Monique Maraj: From darkness to light

Raised in Red Hills, Monique Maraj embodies a story of quiet yet profound transformation. For years, she moved between jobs, stretching every dollar to keep the lights on while raising two children on her own. Each day demanded impossible choices – groceries or bills, one necessity traded for another. However, a turning point arrived through the Desnoes & Geddes (D&G) Foundation’s “Learning for Life” skills training programme, which offered Monique not only practical tools but also a renewed sense of possibility.

After completing high school but burdened by financial challenges, self-doubt and little emotional support, Monique drifted from job to job, never finding the stability she longed for.

“I felt like life was closing in on me, as though I was failing myself. I wanted more, but I didn’t even know where to start,” she recalled.

The birth of her two children only deepened her sense of pressure. “Was I failing my family?” she often asked herself.

It was during one particularly difficult evening that a spark for change ignited. As the lights in her home went dark, frustration welled within her – yet so did a quiet determination. In that silence, with her children asleep beside her and no electricity to break the stillness, Monique made herself a promise, “If a really good opportunity comes my way, I will grab it with both hands.”

Fuelled by a newfound openness to greater possibilities, Monique decided to pursue a path she had long been drawn to but never believed she could manage. She enrolled in the bartender training programme at HEART/NSTA Trust, offered in partnership with the Desnoes & Geddes (D&G) Foundation through its “Learning for Life’ initiative.

Doorway to transformation

It was a doorway to transformation; months of training, an internship, and even the prospect of full-time employment through the Foundation’s job placement programme.

At first, Monique was hesitant.

“I thought, people like me don’t have any luck with these things,” she admitted. Still, she applied, was accepted, and began her journey of possibility.

That journey, however, was far from easy. There were mornings she could not afford bus fare and days when exhaustion and doubt threatened to overwhelm her. One afternoon, a classmate quietly lent her the money to get home.

“She told me, ‘When you’re working, you’ll help someone else’. That moment taught me that sometimes strength comes from leaning on others.”

Balancing training with motherhood was a constant challenge, shadowed by worry over whether she could truly succeed. Yet with every hurdle she overcame, Monique felt her confidence take root. Another defining moment came during customer service training, when her instructor looked her in the eye and said, “Monique, you have a natural gift with people.”

It was the first time she had ever been spoken to in that way.

“It was like someone flipped a light switch inside me,” she recalled. “I started to believe I had something valuable to offer.”

By the time Monique graduated at the top of her class, she was no longer the woman who once felt invisible.

“Before, I would walk into a space and try not to be seen. Now, I approach customers with confidence. I know how to make people feel welcome – and that’s powerful.”

Immediately after completing the programme, she secured a job at Chilling on the Terrace in Red Hills [where she also interned].

She still remembers her first day on the job – an emotional milestone.

Dressed in her uniform, she whispered to herself, “You did it.”

For the first time in years, pride replaced doubt. Her children noticed the change as well.

“I come home with stories and energy instead of stress. I can buy them small treats without worrying about rent. Even my neighbours are asking how they can join the programme.”

For Monique, the D&G Learning for Life programme became more than training; it was a catalyst. She moved from being tired and uncertain to becoming confident, independent, and filled with hope.

Now 32 and having maintained the same job for two whole years, her message to other young people facing uncertainty is resolute, “You are more capable than you think. Don’t let fear keep you stuck. Opportunities like this can change everything – but you have to show up, even when it’s hard. Your future self will thank you.”