Ain Aissa

Aissa is a legal director by profession but a confidence builder by passion! As a former varsity debater and corporate litigator, Aissa has discovered the transformative power of being able to communicate effectively. She noticed that outside of school clubs, there aren’t many places for women and girls to practise their communication skills in a non-judgmental space. With all the challenges faced by women today, she believes in the importance of being able to advocate for oneself in any situation.

In response to this issue, she started an online platform called Seek to Speak, which produced resources and organised events aimed at empowering expression among women and youth. After launching its online female speaking club in 2020, that went on to impact more than 100 women and girls through themed bi-weekly meetings, Seek to Speak’s online community grew, and the NGO was born in 2022.

Thereafter, Aissa became the recipient of YSEALI’s Seeds for the Future Grant Competition to run the capacity-building program, KAMI untuk SEMUA, to empower female students to be advocates for equality. With 134 sign-ups and 77 participants from 10 different states, the program concluded with 11 campaigns tackling a variety of gender issues such as child grooming, female migrant workers, and casual sexism.

To date, Seek to Speak runs various projects each year to equip women and girls with the ability to speak up, advocate for themselves, and push for change. This includes running a monthly themed speaking club called Bicara Gadis for women and girls to practise expressing their opinions, reflect on gender-based issues, as well as develop close networks. In her free time, Aissa loves journaling, practising mindfulness, and travelling with her family.

Making an impact means having a space for women and girls to feel empowered to make a change. It means inspiring them to uplift their lives and the communities around them.