Dreams from Sulawesi - Nur Hasanah's story

I have dream to be a teacher

With support from EYW, Nur hopes to set up a thriving seafood business that will enable her to achieve her ultimate dream of becoming a teacher. She tells her own story.

Nur Hasanah's story

Let me introduce myself. My name is Nur Hasanah, I’m a girl who grew up and lives in a small village in South Sulawesi, in a coastal area with good natural resources. I always thought that if I were a boy, I would have the power to speak up and live my life independently. Boys in my society can come home late and have their own freedom of expression. But this does not happen easily for girls. I cannot come home late or have the freedom to gather with my friends. This is the reality in my society.

This will not stop me from moving forward and reaching my dream – to become a teacher. One of the reasons I dream of becoming a teacher is my passion for creating new and exciting ways for students to learn in the classroom. There is so much room for creativity in the teaching-learning process.

Having graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in maths, I am planning to pursue my education to a higher level and do a post-graduate degree. I hope that by doing so I will be able to make myself more employable in the field of education. I am currently working as a volunteer teacher, as well as making shredded seafood and working as a tailor to support myself day-to-day. These are the things I do to achieve my dream, and I also have endless support from my uncle and aunt.

I also have a dream of becoming a successful entrepreneur. But being a girl can be an obstacle to becoming an entrepreneur. Access to financial loans for developing a new business is wide open for boys, but not for girls. However, I won’t just give up on it. I have already made plans to help me achieve my ambitions. Firstly, I have to keep working as usual, so that I can have my own salary. I will invest half of this in setting up a new business in shredded seafood. To do this, I will need some support to develop the business, including with financial planning and training in technical skills for seafood processing. I really hope that Oxfam can link me to some financial institutions that will support my funding needs.

I acknowledge that no one else is responsible for my life – no one can change it except me.