after-school enrichment programme, and they needed someone with programme management experience to run it. Even though Tzu Chi Humanistic Youth Centre is a part of Tzu-Chi Foundation (Singapore), whose values are based on humanistic Buddhism, and I’m a Muslim, I’ve always been a very open-minded person. I thought I’d give it a try. From my volunteering experience, I knew I’d get fulfilment from working with underserved children.
Are there any values of Tzu Chi that align with your personal ones?
I was intrigued by an exhibit about how much water an individual needs when using the tap. Tzu Chi used the example of a chopstick’s width to illustrate just how much water we could save if we only used that amount. It was so simple yet brilliant. This has inspired a shift in my own lifestyle.
Often, when others teach sustainability, they tend to use fear-driven methods. But Tzu Chi uses the message of love to raise awareness. “Let’s love Earth, and this is how you can do it.” It’s such a beautiful way of teaching children. It resonates with me because that’s how I am with my children when I teach them about Islam — it comes from a place of love.
Sharifah with a parent of the enrichment programme participant. (Photo by Alden Boon)
Indeed, Tzu Chi is all about spreading love to others. And in your own way, you spread love to the children of the programme. Could you share more about it?
It is a two-year programme for students’ emotional and social needs. We believe that in order for them to excel and reach their potential, their needs must be taken care of. Primarily, I curate the curriculum, execute sessions and liaise with the parents and teachers. They come twice weekly throughout the year, save the school and public holidays. The idea is to create an environment where the children feel safe and happy and have equal opportunities.
For it to be safe, there must be a trusting relationship between the adult facilitators and children. For the children to be happy, free play needs to be a component. And for children of various backgrounds to have equal opportunities, we’d need to have partners willing to provide enrichment courses such as football coaching sessions at affordable prices.
Some of the participants who joined us for the first batch were those with the highest needs. There was a myriad of behavioural challenges.
Was there any challenge you faced running the programme?
The beauty of my work with horses is that it raises my self-awareness level. I have become more sensitive to my emotions, and can identify them before I spiral. Circa 2022, I remember feeling an enormous emotional weight. The nervousness mounted until one day, I had to call HYC Centre Manager Lim Choon Choon, who was my co-lead in sessions, on the verge of tears, and tell her I couldn’t run the programme anymore.
But why the emotional outburst?
Imagine having to hold space for 15 children. Because I was the person at the front of the room leading the sessions, I was naturally the one most of the children sought whenever they had problems. Not only that, I had to deal with parents who needed emotional support and help connecting with their children. We also had to manage donors’ and the school’s expectations. On top of everything, I had to handle logistical operations.
Perhaps I did not compartmentalise my emotions well enough. Yet if I compartmentalised too much, I’d be cold. But Choon Choon was very supportive, and she knew exactly what I was going through. She took over the lead for a few sessions. And then my colleague Valerie Tan joined us in 2023, and being my co-facilitator, she was there to shoulder some of the emotional weight. Having someone to help out allowed me to have energy to take care of all the backend logistics too. Through this experience, I learnt that it is impossible to do everything alone, and that it’s okay to ask for help when needed.
Preparing for the children’s graduation. (Photo by Alden Boon)
Has running the programme changed you in any way?
There was a huge turning point when our Volunteer Clinical Director for the programme came onboard. She taught us the meaning behind the children’s behaviours — why they do the things they do, why they behave in a certain way and why they say the things they say. Understanding this has lifted a veil and made me a much more empathetic mother.
My youngest son recently had trouble coping with moving up a level in school. It was a big transition. He was pushing boundaries and crying at check-ins. But since picking up the ability to read behaviours, I now see my own children as little humans with their own emotions and ways of thinking. Whereas in the past I’d be reactive and go, “I’m the mother, just listen to me and do as I say”, now I empathise with him. I realised how scary the experience of entering a new school, and dealing with a new check-in process, must be for him. Had it not been for the programme, I might not have thought this way.
Sharifah engaging with programme participants. (Photo by Alden Boon)
That’s a nice tip for all parents. Tzu Chi also sponsored you to embark on a play therapy programme. Are there any takeaways from that?
2024 was difficult for me as I lost my mother to cancer at the beginning of the year. It was my very first direct confrontation with grief. When my mother passed, I refused to let myself feel anything because I’m the eldest. When I did allow myself to cry, I would do so in another room because I felt I had to remain strong for my family.
It was through the play therapy programme that I learnt more about myself. I realised that I was hard on myself and tend to question the reason for my emotions instead of allowing myself to feel them.
Sharifah learnt to play the piano as a way to cope with the passing of her mother. (Photo by Donn Tan Zheng Yu)
But isn’t knowing the why a good thing?
Not when we move the energy away from allowing ourselves to feel the emotion to fixating on the why. Sometimes, that’s just what your body and mind need. You need to allow yourself to feel the emotion, let it pass, before you can be clear minded to figure out the reason.
Furthermore, the programme taught me the importance of knowing what my personal triggers are. To be effective in working with vulnerable people, I need to know what makes me tick, catch my triggers before they happen, so that I don’t get emotionally affected. Through this, it increased my own understanding of myself.
Speaking of self-awareness, the HYC team visited Tzu Chi Jing-Si Abode in Hua Lien, Taiwan, last year. It is a place synonymous with spirituality. What was your experience?
Visiting as a hijab-wearing Muslim, I of course had my qualms and was afraid I’d stick out like a sore thumb. But it was the gentlest and most welcoming place ever. The abode was very serene and filled with nature. Being in such an environment of stillness and quietude, however, compels you to confront your innermost thoughts. At the time of the visit, I was grappling with emotional turmoil, affected by the violent conflicts and human suffering in the world. It was the first time in my life I could not manage this overwhelming sense of helplessness.
There was an opportunity for my colleagues and I to ask personal questions or share our struggles with a Master. When it was my turn, I wanted to ask her for guidance on dealing with the emotional weight of not being able to do anything about what’s going on in the world. But I simply could not articulate my thoughts. I just started crying. In the end, I had to type out my thoughts on my mobile phone and have my colleague translate for me.
This was what I wrote: “I find it so hard to manage my emotions and feelings of helplessness towards the suffering of others. I cannot do anything impactful to help. How do I live life with this burden and not let it take over my thoughts?”
Are you able to share what the Master said?
She said that Dharma Master Cheng Yen shares the same sentiment about the conflicts in the world, and the reason why my emotions were so intensified was because I was channelling her thoughts and energy. She then shared that we as human beings must accept that there will always be suffering. What we can do is to find our own ways to give back and help.
When I returned to Singapore, I decided to take a stand and post my thoughts on my social media platform for the very first time. To me, it was such an insignificant step that would hardly make any impact. But after I posted, my circle of friends and colleagues began initiating conversations about what’s happening in other parts of the world. They became more aware. I could see them feel the very emotions I was feeling. They began to care about the same issues! I reflected on what Master said: “The little things you do, maybe you won’t see them directly changing the world, but you will see the change here, right where you are.”
It’s so deep, and so true.
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