Volunteering: a stepping stone to employment

Rina* is a Filipino woman in her early 40’s and living in Newham. Having been out of work for some time she was keen to take steps back towards employment.

“I wanted to get into voluntary work after 12 years of being a house wife. I found Social Action for Health and it was perfect for me since I truly enjoy working with people. I thought that this would give me an opportunity to work with the community which I am very passionate of.”

Rina applied for a volunteer role as Helix Champion. Through this she learned, developed and applied her skills for outreach, community engagement and project ambassador to East London Genes & Health.

Within a few months Rina was successful in securing a fixed term role with the team as a community development practitioner. Her commitment, passion and drive has helped build relationships across boroughs as well as contributed to the Community Research team.

Whilst this role has ended, Rina remains a proactive sessional worker with us.

“I now know I can make a contribution in the community and have developed professional practices to secure work. This is a complete transformation for me in my life.”

*Names have been changed to maintain confidentiality.