By XAVIER SMERDON
WHEN Laila Grach left her life in the Philippines to start a new one in Australia she was scared and worried about what the future would hold for her.
With no friends or family and only her husband to keep her company, Ms Grach decided to improve her English skills by taking classes at AMES in Werribee.
“When I came here I felt very sad and I wasn’t confidant about my English so I came to AMES,” Ms Grach said.
“I came here looking for help but I noticed that my English was far better than some of the other people in the lobby so I decided to become a volunteer tutor instead.”
Ms Grach said she know felt confident in her new home country and wanted to be able to help as many people experience the good things about Australia as possible.
“It’s good for me because it’s nice to help people,” she said.
“I don’t have a fortune to give to people so I can only give my time.
“It feels like simple things are making extraordinary things.”
Ms Grach encouraged other people to give back to the community in whatever way they could.
“For those professionals coming from overseas the best way to get out of the house and build contacts is to volunteer,” she said.
“You need to put yourself in other people’s shoes so you feel for them.”
AMES is currently looking for volunteers to help teach English to newly arrived immigrants.
For more information visit coccolik@ames.net.au or call Katherine on 8744 0011.
