Sai's Story:
An internship experience with CHARIS
Almost 500 participants attended the biennial CHARIS Humanitarian Forum & Fair (HFF) on 14th June 2025 to learn more about outreach and mission work in the region. As a CHARIS intern tasked to assist with communications and publicity for the HFF, Sai, a refugee youth, shares his rewarding experience — seeing the project unfold from start to finish.
I was delighted to see the logo I helped design 10 months ago come to fruition. It was inspired by the event’s mission and purpose — the call for action and building community around humanitarian causes. Although I could not be at the event in person, I want to express my sincere thanks to my mentors for keeping me updated with photos and videos.
The amazing CHARIS team has mentored me for almost a year now. During this period, I gained a deeper understanding in many areas which I was previously unfamiliar with, like editing, developing various creative materials and the use of WordPress. My mentors pushed me to step out of my comfort zone and explore new skills. Since my internship with CHARIS has been extended, I will be taking on more responsibilities. It has been a great opportunity to grow both professionally and personally.
I am also grateful to the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) team for supporting me and facilitating this internship opportunity. I truly appreciate and respect the work you do for refugees around the world.
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Taking part in this HFF Project was truly a meaningful experience and it gave me a chance to work in areas which I care deeply about — which is helping communities.
~ Sai
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Sai in the HFF T-shirt bearing the logo which he designed.
About the author
Sai is passionate about humanitarian work and strongly believes in giving back to his community. He currently teaches English part-time to vulnerable Burmese refugee women. He joined the first batch of the JRS Digital Marketing Course in Malaysia, where he developed digital skills which enabled him to contribute to this HFF project.
His logo, e-brochure and activity board were flagged as beautiful by his mentor Ryan Aw Yong, Operations Manager CHARIS who says, “Sai possesses creativity and we were pleased that he showed initiative to try out new ideas.”
CHARIS (Caritas Humanitarian Aid & Relief Initiatives Singapore Ltd) is the umbrella body for overseas humanitarian aid and disaster relief efforts of the Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore.