Written by Habeb Guiaman, IDEALS
[From left to right] Agnes Gervacio (Chief Executive Officer of Connected Women), Habeb Guiaman (Senior Project Officer, IDEALS), Noraisa Abdullah, Mikhaela Dimpas (Program Manager of the Peacebuilding & Communication for Development Program, IDEALS), and Atty. Jennifer Buan (National Advisor, Global Community and Engagement Resilience Fund) participated in a group photo opportunity at the Elevate AIDA graduation.
Learning does not stop within the four walls of a classroom for out-of-school youth women like Noraisa Abdullah, 25, from Maguindanao del Sur.
At 17, Noraisa was forced to leave school. Poverty pressed heavily on her family, and the need to support them pushed her to work abroad as a domestic worker. She spent almost three years overseas to help support her family. Returning to the Philippines in 2010, she took on a variety of jobs, determined to build a life for herself while supporting her family and her community.
Today, Noraisa serves as a Barangay Nutrition Scholar in Barangay Darampua, Sultan sa Barongis, Maguindanao del Sur. As a Barangay Nutrition Scholar, she monitors the nutritional status of children, assists families at risk of malnutrition, and helps with administrative work in the barangay office. It is a role that blends care and community service—but it is also one that demands knowledge, organization, and dedication.
Despite having stopped formal education at a young age, Noraisa’s interest for learning and growth continued. From September to October 2025, she joined the Elevate AIDA (Artificial Intelligence Data Annotation) training, wherein IDEALS and Connected Women equipped a total of 30 out-of-school youth and 20 women entrepreneurs from micro-small enterprises and cooperatives based in Maguindanao del Sur. The training opened doors to opportunities as remote data annotators and a chance to earn a living while embracing new technology.
Noraisa recalls that she was very nervous at first and unsure of herself. She feared she might not be able to keep up or perform well. Despite the fear, she held on to her self-belief, to trust herself and in her capabilities. Her perseverance paid off. Noraisa learned not only the technical aspects of data annotation – image identification, categorization, and labeling – but also professional soft skills such as communicating effectively and maintaining privacy in remote work.
Noraisa participating in one of the online Elevate AIDA training session.
Noraisa has since woven these lessons into her daily life. She uses AI tools, such as ChatGPT, to organize her daily routine. Every day, she plans her schedule meticulously, making sure that nothing is neglected and that every hour counts. This newfound discipline has made her more productive, more intentional, and more confident in managing both her work and her life.
Time management emerged as a particularly valuable lesson. Juggling duties for the Elevate AIDA training, household chores, community work and personal time, she discovered how to divide her hours properly so she could ensure that each task receives the attention it needs. She also learned to be more mindful and intentional in making decisions and planning for her future. She now takes the time to think about her next steps carefully, making sure her choices bring her closer to her goals.
After completing the Elevate AIDA training, Noraisa became more confident and proactive in applying what she learned. In November 2025, she joined the Community Empowerment Coordinator training under the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) to enhance her skills in managing grassroots-oriented tasks, and empowering her fellow community members. With the combined skills she learned from these training sessions, Noraisa has learned to value efficiency and accuracy, especially in gathering data to support other community programs in their barangay as a Barangay Nutrition Scholar.
When asked how she plans to continue using what she learned, Noraisa shared that she wants to utilize her skills in her Alternative Learning System (ALS) education, and continue searching for aligned job opportunities. She believes that the knowledge, confidence, and time management skills that she developed through the Elevate AIDA training will serve as her foundation as she works toward a stable livelihood and a brighter future. #
About the project
SPEAK Mindanao or the “Support to People’s Empowerment through Amplifying community voices for Kalilintad in Mindanao” was a three-year (2023 to 2025) project supported by the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF). SPEAK Mindanao aimed to increase the capacities and opportunities of Bangsamoro communities, such as micro and small entrepreneurs, out-of-school youth, for improvement of leadership skills and strengthening their network for partnerships.
Editor’s Note: This 2026, Noraisa Abdullah has also joined S’bang Ka Maguindanao as a community patroller.